It was supposed to be an ordinary crossing. But in 1980, a quiet night on Tampa Bay ended with the worst peacetime disaster in Coast Guard history — and just months later, a second tragedy struck the same stretch of water. This episode traces the collision that sank the USCGC Blackthorn, the heroism of one young sailor who refused to abandon his shipmates, and the catastrophic bridge collapse that followed. Two disasters, one broken channel — and a legacy still etched into Florida’s waters.