This Coast Guard hero died saving his shipmates in 1980. He was from Benbrook, TX.
The 180-foot Coast Guard cutter Blackthorn collided with the 605-foot tanker Capricorn at 10:21 pm on Jan. 28, 1980, near the entrance to Tampa Bay, Florida.
The Capricorn’s anchor tore open the Blackthorn’s hull, causing the cutter to take on water and start capsizing. The frantic 50-man crew scrambled to abandon the sinking ship. Within minutes, Seaman Apprentice William “Billy” Flores, 18, from Benbrook, Texas, and Seaman Larry Clutter, ran to the life vests locker and tossed them to the floundering seamen.
As the Blackthorn sank, Flores tied his trouser belt to the locker door to hold it open to allow remaining vests to float to the surface. Clutter jumped clear.
“He ran forward to help and answer the cries of his shipmates,” Clutter said. “He did something none of the rest of us would do. And that is put his own life on the line for the sake of others.”
Lt. Cmdr. John Ryan stated that as the ship capsized, a life vest from the main deck floated up to him. That night, 27 crew members survived the worst peacetime collision in Coast Guard history and 23 perished. Flores’ body was retrieved eight days later from the bay. He had served less than a year.
A Safety Board review of the accident found the ship’s commander and the officer of the deck did not have sufficient skills to navigate the ship in the bay at night. The lack of functioning emergency lights trapped some in the dark. Cost to repair the Capricorn was $600,000, and the price to salvage the Blackthorn, commissioned in 1944, was $1 million. The accident rendered the cutter unusable, except as a man-made reef.
Some surviving crew members questioned the lack of recognition for Flores’ heroic efforts. After receiving 20 years worth of petitions, the Coast Guard awarded the highest peace time honor to Flores’ family — the Coast Guard Medal. His parents, Robert and Julia Flores, requested the medal ceremony take place close to his grave in Benbrook Cemetery on Sept. 16, 2000, Mexican Independence Day.
The Coast Guard named a new Fast Response ship the William Flores and erected a life size statue of him, which joined on May 25, 2021, the underwater Circle of Heroes Veterans’ Memorial, 10 miles off the coast of Clearwater, Florida. Coast Guard veteran Steve Dunnahoe has established a GoFundMe page to replicate the sculpture for a memorial display in Benbrook.
Through Dunnahoe’s lobbying, State Rep. Craig Goldman, R-97, submitted Flores’ military record for consideration for the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor. Recognition was given each session to two Texas military personnel who displayed extraordinary acts of valor. The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor Committee voted unanimously on May 7, 2021, to award posthumously Flores and Marcelino Serna, a non-English speaking, Mexican-born, World War I veteran, the distinction.
Born in Carlsbad, New Mexico, Flores was raised in Benbrook, attending Western Hills High School. Despite his father’s initial misgivings, Flores at 17 left school early, eager to serve his country and live up to the Coast Guard motto — Semper Paratus/Always Ready.
Coast Guard recruits march to a cadence, “Your Son is Gone,” written by Chief Warrant Officer Donnie Brzuska in Flores’ honor. An excerpt from the cadence:
“With a heavy list and one large roll/He stayed aboard the Blackthorn’s hull/He gave his life to save his crew/For his sacrifice, we thank you.”
Author Richard J. Gonzales writes and speaks about Fort Worth, national and international Latino history.