Although Alex Sneddon only served at Maine’s West Quoddy Head Lighthouse for a short time in 1952, the photos that he took there were recently shared with us by his daughter Rhonda Whiteman and are featured here to help preserve the photographic history of that lighthouse.
Alex Sneddon joined the United States Coast Guard in 1946 and was sent to California where he received special training in guerrilla warfare and jungle fighting. After a short stint at West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, where his family recalled him talking about the pet porcupine they had at the lighthouse, he went on to serve at numerous locations around the nation and the globe, including stints in Vietnam.
In 1966, he took over the command of the USCGC Point Herron (WPB 82318), an 82-foot patrol vessel that performed law enforcement and search and rescue. During the thirty years of operation, the Point Herron only had twelve commanding officers; Alex Sneddon served the longest, from 1966 to 1974. After 30 years of service, he retired from the Coast Guard with the rank of Boatswain’s Mate Master Chief Petty Officer.
|