Constructed at the U.S. Coast Guard shipyard at Curtis Bay, Maryland, in 1965, CG 44334 was stationed in Michigan City, Indiana, Cleveland, and Marblehead, Ohio, all on the Great Lakes.

During that time, she performed all the duties for which 44s are widely admired: Search and Rescue, assisting mariners in distress and law enforcement. She was removed from Coast Guard service in 1995 after having served her entire Coast Guard career on the fresh water of the Great Lakes. After her Coast Guard Service, 44334 was turned over to the Ohio Naval Militia, where she served as the R.T. Cook. In 2008, she was purchased by Mr. William Church of Midland, Michigan. Mr. Church sailed the boat under her own power to Manistee, Michigan, where he and his family, friends and associates from the CG Auxiliary began restoring the 44334 back to Coast Guard specifications under her original name. After getting her back ship-shape, Mr. Church has used the 44334 as a Coast Guard Auxiliary vessel for several years, providing maritime training opportunities for Auxiliary members and search and rescue services. Other C.G. Auxiliary vessels are now assuming those duties and Mr. Church would like to see the 44334 find a home that will respect her history. According to his detailed records, he personally helmed 44334 over 2,600 nautical miles, or over 475 hours underway at an average speed of 5.5 knots and over 200 hours of stationary time, or on station training and ready to go. Mr. Church’s records also indicate that C.G. Auxiliary personnel who trained on the vessel on his watch accumulated a total of over 56,890 hours of training time. He now would like to see the legacy of 44334 continue: “She needs to come home, and not be cooped up in a barn. She was built to teach others and to save lives… She loves the water and loves to serve." Mr. Church maintains a Web site detailing his ownership of 44334 at http://www.44-334.com/index.htm

 

About The Last Patrol:

Founded in 1991 by brothers John and Jeff Nowakowski, The Last Patrol incorporated as an Ohio 501 c 3 non-profit organization in 1995 with the mission of developing a military museum and national youth training site in Toledo, Ohio. The Last Patrol has a very close working relationship with the Commodore Perry Division of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadets and Navy League Cadets.

The proposed museum will focus on educating children and adults about our active military,

military history, and veterans through story telling and the preservation of equipment and artifacts. Using an interactive, hands-on interpretation style, guests will become integrated with

exhibitry to enjoy first-hand the experience of the story being presented. It is our hope that this

method will allow museum visitors to better understand how we have achieved our national

freedoms while realizing the expense of protecting liberty.

The proposed training site will provide a venue for the U.S. Naval Sea Cadets Corps, U.S. Navy

League Cadet Corps as well as other youth groups including Young Marines, Civil Air Patrol,

Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, just to name a few. The main objective, in conjunction with the

museum, is education, incorporating science, safety, history and leadership.