The Blessing of the Fleet is an annual event for many coastal communities, as fishermen get ready for the summer months. On May 28th Wrangell, Southeast Alaska community of Wrangell renewed the tradition by holding the ceremony inside the recently completed Mariners’ Memorial.
Wrangell residents and guests were gathered in clumps beneath a wet, drizzly weather. Some were in suits, and others wearing rain equipment and boots from Xtratuf. They sat in front of the curved wall of the ship-like memorial and in the lighthouse’s red-and-white the gazebo of Wrangell’s Mariners’ Memorial.
Some hats are taken off for the occasion. Girl Scout Troop #26 presents the colors.
The Wrangell’s Mariners’ Memorial sits at the shores of Heritage Harbor, about a mile to the south of the town. In the breakwater in the harbour, 3 vessels were spotted cruising, listening to the Blessing of the Fleet over VHF radio.
(Sage Smiley/KSTK)
The pastor Sue Bahleda introduced the service.
“The benefit of our fleet comes from our common faith and our collective prayers for all who navigate the waters of our oceans,” she said. “And that’s why if you follow the bulletin in your mailbox you’ll see that it’s not only us calling to pray for the blessings. All of us are singing in concert.”
Alongside Salvation Army Lts. Jon And Rosie Tollerud, Bahleda read the blessing to vessels of every kind including fishing boats barges, ferries, barges and cruise vessels.
The year 2000 was the first time relatives and friends were able to make an application for a plaque at the Mariners’ Memorial – 43 names were added on its walls. Some of them have an anchor beside the name, signalling that someone died at sea. The board members took the names in their hands and rang the ship’s bell for each.
This year there are fourteen new names. Some of them are fishermen who have died due to natural causes. Some have tragic tales like the 27-year-old Arne Dahl who died when his boat went down in November. His companion, Kelsey Leak, survived the sinking, and was able to attend the Blessing of the Fleet with several of Dahl’s acquaintances from south.
“My dear friends,” Bahleda said as the final 57 names was read out “We close this day by praying to the prayers that are an old hymn”Eternal Father of love and strength. All travelers are protected from threats to their lives such as tempests and rocks or fire and enemies, guard them wherever they travel. As always, the sun will rise from the joyous songs and hymns from the sea and land, and we all declare: “Amen.'”
This is the first time that the Wrangell’s Blessing of the Fleet is scheduled since the memorial’s ribbon-cutting in September.
The memorial Board member Jeff Jabusch notes that there’s more work to be done.
“We have landscaping to put in and we’ll be putting up displays inside that will show our membership or donors and volunteers,” Jabusch said. “We also plan to be able to access a database online which all members of the wall can share their story, and visitors are able to access these in the future.”
Wrangell’s Mariners’ Memorial has been able to go quite a far since it began the project in the summer of 2018.
It’s been the effort of many local residents – including those who lost loved ones at sea. They’ve donated many thousands in donations as well as many hours of time volunteering.
Now it’s the site of every year’s Blessing of the Fleet -as well as to the stories of the generations of mariners from Wrangell.
