The son of a Canadian Coast Guard member whose heroic final act was remembered with the dedication of a Coast Guard ship in his name says he’d trade the ship for his dad any day.
On October 15, 1989, a group of Coast Guard crewmembers lost their lives after their boat overturned while trying to rescue a group of body surfers who had run into trouble in heavy waves at Middle Cove Beach.
Three Coast Guard members and one surfer were lost in the tragedy that played out mere metres from shore as onlookers lining the beach watched helplessly in horror.
Even 35 years after the tragic events, the loss of Chief Officer Gregory Peddle Senior, Engineering Officer J.W. Pierre Gallien, and Leading Seaman Raymond Whelcher still resonates among their family, friends and former co-workers.
Gregory Peddle Junior had just celebrated his seventh birthday when his mother informed him that something had gone terribly wrong.
Peddle remembers being told by his mother that his father had fallen out of his boat “and to say a prayer for him before you go to bed.” He says it was when the priest came to the door that he and his 6-year-old brother were able to “put two-and-two together, and realize it’s much more serious.”
A Coast Guard ship the CCGS G. Peddle was named after Gregory’s dad, and while he’s moved that the Coast Guard continues to remember the sacrifices made on that fateful day, it will never bring his dad back.
A ceremony was held on the beach at Middle Cove last Friday to mark the 35th anniversary of the tragic event.