Service held for last Pea Island surfman

A memorial service was held Friday in Baltimore for Herbert Collins, the last surviving member of the historic all-African American Pea Island Life-Saving Station.

Collins died March 14 at the age of 89 after a battle with cancer, according to a U.S. Coast Guard statement.

Collins was born in Manteo on New Year’s Day in 1921 and enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1939 at Elizabeth City, N.C.

Shortly after boot camp, the statement from the Coast Guard said, he was assigned to the cutter Tallapoosa as a mess attendant. He was later assigned to the all-African American Pea Island life saving station as a surfman during World War II.

The Pea Island station closed in 1947.

Collins became a boatswain’s mate while at Pea Island and rose through the ranks to become a warrant officer in 1959 and a chief warrant officer 4 in 1968. He retired in 1973 as a lieutenant.

“I had the extraordinary personal honor to spend time with Herb Collins and his family not long ago and his love for our service was deep and enduring. Lieutenant Collins’ service to the Coast Guard and our nation is significant, especially in light of the challenges that African Americans faced as the service was integrated,” Adm. Thad Allen, Coast Guard commandant, said in the statement. “Today we mourn the loss of a legendary shipmate and at the same time celebrate his legacy of excellence and tenacity.”

For more on Collins’ career, link here to the U.S Coast Guard site.

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