In our January issue, we began Part 1 of a new series entitled 'Guardians of Freedom', and our first featured serviceman was Dick Purdy. Dick's daughter, Julie Arndt, is the editor of The Lakeshore Guardian. During the month of January, Dick left this world and went to be with Jesus. Although Dick won't be able to see the conclusion of his story in print, I am thankful I met with him one last time after the completion of my rough draft, so he could set me straight on a few things. As I read his story, he nodded in agreement as I went, occasionally stopping me to provide further explanation as needed. I kept one eye on Dick, and for a time I was quite sure he wasn't even in the room with me, but rather he was back on the greatest ice breaker on the Great Lakes - the Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw. Join me now in the conclusion.

The Coast Guard fell under the United States Navy in times of war, and although this country was in the midst of the Korean War, the men on the Mackinaw continued with their daily routines. Whether in war or times of peace, the United States Coast Guard was always watchful, ever vigilant.

To be continually prepared for the unexpected, the men practiced a variety of drills daily. One of the main jobs as a Damage Controlman was a fireman. A general alarm would sound, and the crew simulated what they would do if something were on fire. There were certain stations everybody had to go to in the event of a fire, and the men continually practiced these drills until their responses became second nature. Likewise, the crew practiced man overboard drills, and what to do should the crew need to abandon ship if a situation such as being torpedoed called for this drastic action.

Many of the crew worked on deck performing the typical deckhand tasks such as cleaning and painting. Other crew members included the engine room men, electricians, sonar specialists, radio men and a gunners mate, as well as, many others. The gunners mate was in charge of the armament and he usually had another man striking, that is, he was in training to become a gunners mate. Although the Mackinaw didn't carry a tremendous amount of artillery, she was equipped with some guns and a canon which was stored amidships much of the time.

After a full day of ice breaking, the Mackinaw and her crew retired for the evening, usually tying up before dark and dropping the anchor in Lake Superior around Whitefish Bay. It was another of the Damage Controlman's jobs to drop the anchor and run the windlass, an anchor engine used for heaving in the anchor. Dick sometimes questioned to himself why they needed to drop the anchor at all, since they were sometimes in 20 feet of ice!

In the evenings when the men found they had a few hours to themselves, many enjoyed watching movies or playing poker and euchre. While the galley was large enough to accommodate everyone, there were different compartments with tables set up for card playing. Dick's game of choice was cribbage, and he played lots of it. Dick also utilized the Mackinaw's large machine shop where he fabricated brass canons and stainless steel rings. In addition, others sought the quiet the good-sized library offered, located just forward of the galley.

Eventually, the men retired to their berthing compartment. Their thin mattresses rested on six-foot-long pipe frame racks, and with a pillow and a few blankets, Dick and his shipmates settled in for a good night's sleep. The beds were three deep, and in the morning they were folded up so the deck could be cleaned. The mens' lockers were positioned between the racks and were about 20 inches square, stacked about four high. Dick's work clothes consisted of dungarees, a blue denim shirt, and in the winter, his watch cap, a blue, woolen hat, was a must.

After six weeks of continuous ice breaking, the Mackinaw was in need of some extra attention, so as soon as the waterways were cleared, she was put into dry dock in Manitowac, Wisconsin. After slamming into so much ice, there was no paint left on her hull. While some of the exterior painting would wait for warmer weather, there were plenty of other areas in need of sprucing up and repair. Although all of the ship's crew was still on board, many didn't have a lot to do during this time. They stayed on the boat for most of the day, but Dick and his shipmates, were given a lot of liberty, often walking a few blocks to downtown Manitowoc to check out the town or take in a movie.

After dry dock, the Mackinaw made her way back to her home port in Cheboygan. The men had weekends off, along with 30 days leave throughout the year. On the weekends, Dick often went hunting in the Cheboygan area, and he and his friends were sometimes inclined to visit a pub or two. He also enjoyed fishing, and it was rumored Black Lake had some mighty big sturgeon in it. He and his friends built an ice shanty and often tried their luck, though sometimes the stories were bigger than the fish!

Back on the Mac, deckhands would continue to paint and pretty her up even more, for she would be transporting her crew to several festivals and parades during the summer months. She was a showboat in the summer, and a squad of 30 men, dressed in full uniform carrying their rifles, marched in parades during Traverse City's Cherry Festival and similar events in Chicago and Cleveland.

The men continued to practice their drills during the summer months as well. The crew also traveled yearly to the Coast Guard's rifle range in Grand Haven, Michigan, to practice their marksmanship as a part of their continued training.

In 1955, the Mackinaw and her crew were assigned to escort the Port Huron to Mackinaw sailboat race. An unexpected storm blew up, creating havoc on Lake Huron. The Mackinaw suddenly found herself facing 20-foot waves and 40 degree rolls. At 1:20 AM, the general alarm sounded. Dishes were breaking, and hatches were slamming. The men in Damage Control immediately went to work.

The Mackinaw's helicopter, which was utilized for observation during the ice breaking season, was secured on the fantail. The 1000-gallon fuel tank for the helicopter - a tank Dick helped to build when they were in the Soo - was secured with four chains up on the second deck. The chains got working in the storm, and Dick immediately went down to the Damage Control locker where the tools and equipment were stored to retrieve some wedges and a sledgehammer. Just as Dick emerged from the hatch, he saw the gas tank go overboard.

Although the helicopter had been secured, it, too, had loosened, moving about four feet. As a result, the helicopter slammed into a towing bit, smashing its carburetor. As the Mackinaw struggled against the tenacity of the storm, dozens of sailboats were in immediate danger; blown off course, many didn't even know where they were. Between the waters off White Rock and Harbor Beach, one sailboat had her mast broken off, and her crew of three was lying down holding on to the boat with all they were worth. The Mackinaw came to their rescue, throwing out a line and towing them to the lighthouse in Harbor Beach.

At daybreak, the storm subsided, the winds changing from the northeast to the northwest. The Coast Guard air base in Traverse City sent a two-engine plane to deliver a new carburetor for the Mackinaw's helicopter. As the plane flew overhead, a five-gallon pail equipped with a parachute was dropped; the contents of the pail held the new carburetor. As the pail descended, however, the parachute didn't collapse when it hit the water, and as a result, the parachute, catching the wind, took off across the water. Crew members on the Mac lowered one of the little boats, so they could quickly chase down the pail and collect the helicopter's carburetor.

The Mackinaw faced more rough weather in Superior. They were given the task of picking up the light keepers from Stannard Rock Lighthouse, about 37 miles north of Marquette in Lake Superior. So rough and stormy was the weather, the Mac would travel only a mile or so before she was forced to turn around and tie up again. The light keepers waited patiently for the Mac and her crew to arrive, so they could be transported to the Soo for winter duty. It took three long days before they were finally able to do so, however.

Some days the men wondered what might happen next, but through it all, one thing remained constant: Good food. Dick especially enjoyed eating lobster tails. The men were served lobster tails every six weeks or so, steaming bowls filled to the brim. Many of his shipmates didn't care for lobster, so Dick happily ate their share!

On one occasion, the Mackinaw was scheduled to take a boat load of Senators to Isle Royal in Lake Superior, closer to the Canadian border. The crew was instructed to put on a show for them, doing tasks they weren't normally inclined to do. As the Mac approached Isle Royal, the deckhands began taking soundings. While this task was typically done with the use of machines, the deckhands were, by hand, demonstrating how the job used to be done.

The immediate body of water they were in was filled with reefs, so there was a great difference in the depth of water from one spot to another. Cruising into Isle Royal at about one or two miles per hour, the deckhand continued to take soundings periodically, continually reporting the number of fathoms.

One of the deckhands took a sounding, and it read 30 fathoms, which is equal to 180 feet. The deckhand yelled up to the executive officer, reporting the depth. In turn the order came to let go of the number one anchor. The number one anchor was the port anchor, which Dick was in charge of manning.

Located below deck, the anchor chain came out of the chain locker, and traveled around the wildcat, which functioned as a ratchet. From the wildcat, the chain traveled down through the hawse pipe until it reached the 6000-pound anchor. (Hawse pipes are the steel castings in the bow through which the anchor chain ran.) All of this was controlled by a little switch on deck, and a hand brake was the only thing holding the anchor. The switch was turned on to run the wildcat, which raised the anchor. Likewise, when they took off the brake, the anchor fell.

Dick, following orders, dropped the port anchor. Every 15 fathoms there was a mark on the chain. Dick saw the 15 fathom mark go by, and soon the 30 fathom mark as well. Dick was already beginning to apply the break when the executive officer began yelling his order to hold the anchor. Although Dick had turned the brake wheel as far as it would go, the anchor chain came out faster and faster. Sparks were flying as the sheer weight of the anchor and chain continued to descend against the friction of the brake. It had become quite clear the Mac was no longer in 180 feet of water. With only ten feet of chain left in the chain locker, the break finally engaged. As it turned out, the Mac ended up in 450 feet of water. The anchor never hit bottom, and Dick began the task of retrieving the anchor. The Mac and her crew then traveled to a spot among the reefs that proved to be a bit shallower!

There were new experiences around every corner it seemed, and some of the crew learned an important lesson on one occasion when the proper procedure wasn't followed. When the Damage Controlmen tied up at night during the ice breaking season, they were always careful not to pull the anchor chain completely taut. The mornings could be extremely frigid, with temperatures falling as low as 30 degrees below zero. The chain needed to be left down a few links, so in the morning, the chain could be nudged enough to break the ice. Otherwise, the wind would blow up the hawse pipe, freezing the chain solid in the pipe.

On one occasion, though, the chief had pulled the anchor up in the morning and snubbed it tight. In the evening, they went to drop the anchor, but it wouldn't descend. As it turned out, the anchor chain was frozen in the hawse pipe. Although the chief took the brake off, it didn't move. He then reversed the procedure, trying to pull the anchor up more, but the anchor chain was already tight. Much of the chain was exposed on deck, and all of a sudden the chain snapped. Although it was still dark, one of Dick's shipmates felt a link of the anchor chain fly by his face. The anchor, in turn, descended to the bottom of Lake Superior in Whitefish Bay.

After Dick Purdy served his four-year stint in the Coast Guard, he decided to return to Harbor Beach with his wife, Shirley, and his baby girl, Julie. Once in Harbor Beach, he returned to his job at the Huron Milling Company where he began an apprenticeship to be a millwright. As the years passed by, Dick often gazed out at the waters of Lake Huron and fondly recalled his memories aboard the mightiest ice breaker on the Great Lakes.

As for the Mackinaw, she continued to sail on for decades. A true legend on the Great Lakes, she has served her country well, but the time has come for her to retire. A new ship, which will also be named Mackinaw, is scheduled for delivery in 2005. The original Mac was designed for one thing - ice breaking - while a modern ship can perform multiple tasks. Likewise, modern ships can operate with a crew of approximately 20 individuals while the Mackinaw generally functioned with a crew nearing 100 people. While the original Mackinaw's fate is not certain, some speculate she will continue to serve as a floating museum.

The Lakeshore Guardian salutes Dick Purdy for his service in the United States Coast Guard.

Information pertaining to this article was obtained from The United States Navy's, The Bluejackets' Manual, Fourteenth Edition, as well as first hand accounts from Dick Purdy. It has been over 50 years since Dick served in the Coast Guard, and the information he provided is as accurate as his memory allowed. For a list of Internet sources, feel free to contact the writer in care of this publication.

Editor's note:

I want to express a special thank you to Janis Stein for documenting a time in my father's life that my sisters and I can now cherish forever, along with our more recent memories. Dad was so excited about sharing this story with Janis, not knowing he would never be able to read about himself in his favorite paper. I wish to thank everyone for their prayers, which sustained our family in the last few weeks. The world is a better place because of Dick Purdy, and I thank God for blessing me with the honor and priviledge of calling him Dad.