In the fall of 1979, a group of adults and high school students gathered to further the goals of the Navy League, Naval Services and the Merchant Marine by forming a Naval Sea Cadet unit in the Cape Cod area. Sponsored by the Massachusetts Bay Council of the Navy League of the United States, MARATHON DIVISION was formally commissioned on December 1, 1979. Under the command of LCDR Paul Correa, the division was named for the T/S MARATHON (ex-USS Marathon, PG-89), a former Asheville Class patrol craft on loan to Mass. Maritime Academy from MARAD. The Division drilled at the Mass. Maritime Academy located in Buzzards Bay.
COMMANDING OFFICERS
LCDR Paul Correa (1979 - ?)
LCDR Steve Swanson (? - 1989)
LCDR Millie Leischmann (1989 - 2000)
LT Robert Mitchell / LCDR John Stowe (2000 - 2001)
LT Kevin Holland (2001 - 2003)
CDR Todd Bailey (2003 - 2006)
LT Kevin Holland (2006)
LCDR David Carchia (2006 - present)
Marathon Division celebrated its 25th Year of Commissioning on 1 DEC 2004. Marathon Division and T/S Cape Cod Canal drill at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and continue to grow both in numbers and in the diversity of training opportunities
VESSEL PARTICULARS
DISPLACEMENT: 225 tons Standard; 245 tons Full Load
DIMENSIONS, feet (meters): 164.5 (50.1) x 23.8 (7.3) x 9.5 (2.9)
MAIN MACHINERY: CODAG (COmbined Diesel And Gas turbine)
1 - GE LM1500 gas turbine rated at 13,300 shp
2 - Cummins VT12-875M diesels rated at 1450 bhp
2 - shafts / propellors
SPEED: 40 knots on gas turbines; 16 knots on diesels alone
Two U.S. naval vessels have carried the name "U.S.S. Marathon". The first, APA-200 was a "Haskell" Class attack transport coverted from a VC-2 "Victory" ship and saw service during the Second World War.
U.S.S. Marathon (PG-89) was the second US Navy warship to bear the name that honors the cities of Marathon, Florida; Marathon, Ohio; Marathon, NY; Marathon, Texas and Marathon, Wisconson.
Originally built for the Cuban Missile Crisis era, MARATHON was constructed at Tacoma Boat Building in Tacoma, Washington. She was commissioned on 11 MAY 1968 and was intended to see service in the Caribbean Sea and other littoral areas. At the time, this class was the largest patrol craft built by the U.S. since WWII and was the first class of U.S. Navy warship to utilize Gas Turbine propulsion. On 5 SEP 69, the USS Marathon was awarded the green "E" and "C" for efficiency in operations and communications. Marathon was the first patrol gunboat to earn these awards. During her commissioning, the MARATHON was homeported in Guam assigned to COMPHIBPAC and saw 3 tours of duty in Vietnam assigned to CTF-115 conducting riverine warfare operations. Operations were also conducted off Singapore, Taiwan and the Republic of the Philippines before returning to the United States and being homeported on the Great Lakes.
With the Cuban crisis defused and the likelihood of coastal warfare far removed, the USS Marathon was decommissioned 31 JAN 1977 at Little Creek, VA and laid up in the reserve fleet. In April 1977 she (and two sister ships, the ASHEVILLE and READY) were transferred to the Mass. Maritime Academy via the Maritime Administration for use as training ships and floating gas turbine propulsion labs. High operating costs and the failure of gas turbine propulsion to gain popularity in the Merchant Marine led the Maritime Academy to turn these sleek vessels back over to MARAD. Documentation shows Marathon was intended for sale to a Portugese national however her last know location was a scrap yard in Beaumont, Texas where it is presumed she met her fate.
Special thanks to:
Mr. David Donaldson, Historian
Patrol Gunboat Association
for the invaluable information and resources he provided us.
