Restored Boat Dedicated To St. Clair Shores Man's Dad

ST. CLAIR SHORES, MI — What started off as a fishing expedition of sorts, ended up a tribute to a St. Clair Shores man’s father. Bruce Unwin purchased a beat up Sea Ray boat for what he called a ridiculous $10.39 on eBay. Now, two years and a thousand hours of restoration work later, the boat is a gem.

“Missing in Action” is dedicated to his father, who passed away in 2002. C. Bruce Unwin was a pilot in World War II and shot down over Germany in 1944. After first being reported missing in action, Unwin was held captive for a year before returning home to Michigan.

“He literally landed in the town that he had just bombed, and everyone else in the plane was killed. (He) opened his parachute (and was) blown out of the plane and ended up in Germany,” Bruce Unwin said. “I have the Western Union telegram to my grandmother, who shared it with my mom. They declared him missing in action” on Aug. 26, 1944.

Marion Unwin said she was very surprised when she learned that her only son was dedicating the boat to his father and other MIAs and POWs. “It was such a nice dedication. I just thought it was so nice, so wonderful,” she said.

For more, got to C & G newspapers.

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Editor's note: The photo above is for illustration purposes only. It is not Bruce Unwin's "Missing in Action."

Photo by Sebastian Brinkenfeldt via Flickr Commons