Coast Guard Commissions Cutters that Honor Dr. Olivia Hooker and Frederick Mann

Earlier this year, the Coast Guard commissioned two fast response cutters, with support from the Coast Guard Foundation to help establish morale funds for each crew. The Foundation also uses each commissioning as an opportunity to recognize the legacy behind the cutter’s name.

A cutter’s morale fund supports the crew’s quality of life, providing things like fitness equipment, recreation gear and activities that aren’t covered by Coast Guard funding. This support goes a long way in building community and gives members a chance to recharge so they can stay focused on the mission.

Fast response cutters are named for enlisted Coast Guard heroes who demonstrated extraordinary courage, sacrifice and dedication to duty.

“Every cutter carries both a mission and a legacy,” said Susan Ludwig, president of the Coast Guard Foundation. “We’re proud to support the crews who serve today and honor the heroes who came before them.”

In January, the Coast Guard Cutter Olivia Hooker was commissioned in Pascagoula, Mississippi, where it is now homeported.

Presiding at the commissioning were Rear Admiral Will E. Watson, commander of the Coast Guard Heartland District, and Rear Admiral Zeita Merchant, who is now the commander of the Coast Guard East District. Members of Dr. Hooker’s family attended, including the ship’s sponsor Janis Porter, her goddaughter.

Hooker was a pioneering figure in the history of the Coast Guard as the first African American woman in the service. In 1945, she enlisted in the Coast Guard Women’s Reserves,  known as the SPARs, where she completed boot camp and yeoman training and helped process discharges for Coast Guard members returning from World War II. 

Following her military service, she pursued higher education, earning a master’s degree from Teachers College, Columbia University and a doctorate in psychology from the University of Rochester. She was a respected professor at Fordham University and a lifelong advocate for education, mental health and civil rights.

She was recognized by the Coast Guard for her service and legacy at age 100 and passed away in 2018 at 103.

In February, the Coast Guard commissioned another fast response cutter, the Coast Guard Cutter Frederick Mann, during a ceremony in Kodiak, Alaska.

The ceremony was presided over by Rear Admiral Bob Little, commander of the Arctic District. Members of the Mann family were also in attendance, including the cutter’s sponsor, Mrs. Eugenia "Jeannie" Mann Hyder, niece of Frederick Mann.  

Chief Warrant Officer Frederick Mann enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1939.   During World War II, his ship, the USS George F. Elliott, participated in the initial landings of Guadalcanal on Aug. 7, 1942. The following day, Japanese bombers attacked the landing fleet and a bomber aircraft crashed into his ship, spilling fuel across the decks and setting the ship on fire.

Mann carried a fire hose into a burning ammunition compartment, battling suffocating smoke, intense heat and low oxygen. He repeatedly re-entered the space to ensure the fire was contained, preventing a catastrophic explosion aboard the Navy ship and allowing the crew to safely evacuate. For his heroism, Mann received the Gold Lifesaving Medal, the Silver Star and the Presidential Unit Citation.

Afterward, Mann returned stateside and served 31 years across a range of assignments, including stations, lifeboat stations and cutters on the Great Lakes, East Coast and Gulf Coast.

Chief Warrant Officer Frederick Dean Mann passed away in 2017 at the age of 98.

----

Coast Guard press releases and reports from the Coast Guard Historian's Office were used as primary source material to write this news article.