Description
As guardians of the First Coast, the crew of the US Coast Guard Cutter Maria Bray WLM 562 adheres to a primary mission: to maintain Aid to Navigation. Also aiding in Alien Migrant Interdiction, the Maria Bray navigates and protects our nation’s southern waters from Georgetown, South Carolina, extending to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the Bahamas. For their duty of keeping “watch on the waves,” this challenge coin honors the crews of the Coast Guard cutter Maria Bray, past and present.
The US Coast Guard Maria Bray upholds secondary missions as well, including Domestic Ice Breaking, Marine Environmental Protection, and Search and Rescue. The crew consists of small boat crewmen, the lookout, the Helmsman, and the Junior Officer of the Deck. The Maria Bray is one of four cutters from parent command Sector Jacksonville, located in Atlantic Beach, Florida. It is the twelfth of fourteen “Keeper” class coastal buoy tenders named after famous lighthouse keepers. The Coast Guard cutter Maria Bray’s namesake was a 19th century American maritime heroine who tended to the twin lighthouses of Thatcher Island while her light-keeper husband was away. Traversing the terrain between them in severe snow storm conditions, she kept the beacons lit, which guided her husband home.
The intricately-detailed seal of the Maria Bray fills the obverse of this distinguished challenge coin. At its center, the Cutter’s blazon holds many symbols indicative of the cutter’s missions. The cutter’s navigation and command of coastal waters are represented by the compass rose; oars symbolize life-saving missions; the gold tone of the antique bronze finish symbolizes excellence. The United States Coast Guard seal adorns the reverse of the coin.
Minted in a brass alloy, this coin contains rich enamel accents on both sides.
Each coin measures 1 3/4 inch (44mm) in diameter.
This is a surplus NWTMint item, packaging may vary.
This is an out of date design and will not be remade after product is sold out.
