ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — January 28 marks 40 years since the USCGC Blackthorn sank, killing 23 Coast Guard members. A memorial ceremony honoring the lives lost that day was held Tuesday at Blackthorn Memorial Park in St. Petersburg.

The cutter collided with the tanker vessel Capricorn near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in 1980.

Four decades went by quickly for many of those who lost loved ones that night.

“We are just so blessed to have so many people come out every year to honor this group of men,” said Colleen Humphries.

Humphries lost her brother, George Rovolis Jr., and got to honor him during Tuesday’s ceremony remembering their lives.

“I think he’d be proud that we were here and so many people thought enough of them and remembered them,” she said.

Richard Flores, whose brother, Seaman Apprentice William Flores, is credited with saving many lives in the aftermath of the collision, told us he will never forget the moment he learned of his brother's death.

“He had the opportunity to swim away, but after the cries of his shipmates he went back to try to help them and that’s just the way he was,” Flores said. “He was a prankster, he was always sticking up for his friends. When they’d get into scuffles he’d run over there and help them out, so that was his nature.”

Life is fleeting — but just like the names of the 23 crew members lost that day etched in stone at the memorial just off the bridge, the memories and their legacy remain forever.

Humphries hopes everyone who drives past the Blackthorn Memorial takes that lesson away for themselves.

“I hope they come here, meditate for a few minutes, and think about their own loved ones and how blessed they are and come across leaving with a smile on their face,” she said.