Hear an overview of shipwrecks, their causes, and the evolution of response resources and programs in the area so close to our shores.
This talk will focus primarily on historic shipwrecks that have occurred south and east of Massachusetts. The region has been called the Graveyard of the North Atlantic with over 3,000 wrecks here since European sailors first began exploring the region.
Because of the hazards experienced by early coastal and trans-Atlantic shipping while sailing these waters, Massachusetts was the 18th century birthplace of the modern United States Coast Guard. Advances in navigation, weather forecasting, response resources, and vessel technology over the past two centuries may have reduced the risks but have not eliminated them.
Greg Ketchen is a retired U.S. Coast Guard Captain living in Osterville, MA. He is a volunteer at the Coast Guard Heritage Museum located in Barnstable’s Old Customs House and has served as its president for the past six years. Before moving to the Cape thirteen years ago, Greg’s career included providing support to Massachusetts’ commercial ports as a development consultant, heading operations at the NE Aquarium, and filling a wide variety of Coast Guard jobs. These included performing duties at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, completing assignments as chief oceanographer for the International Ice Patrol and on the faculty of the Coast Guard Academy, and serving as commander of Coast Guard Group Boston and a NATO station in Italy.
This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program.
This program is in collaboration with Ashland Public Library.