USCGC ''Vigilant'' (WMEC-617) is a

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

medium endurance cutter. She is the twelfth cutter to bear the name ''Vigilant'', dating back to 1790 when the original ''Vigilant'' was built for the United States Revenue-Marine. She was commissioned on October 3, 1964, at

Todd Shipyards Todd or Todds may refer to: Places ;Australia: * Todd River, an ephemeral river ;United States: * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated ...

in Houston, Texas, at a cost of 2.3 million dollars. From 1964 through 1989 ''Vigilant'' was homeported in New Bedford, Massachusetts at Coast Guard Station New Bedford. In 1989, she underwent an 18-month Major Maintenance Availability in order to modernize her capabilities. In 1990, ''Vigilant'' moved her homeport to

Port Canaveral, Florida Port Canaveral is a cruise, cargo, and naval port in Brevard County, Florida, Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world with 4.5 million cruise passengers passing through during 2016. Over 5.4 m ...

. In 2006 ''Vigilant'' completed another yard period, updating her with the most modern electronic and engineering equipment available.

Kudirka incident

On November 23, 1970, Simonas "Simas" Kudirka, a Soviet seaman of Lithuanian origin, leapt from the 400-foot (120 m) mother ship ''Sovetskaya Litva'', anchored in U.S waters near Aquinnah, Massachusetts, on Martha's Vineyard, aboard ''Vigilant'', sailing from New Bedford, Massachusetts. The Soviets accused Kudirka of theft of 3,000 rubles from the ship's safe. Ten hours passed. After attempts to get the U.S. State Department to provide guidance failed, Rear Admiral William B. Ellis, commander of the First Coast Guard District, ordered Commander Ralph E. Eustis to return Kudirka to the Soviets. Commander Eustis refused to subject his own crew to the task and instead permitted a detachment of Soviet seamen to board the ''Vigilant'' to return Kudirka to the Soviet ship. (The engineering crew had offered to hide Kudirka in the engine air intake shaft which could not be opened while the engines were running but the offer was declined.) This led to a change in asylum policy by the U.S. Coast Guard. Admiral Ellis and his chief of staff were given administrative punishment under Article 15 of the

UCMJ The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. §§ 801–946 is the foundation of military law in the United States. It was established by the United States Congress in accordance with the authority given by the United States Constitution ...

. Commander Eustis was given a non-punitive letter of reprimand and assigned to shore duty. Subsequent investigations revealed that Kudirka could claim American citizenship through his mother and was allowed to come to the United States in 1974. A book detailing the incident, ''Day of Shame'', by Algis Ruksenas, was published in 1973. The book helped spur further investigations into the incident that eventually led to Kudirka's release by the Soviets. It remains part of the reading curriculum in the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. The incident was portrayed in a 1978 television movie, ''

The Defection of Simas Kudirka ''The Defection of Simas Kudirka'' is a 1978 American made-for-television drama film based on actual events, featuring Alan Arkin as Simas Kudirka, a Lithuanian merchant seaman who attempts to defect from the Soviet Union to the United States by ...

'', with

Alan Arkin Alan Wolf Arkin (born March 26, 1934) is an American actor, director and screenwriter known for his performances on stage and screen. Throughout his career spanning over six decades, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award ...

playing Kudirka and

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF ...

playing the captain of the Soviet ship. In the movie, the USCGC ''Decisive'' (WMEC 629) played the part of the ''Vigilant.'' The incident is also portrayed in a 2020 documentary movie ''The Jump'' directed by Giedrė Žickytė, with Simonas Kudirka as himself and Ralph E. Eustis as himself.

Notable crew

*Admiral Thomas H. Collins, served as

Commandant of the Coast Guard The commandant of the Coast Guard is the service chief and highest-ranking member of the United States Coast Guard. The commandant is an admiral, appointed for a four-year term by the president of the United States upon confirmation by the Unit ...

from 2002 to 2006.

References

External links

''Vigilant'' home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vigilant Ships of the United States Coast Guard Reliance-class cutters 1964 ships Ships built in Houston