EMLEN TUNNELL WPC 1145
Ship Name and Designation History
This section lists the names and designations that the ship had during its lifetime. The list is in chronological order.
Naming Ceremony 12 December 2017 Keel Laid - Launched Delivered 2 July 2021 Commissioned (Formal) 8 October 2021 |
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 Silver Lifesaving Medal |
This section lists active links to the pages displaying covers associated with the ship. There should be a separate set of pages for each name of the ship (for example, Bushnell AG-32 / Sumner AGS-5 are different names for the same ship so there should be one set of pages for Bushnell and one set for Sumner). Covers should be presented in chronological order (or as best as can be determined).
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- USCGC Emlen Tunnell WPC-1145 Covers Page 1 (DATE RANGE)
Postmarks
This section lists examples of the postmarks used by the ship. There should be a separate set of postmarks for each name and/or commissioning period. Within each set, the postmarks should be listed in order of their classification type. If more than one postmark has the same classification, then they should be further sorted by date of earliest known usage.
A postmark should not be included unless accompanied by a close-up image and/or an
image of a cover showing that postmark. Date ranges MUST be based ONLY ON COVERS IN
THE MUSEUM and are expected to change as more covers are added.
>>> If you have a better example for any of the postmarks, please feel free to replace the
existing example.
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Postmark Type |
Postmark Date |
Thumbnail Link To Postmark Image |
Thumbnail Link To Cover Image |
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USPS |
2021-07-01 |
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N/A |
Commissioning (Special). Cachet by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS
Other Information
NAMESAKE - Steward's Mate Emlen Lewis Tunnell, USCG (29 March 1924 - 23 July 1975)
Tunnell was born in Bryn Mawr, PA though sources conflict as to his year of birth. His tombstone as well as the Social Security Death Index and Tunnell's Department of Veterans Affairs Death File reflect a birth date of 29 March 1924. Official NFL records and multiple sources in the early 1960s reported his date of birth as 29 March 1922. Tunnell listed his birth date as 29 March 1923, on his 1942 draft card and on his 1950 application for World War II benefits.
Tunnell enrolled at the University of Toledo in the fall of 1942 and played college football as a halfback for Toledo Rockets football team. He was described as the "main spring" of Toledo's offense in the first part of the 1942 season. However, on 26 October 1942, he sustained a broken neck in a game when he was blocked while attempting to make a tackle against Marshall. He recuperated sufficiently to help lead the Toledo Rockets men's basketball team to the finals of the 1943 National Invitation Tournament. Tunnell's neck injury in 1942 resulted in his being rejected in efforts to enlist in both the US Army and US Navy during World War II. In May 1943, Tunnell enlisted in the United States Coast Guard. From August 1943 to July 1944, he served on the USS Etamin AK-93, a cargo ship that was manned by Coast Guard personnel and stationed in the South West Pacific Area. In April 1944, while unloading explosives and gasoline at Aitape in Papua New Guinea, the USS Etamin was struck by a torpedo dropped from a Japanese airplane; Tunnell saved a fellow crew member who was set afire in the blast, beat out the flames with his hands, sustained burns to his own hands, and carried the shipmate to safety. He was next stationed at San Francisco and Alameda from August 1944 to October 1945.
In the fall of 1944, Tunnell played at the halfback position for the San Francisco Coast Guard Pilots football team. On 11 November 1944, he led the Pilots to a 13–0 victory over Amos Alonzo Stagg's Pacific Tigers football team, throwing 22 yards for a touchdown and returning an interception 75 yards for another touchdown. At the end of the 1944 season, he was named to the All-Pacific Coast service football team. He also played basketball for the San Francisco Coast Guard, scoring 13 points in a December 1944 game against the California Golden Bears.
In March 1946, while stationed at Naval Station Argentia in Newfoundland, Tunnell rescued a shipmate who fell from the USS Tampa WPG-48. Tunnell jumped into the 32-degree water and saved his drowning shipmate. In 2011, Tunnell was posthumously recognized by having the gymnasium on Coast Guard Island named in his honor and was awarded the Silver Lifesaving Medal for his heroism in rescuing his shipmate on the USS Tampa. Tunnell was discharged from the Coast Guard in April 1946. He enrolled at the University of Iowa in the fall of 1946. Playing for the 1946 Iowa football team, Tunnell led the team with 541 yards of total offense and 28 pass completions and ranked second on the team with 333 rushing yards. On 11 October 1947, he set an Iowa single-game record with 155 receiving yards and three touchdowns on six receptions.
On 24 July 1948, Tunnell signed with the New York Giants. He was the first Black American signed by, and the first to play for, the Giants. Tunnell remained with the Giants for a total of 11 years from 1948 to 1958. During that time, he was selected as a first-team All-Pro six times, played in eight Pro Bowls, and set franchise records that still stand with 74 intercepted passes for 1,240 interception return yards and four touchdowns (tied with Dick Lynch and Jason Sehorn). He also recovered 15 fumbles and still holds franchise records with 257 punt returns for 2,206 yards and five touchdowns, which was good for an average of 8.6 yards per return. His total of 3,421 return yards is also a franchise record. In 1958, Tunnell was traded to the Green Bay Packers and he played there for three years. From 1962 until 1975, Tunnell worked for the NY Giants as a Scout and in various coaching positions. In February 1967, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was the first Black American and the first player who played strictly as a defensive back to be inducted.
The ships sponsor is Ms. Yvonne Gilmore Jordan, the eldest first cousin to Emlen Tunnell.
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