The Coastal Interpretive Center in Ocean Shores has recently received a generous and unique donation featuring a collection of large glass net floats. The floats bring maritime history and beachcombed treasures together to portray one facet of a military officer’s fascinating career.
Received from Captain C.R. Gillett, U.S.C.G. (Ret.), the floats reflect many of the geographic areas he served in. A military history aficionado, the floats donated to the Center had special significance to him for their provenance. He collected these from Truk Atoll and the island of Pelelieu in the Western Pacific; and from Alaska’s Aleutian Island chain -Dutch Harbor, Adak and Attu.
These areas were each the location of major WW II battles.
Captain Gillett graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1952. Having served as Commanding Officer of 5 different Coast Guard units and Executive Officer of 3 other units, he retired from active duty in 1981.
Duty stations included Guam, where he was commander of all Coast Guard units in the Western Pacific. This included Merchant Marine Safety Units in Singapore, Philippines, Japan and Korea.
Also included was the Trust Territory of the Pacific – the Marshall Islands (Bikini and Kwajalein), Caroline Islands (Truk, Ponape and Caroline) and the Marianas (Guam, Rota, Tinian and Saipan).
He was the U.S. Coast Guard representative when the Northern Marianas became a Territory of the United States.
Other duty assignments included serving with the U.S. Navy Destroyer School at Newport, RI; flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola in FL; and Ship Operations Officer on the U.S. Navy staff of “Operation Deep Freeze”.
Captain Gillett was Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard icebreaker USCGC Glacier (AGB-4). Prior to that, he was Executive Officer of the Coast Guard icebreaker USCGC Burton Island (WAGB-283). Ship deployments included 6 trips to the Arctic and the Antarctic.
The Center is preparing a special display in the Beachcombing Exhibit room to showcase these treasures and offer educational history highlights associated with their provenance. Thank you Captain Gillette!
