Former captain of SS Cape Girardeau stopping here

After commanding the SS Cape Girardeau more than 20 years ago, Capt. Tom Stapleton is finally making his first trip to the cargo vessel's namesake.

On Friday, Stapleton will meet with former mayors and members of the Cape Girardeau City Council at a greeting ceremony. The public is invited to attend at 4 p.m. at City Hall, and watch a segment of Stapleton's video tour of the ship and its history.

Stapleton served in Operation Desert Storm on what he called, in an email to the city, a distinguished 605-foot vessel. Built in 1968, the SS Cape Girardeau was known as the SS Alaskan Mail and the SS President Adams. Stapleton also called it "one of a class of the finest and fastest, five break-bulk cargo carriers in the world -- in peace and wartime."

After Desert Storm, the Cape Girardeau was used in training exercises, most notably the 2004 Rim of the annual Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. The military exercise takes place around the Hawaiian Islands and featured nearly 18,000 personnel from seven nations when the SS Cape Girardeau participated. The cargo ship served to keep the warships stocked and primed for battle throughout the exercise.

It now rests in layup status in California.

When Stapleton commanded the vessel from 1990 to 1991, he reached out to then-Mayor Francis Rhodes to share stories of the ship's long service life. City leaders at the time named him "Honorary Captain of the Girardot Navy." Stapleton hung a commemorative brass plaque he received with the honor in the captain's office and has maintained hope since then he would one day visit the city.

As part of the retired captain's road trip from his hometown in Texas to a motorcycle rally in St. Paul, Minnesota, he will finally set foot in a different Cape Girardeau.

A link to the video is also available on the city's blog at blog.cityofcapegirardeau.org/friday-recognizing-ss-cape-girardeau-captain.

Stapleton is chronicling a 28-day, 5,300-mile adventure, including his stop in Cape Girardeau, at silverprincess2014.wordpress.com.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.