Flotilla History

 The year 2014 marked the diamond anniversary of not only Mercury Marine, but that of a Fond du Lac group that has offered quiet service to boaters since 1939. On Saturday, June 7, 2014, a ceremony was held at 11:30 a.m. east of the pavilion at Walleye Weekend to celebrate the remarkable tenure of Fond du Lac Flotilla 47-1. Park visitors were encouraged to attend.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary is a group of male and female volunteers who assist the United States Coast Guard in a wide range of ways. Only 6 of some 890 flotillas in the U. S. are as old as Fond du Lac’s. Dating from the time Congress created the Auxiliary in June of 1939, Mayor Leo J. Promen was anxious to create a rescue service on stormy Lake Winnebago and to educate boaters to prevent tragedies. The city was blessed with a safe harbor made by first filling in the triangle at Lighthouse Point, then building the landmark light in 1933, and improving the stone breakwater in 1938 as a WPA project employing the jobless.

In 1937 the Fond du Lac Yacht Club gathered data on Winnebago casualties in a bid to get a Coast Guard station here, but to no avail. Thus, as an avid boater with a small cabin cruiser, Promen urged local yachtsmen to start a volunteer rescue service under the new legislation. A number of owners of seaworthy boats responded, including Roy Vraney, a body shop owner, as well as Mayor Promen and on September 6, 1939 the flotilla was formally established

By the time World War II began, the Coast Guard was over-extended and formed a military reserve to help guard the coasts and rivers against German U-boats and saboteurs, as well as to man short-handed stations. Fifty thousand men responded. In 1942, the Auxiliarists were invited to enter the new reserve groups. Some of the local members volunteered without pay, others chose full-time service. About 40 men formed the local reserve group, with Promen as the chief Training Officer aside from his mayoral duties.

Besides classroom work, the group trained on an ancient 55 foot electric launch, the “Why Hurry”. In August 1944, the Fond du Lac Auxiliarists met with vessels from four other flotillas on Winnebago for a training exercise. With the chain of locks on the Lower Fox River permitting access from the Great Lakes, it was said, sometimes in jest, that their wartime mission was to detect U-boats on Winnebago, as unlikely as it seems.

After WW II, the temporary reservists were released from duty and the Coast Guard Auxiliary membership was restricted to owners of boats, aircraft, or marine AM radios. Flotillas returned to performing search-and-rescue work, as well as new programs of Courtesy Marine Examinations and public education courses. The downsized Fond du Lac group, then known as Flotilla 25-2, continued to serve the boating public.

In 1947, Promen arranged to get a surplus 36 ft Coast Guard surfboat for joint use as a Sea Scout and Mariner Girl Scout training vessel, and as a county rescue boat. The sturdy SSS Mercury and its two successors thus began 50 years of volunteer service in lake emergencies, with funding from Mercury Marine as needed until the Sheriff’s department took over the job. In 1948, Mr. Promen conducted a safe boating course for 85 scouts, auxiliarists, and boaters.

The trained members used their skills as needed for searches, drowning cases, patrolling of hydroplane races, boat inspections, and teaching seamanship skills. Gerald and Florence Mabie monitored the marine emergency radio channel 24/7. From 1949 to 1966, the Flotilla participated in patrolling the annual Winnebagoland Marathon races from Fond du Lac to Winneconne, a huge effort.

In September of 1955, the local group reactivated formally as Flotilla 24-1, and set out to build membership. A public education course began 4 months later with 48 attendees at the Fond du Lac Yacht Club, which then was an old DNR barge. That began an unbroken series of annual adult and youth boating safety courses hosted at the Yacht Club. A group of certified Auxiliary and DNR instructors carry on the 58 year tradition today.

Leo Promen, far right, conducts a knot tying session to the first class in 1955. FC Gerald Mabie and his wife Florence watch from the back row. (2nd and 3rd from the left).

Trained Vessel Examiners inspect private boats at scheduled times to find if they conform to federal equipment rules. Such checks are voluntary, and only advisory. For some years Walleye Weekend skippers were required to get such inspections. Between 1971 and 1992 the Flotilla did no less than 6,176 inspections!

At times the Coast Guard station at Sheboygan has sent patrols with arrest powers to Winnebago. In the 1970’s, the station issued orders each summer weekend for two Auxiliary vessels to patrol the southern half of the lake. Several local vessels alternated in the mission after meeting rigorous requirements. They assisted boaters who radioed for help or signaled distress as they passed nearby.

Sixteen wives joined the Flotilla to participate in those patrols. During off-seasons, they visited grade schools to present a Boats ‘n Kids safety program. In 1977, Donna Bertram became the first of several female Flotilla Commanders. Florence Mabie, a student in that first 1956 boating course, later became a public education instructor until retiring in 2003 after 34 years of service.

The popular Boats `n Kids program evolved over the years since inception in the 1970's.  With numerous props available,  Duane Johnson shown above, holds the youngsters attention during a local school presentation in 1992..

Some local members have doubled as volunteer operators of the SES Mercury under direction of the sheriff’s department, and over the years have saved a number of boaters immersed in Lake Winnebago with little hope. The Coast Guard Award of Operational Merit was awarded two members for the 1989 dramatic nighttime recovery of two men lost overboard in stormy seas.

While opportunities exist today to assist the active duty Coast Guard in a variety of ways, the Fond du Lac group concentrates on member training, Walleye Weekend patrols, teaching a state-certified boater education program, and conducting vessel safety checks. They also enjoy the fellowship of meetings at the FDL Yacht Club. Nationwide, over thirty thousand members of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary are celebrating its 75th anniversary. Over the years, countless lives have been saved indirectly by their public education and boat inspection programs as well as by search and rescue work.

Author: Tom Grebe
Sources: FdL Commonwealth Reporter clippings, flotilla files, and personal knowledge
Written 5/18/2014