05/22/2026
This past weekend, the crew of the Schooner American Eagle was awarded a Certificate of Merit from the United States Coast Guard in the “recognition of notable services that have assisted greatly in furthering the aims and functions of the Coast Guard.”
In June of 2024, the crew of the American Eagle— specially Captain Tyler King, First Mate Courtney King, and Deckhand Katharine Hassenfratz— responded to a person in the water. The man they rescued had fallen off his sail boat in Rockland Harbor while trying to put the battens in his mainsail and was unable to untie his swim ladder. Courtney and Katharine deployed the lifeboat and were able to assist him back aboard while performing medical checks while waiting for the Coast Guard to arrive to the scene. Other crew members— Deckhand Elias Porter, Messmate Nate Cooper, and Cook Marty McHugh-Mullane— were crucial in keeping passengers calm and assisting Captain Tyler in maneuvering the schooner.
“With the keen awareness and rapid intervention displayed by the crew of the Schooner American Eagle, a sailors life was able to be saved. Captain King and his crew serve as a shining example for all mariners. Their selfless devotion to the safety of life at sea is most heartily commended and is in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard.”
