Coast Guard Honors Fallen Sailor Near Smugglers Cove

(The Coast Guard Cutter Blacktip, Halibut and Blackfin raft together alongside two Response Boat-Medium boats from Coast Guard Station Channel Islands and the National Park Service near Smuggler’s Cove / Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Gregory L. Martin)

Source: U.S. Coast Guard

The Coast Guard held a wreath-laying ceremony near Smugglers Cove in memory of Senior Chief Petty Officer Terrell E. Horne on the five-year anniversary of his passing Saturday.

A native of Mountain View, Horne attended Patterson High School in Patterson, and enlisted in the Coast Guard Feb. 2, 1999. As a boatswain’s mate, Horne served in Humboldt Bay, Charleston and Emerald Isle throughout his career that spanned nearly 14 years.

On Dec. 2, 2012, while serving as the executive petty officer aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Halibut (WPB-87340), Horne died from injuries sustained during a maritime law enforcement operation off the coast of California near Smugglers Cove.

“Today, we lay this beautiful wreath in the water in which our absolute hero was killed,” said Lt. j.g. John Epperly, the Halibut’s commanding officer. “We pray for him, we pray for his family and we honor his legacy.”

Horne earned two Coast Guard Achievement Medals and was posthumously promoted to senior chief petty officer.

The Coast Guard Cutter Halibut is homeported in Marina del Rey, California.

Lt. Cmdr. Jason Dipinto delivers a prayer during a memorial ceremony for Senior Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Halibut (WPB-87340) near Smuggler’s Cove, California, Dec. 2, 2017. Horne died after succumbing to injuries sustained during a law enforcement operation Dec. 2, 2012. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Mark Barney)