Valor Friday

Seaman Apprentice William Flores

It’s not often I get to highlight the bravery of our Coasties. Eggs forwarded the tip of the story of William “Billy” Flores.

Flores was from Benbrook, Texas. He left high school early to enlist in the Coast Guard (with the permission of his parents) when he was just 17. Only a year out of boot camp, he was assigned to the cutter USCGC Blackthorn.

USCGC Blackthorn (WLB-391)

Blackthorn was a WWII vintage buoy tender. She had just undergone refurbishment at the Gulf Tampa Drydock in Tampa Bay. She was departing the busy port. The captain had briefly left the bridge to investigate a problem with the newly installed propulsion shaft, leaving an ensign in command at the conn.

As they were steaming out of port, they were asked to move to the right to allow a Russian passenger ship to pass. After doing so, Ensign John Ryan steered the ship back to the middle of the channel.

Meanwhile, coming in to the port was the tanker Capricorn. Ships normally pass port-to-port, which is to say they drive on the right side of the “road”. The locations of the two ships precluded this, so Capricorn set to make a starboard-to-starboard pass. Normally this is coordinated between the ships, but Capricorn was unable to raise Blackthorn on her radios. Capricorn blew two short whistles to signal the right to right side pass they were anticipating.

With Ensign Ryan apparently confused on what was playing out as he tried to move to make a normal pass, the two ships were set on a collision course. Aware of what was about to happen to this ship, Blackthorn’s captain, Lieutenant Commander George Sepel, ordered evasive maneuvers.

The command came too late, and the two ships collided. Damage to Blackthorn was initially relatively minor. Capricorn’s anchor was ready to drop as she entered port, and ripped a gash into the side of Blackthorn, above the water line. When the two ships pulled apart, the anchor remained attached, and the chain pulled taut.

The larger Capricorn pulled on the anchor as she continued to back away, and like a fish on a hook, pulled Blackthorn with her, tipping her over. Blackthorn could resist no more and suddenly capsized. Thirteen crewmen were trapped below decks, and were unable to be saved in time. The rest of the 50-man crew tried their best to escape.

As the ship foundered, and men took to the water, Seaman Flores went to the life jacket locker and started tossing jackets to the men overboard. When it became clear that Blackthorn was beyond saving, and the order to abandon ship had been given, Flores remained behind to tie the life jacket locker open. This would hopefully allow the remaining jackets to float freely, to help whomever they were forced to leave behind.

Even after the order to abandon the ship, Flores remained on the overturned hull of Blackthorn, trying to help his trapped and wounded shipmates. He’s credited with saving the lives of many of his fellow Coasties, but in doing so he was unable to save himself. He was only 18 years old.

Coast Guard Medal

Flores was posthumously awarded the Coast Guard Medal, the service’s highest award for non-combat gallantry. It ranks with the Soldier’s/Airman’s Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. It’s considered the non-combat equivalent of a service cross.

Texas Medal of Honor

In 2021, the Texas Legislature awarded him the state’s Medal of Honor. He’s one of just 16 men to have received this honor, and he shares it with other famous Texans of valor such as Audie Murphy and Roy Benavidez. In 2011, the Coast Guard commissioned a new Sentinel-class cutter in his honor, USCGC William Flores (WPC-1103), which is home ported out of Miami.

In the aftermath of the Blackthorn tragedy, both captains bore blame in the investigations. Commander Sepel was noted for having left an inexperienced officer in command while navigating an unfamiliar and crowded waterway. Both vessels were noted for operating in defiance of accepted navigation laws, and both ships were blamed for not following proper whistle communication protocol.

Sepel had been a 1967 graduate of the US Coast Guard Academy. He remained in the Coast Guard, retiring in 1988. He then lived in Juneau and started a marine surveyor business, which he left to his son when he retired completely in 2023. He died in 2025 at the age of 79. In his later years, he had reconnected with the men he had commanded aboard Blackthorn, and attended memorial events in Florida to his lost crew.

Category: Coast Guard, Historical, Valor, We Remember