USCGC Vigilant (WMEC-617)

USCGC "Vigilant" (WMEC-617) is a United States Coast Guard medium endurance cutter. She is the twelfth cutter to bear the name "Vigilant", dating back to 1790 when the original "Vigilant" was built for the Revenue Cutter Service. She was commissioned on October 3, 1964, at Todd Shipyards in Houston, Texas at a cost of 2.3 million dollars. From 1964 through 1989 "Vigilant" was homeported in New Bedford, Massachusetts. In 1989, she underwent an 18 month Major Maintenance Availability in order to modernize her capabilities. In 1990, "Vigilant", moved her homeport to Port Canaveral, Florida. "Vigilant" has just completed another yard period, updating her with the most modern electronic and engineering equipment available.

Vigilant / Kudirka incident

On November 23, 1970, [http://www.uic.edu/classes/lith/lith115/Kudir.pdf Simonas "Simas" Kudirka] , a Soviet seaman of Lithuanian nationality, leapt from the 400-foot (120 m) mother ship "Sovetskaya Litva", anchored in American waters (near Aquinnah, Massachusetts on Martha's Vineyard Island), aboard the "Vigilant", sailing from New Bedford. The Soviets accused Kudirka of theft of 3,000 rubles from the ship's safe. Ten hours passed. After attempts to get the U.S. State Department to provide guidance failed, Rear Admiral William B. Ellis, commander of the First Coast Guard District, ordered Commander Ralph E. Eustis to permit a KGB detachment to board the "Vigilant" to return Kudirka to the Soviet ship. This led to a change in asylum policy by the U.S. Coast Guard. Admiral Ellis and his chief of staff were given administrative punishment under Article 15 of the UCMJ. Commander Eustis was given a non-punitive letter of reprimand and assigned to shore duty.

Kudirka was tried for treason by the Soviet Union and given a ten-year sentence in the Gulag. Subsequent investigations revealed that Kudirka could claim American citizenship through his mother and was allowed to come to the United States in 1974.

An award-winning book detailing the incident, Day of Shame, by Algis Ruksenas, was published in 1973 (David McKay Publishers, New York). The book helped spur further investigations into the incident that eventually led to Kudirka's release by the Soviets. It remains part of the reading curriculum in the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

The incident was portrayed in a 1978 television movie, "The Defection of Simas Kudirka", with Alan Arkin playing Kudirka and Donald Pleasence playing the captain of the Soviet ship.

Notable crew

*Admiral Thomas H. Collins, served as Commandant of the Coast Guard from 2002 to 2006.

External links

* [http://www.uscg.mil/lantarea/cutter/vigilant/index.html "Vigilant" home page]
* [http://www.uic.edu/classes/lith/lith115/Kudir.pdf Local ship has place in history - One man’s desperate bid for freedom led to defection policy]