New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
The City of New Bedford Veterans’ Advisory Board and the Fort Rodman – Fort Taber Historical Association will honor the 749 United States sailors and soldiers who lost their lives during the devastating April 28, 1944 attack on the United States military training operation, Exercise Tiger.
Exercise Tiger was a D-Day dry run which was ambushed by a German E-boat flotilla and resulted in America’s costliest incident of World War II, second only to Pearl Harbor. The surprise attack sank two American vessels and severely damaged a third. This year marks the 73rd Anniversary of Exercise Tiger.
A memorial ceremony is planned to honor the service members who perished in this incident on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. at the Fort Rodman – Fort Taber Military Museum, 1000 Rodney French Boulevard in New Bedford.
The ceremony will include remarks by Mayor Jon Mitchell and guest speaker, Col. Kevin Golinghorst from the United States Naval War College, as well as honored guest Vincent Riccardi, 94, of Dennis Port, one of the few remaining local participants in Exercise Tiger, who will lead the ceremonial wreath laying. U.S. and U.K. World War II re-enactors will also participate. The City of New Bedford Veterans Advisory Board will also remember the many WWII veterans who worked to create New Bedford’s Exercise Tiger memorial and led the effort to relocate it to the Fort Taber Fort Rodman Military Museum at Fort Taber Park especially, Joseph Theodore, Jamye Rego, Norman Chartier, Robert Fredericks, John Sarkes.
All veterans are invited to attend and are asked to proudly display their service insignia. Refreshments will be available inside the Military Museum following the service. For more information about the ceremony, contact Peter Clark, Chairman of the
Exercise Tiger Service at peter.clark@newbedford-ma.gov.
