USCG to commission Fast Response Cutter Daniel Tarr in Galveston

The Coast Guard is scheduled to hold a commissioning ceremony for the service’s 36th fast response cutter, the Coast Guard Cutter Daniel Tarr, in Galveston, Texas, Friday.

Daniel Tarr, the cutter’s namesake, was one of four Coast Guard coxswains who served with the Marines during the amphibious invasion of Tulagi, Solomon Islands, in August 1942. Tarr enlisted as a surfman and later became coxswain of USS McKean’s Boat Number 1 prior to the invasion. On Aug. 7, 1942, Tarr, along with the other 3 coxswains, landed the first wave of the Marine Corps’ Raider Battalion on the beaches of Tulagi; in the following three days, they also delivered vitally needed equipment, ammunition and supplies. For their role in the landing of the Marines’ first wave, and capture of Tulagi, the four coxswains were awarded the Silver Star Medal. They were the first enlisted men in the Coast Guard to receive the Silver Star Medal.

The Coast Guard Cutter Daniel Tarr’s patrol area will encompass 900 miles of coastline for the Coast Guard’s Eighth District, from Carrabelle, Florida, to Brownsville, Texas. Fast response cutters are named after Coast Guard enlisted heroes and will replace the service’s 110-foot patrol boats. These vessels feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment.