By ELIOT SEKULER/for Oregon Coast TODAY
Depoe Bay’s maritime heritage will be colorfully displayed on Memorial Day as the city that boasts the world’s smallest harbor stages a show of nautical pageantry for its annual Fleet of Flowers event.
It’s a true community effort, organized by volunteers with support from the city and from the U.S. Coast Guard, which plays an active role in the day’s activities.
Senior Chief Boatswain’s Mate Ryan Clendenen, the officer in charge of the Coast Guard’s Depoe Bay station, explained the Coast Guard’s role in the event and the purpose for its participation.
“Fleet of Flowers was originally organized specifically to recognize the sacrifice of two men who tried to help some other mariners who were in trouble outside of Depoe Bay harbor,” he said, “and ended up losing their lives in the rescue effort.”
The tragic incident took place Oct. 4, 1936, when an early autumn storm hit the coast, bringing high seas and an impenetrable dense fog. A small fishing boat, caught in the storm, went missing in the vicinity of Depoe Bay with three crew members aboard. Two Depoe Bay fishermen, Roy Bower and Jack Chambers, set out from the harbor in their 30-foot troller on a dangerous rescue mission. Their bodies were recovered the following day.
Their courage and sacrifice became the stuff of local legend and, a decade later after the close of World War II, the Fleet of Flowers event was organized at Depoe Bay to honor their memory. Over time, the scope of the event was broadened to include remembrance of all seafarers — fishermen, Navy, Coastguardsmen — who have lost their lives at sea. It has grown to become a signature event for the city.
“It’s the biggest event of the year in Depoe Bay,” said Clendenen, a 20-year Coast Guard veteran who has established strong personal roots in the area. “It’s an opportunity to recognize all the mariners who make a living out there on the sea and also the occasion for the `blessing of the fleet.’’
A local pastor will give an invocation for the ceremony and say a prayer for the entire fleet of vessels based in Depoe Bay.”
Clendenen, who is helping to coordinate Coast Guard participation, including a helicopter fly-over and a 21-gun salute, will be among the speakers.
Kathy Wyatt, who serves as co-president of the Fleet of Flowers organization, explained the order of the day’s events.
“Those who want to watch the ceremony should head to the docks at the Depoe Bay harbor at 11 a.m.,” she said. “The program at the dock will run for 45 minutes and then people who have tickets will depart for the boats. If you’re not aboard one of the boats, the best place to watch the event will be from the Depoe Bay bridge and the area next to the Whale Watching Center. From there, you’ll be able to see the boats leaving the harbor and forming a circle offshore. A Coast Guard helicopter will arrive and drop the first wreath into the ocean. Then, everybody aboard the boats will throw their wreaths into the ocean.”
Passage aboard the dozen participating boats is managed privately, but some boat tickets may be available from Depoe Bay’s charter companies, Trade Winds or Dockside Charters.
Wyatt emphasized that the Fleet of Flowers event represents the culmination of a year-long effort by her group of volunteers.
“It takes all year to plan and raise the money,” she said. Volunteer opportunities, which include making the memorial wreaths that are tossed from the boats, continue through the week leading up to the event.
“We’re excited to be able to do the event again, to have the participation of the boat captains and the community,” Wyatt said. “It’s been a great Depoe Bay tradition for all these many years, a time for everybody to gather for a great community event.”
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