[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12163]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            CONVEYANCE OF DECOMMISSIONED COAST GUARD CUTTER

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. DAVE CAMP

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 13, 2003

  Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 517, and to honor 
the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bramble and her crew for its many years of 
faithful service. Commissioned in 1944, the Bramble began her service 
in San Diego providing navigational assistance.
  In 1957, the Coast Guard Cutters Spar and Storis joined the Bramble 
for a historic journey around the northern coast of Canada from the 
Pacific to the Atlantic. This trip lasted 64 days and made the trio the 
first surface ships to circumnavigate the continent of North America.
  After her historic and successful mission, the Bramble was relocated 
to Detroit in 1962, and Port Huron in 1975, where the Bramble would 
finish her career. Through her primary mission of aiding navigation, 
the Bramble has assisted merchant and private vessels as they navigate 
the Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie. The Bramble has also 
provided much needed assistance with law enforcement operations, ice 
breaking, and by serving as the Patrol Commander for the Port Huron to 
Mackinac Sailboat race.
  The Bramble will now be placed in the Port Huron Museum of Arts and 
History, and will open its doors to allow the public a glimpse of 
history. On behalf of the 4th Congressional District of Michigan, I 
would like to again honor the Bramble and her crew for her many years 
of service in the Great Lakes.

                          ____________________