This is the first program in the Setting Sail: The Story of the Sea Cloud exhibition lecture series. 

In 1942, Marjorie Post and her third husband, Joseph Davies, lent their yacht, Sea Cloud, to the United States Coast Guard, in which it served as a weather ship during World War II. Post said, “Since I have no son to give to the war, I will offer the Sea Cloud.” 

Join Master Chief Vince Patton and Coast Guard historians Dr. William Thiesen and Mark Mollan for an evening exploring the Sea Cloud's role in Coast Guard history and the story of Captain Carlton Skinner, who commanded the Sea Cloud during WWII. Under Captain Skinner, the Sea Cloud became the first racially integrated military unit from 1943 to 1944, prior to the official elimination of segregation in the U.S. Armed Forces in 1948. The Sea Cloud included African American officers, as well as enlisted crewmembers, such as famous artist Jacob Lawrence.

Ken W. Sayers will introduce this event via a pre-recorded video. Copies of his book, Tales of the Sea Cloud: Luxury Yacht, Integrated Naval Vessel, Legendary Ship are available for purchase in the museum store.

Photos are courtesy of Hillwood. 

HYBRID PROGRAM 

This lecture will be presented in the theater in the Ellen MacNeille Charles Visitor Center and will be livestreamed via Zoom. Visitors can submit questions for the speaker from any location. 

IN-PERSON TIMELINE

5:30–6:30 p.m. | Explore Hillwood

• Enjoy Hillwood’s mansion, gardens,  greenhouse, and exhibition, Setting Sail: The Story of the Sea Cloud, on view in the dacha
• Find the perfect memento from your visit at the museum shop

6:30–7:30 p.m. | Lecture 

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

A native of Detroit, MI, Master Chief Vince Patton enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in 1972 and retired in 2002.

During Master Chief Patton’s Coast Guard career, he served on three cutters along with operational, training and administrative assignments, including a joint service tour as the senior enlisted advisor to Joint Task Force-160 during Operation Support Democracy, and command senior enlisted leadership positions. The pinnacle of his military career was becoming the highest-ranking enlisted member of the service as the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, 1998-2002. Among his numerous military awards includes the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal, which is the highest peacetime recognition for performance of duty.

His academic achievements include earning a Doctor of Education degree from the American University, Washington DC, which is dissertation was based on the development and implementation of the Coast Guard Enlisted Evaluation System.

Currently, he is president of Northeast Maritime Institute Foundation and is also an adjunct faculty member at Northeast Maritime Institute College of Maritime Science. He is actively involved with several other public service and nonprofit organizations serving on boards with the National Coast Guard Museum, U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps and the Uniformed Services Benefit Association.

Dr. William Thiesen currently serves as Atlantic Area Historian for the United States Coast Guard. 

A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Dr. Thiesen spent much of his early life working with boats and boatbuilding on the East and West coasts. Later, he taught history at the undergraduate and graduate levels and served as curator and assistant director for five years at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, the largest maritime museum on the Great Lakes.

Dr. Thiesen earned a master’s degree from East Carolina University’s Program in Maritime History, with a concentration in naval history, and a Ph.D. in University of Delaware’s Hagley Program in the History of Industrialization and Technology, with a specialization in maritime industries and technology.

He has published hundreds of maritime history articles in print and online and his books include Industrializing American Shipbuilding: The Transformation of Ship Design and Construction, 1820-1920 and Cruise of the Dashing Wave: Rounding Cape Horn in 1860. He is currently a contributor and the managing editor for “The Long Blue Line,” the weekly Coast Guard history blog series that has published essays for over 15 years.

Mark C. Mollan has served as Deputy Historian of the US Coast Guard for the past 4 years. Prior to coming onboard in Jan 2021, Mark worked for 3 years at Naval History and Heritage Command, and prior to that served as Reference Archivist with Navy/Maritime Records at the National Archives and Records Administration for 15 years. Mark also serves as president and founder of the Washington Area Maritime Archivists, Curators, and Historians Group which arranges tours and other special events in the DC area related to Maritime history. 

In addition to posting primary materials documenting the activities and personnel of the historic vessel USCGC SEA CLOUD, Mark is also working with the Pea Island Preservation Society in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, to make available personnel-related records of all Life-saving Surfmen, historically all African-American, who served at Pea Island Life-saving Station from its founding until its closure in 1947.  

Mark is author of two articles published in the National Archives’ journal PROLOGUE, including “The Army Medal of Honor: The first 55 years,” and “Honoring our War Dead: Evolution of Government Headstone Policy…” Mark enjoys spending time with family in Southern Maryland especially kayaking in St. Mary’s and Patuxent Rivers.

Images are courtesy of the speakers.