Boatswains
among birds — the secret salts of Elizabeth City
Perhaps the best kept boat station secret in the Mid-Atlantic region lies
nestled within the largest Coast Guard facility in the country, at Base Elizabeth
City in Eastern North Carolina.
Station Elizabeth City is easy to pass without realizing it’s there, located
in an unassuming off-white building that looks like part of the neighboring air
station complex. The boathouse on the nearby Pasquotank River is almost a
hundred yards away.
The crew at the boat station is accustomed to the surrounding flurry of
aviation activity — the base is also home to Air Station Elizabeth City and the
Aviation Technical Training Center (ATTC), where all enlisted Coast Guard
aviation personnel are trained in their chosen professions. Consequently, the
vast majority of people coming and going from the base each day are connected
to Coast Guard aviation in some way.
“Being stationed here is fun,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Calvin Hernandez, a
boatswain’s mate and coxswain at the station. “Throughout the Coast Guard, boat
and helicopter crews must work together to complete missions. A lot of the time
though, crews talk to one another over the radio during training or on a case,
but never actually meet in person. Here, we see aviation people every day.”
Hernandez acknowledged there’s an age-old rivalry between air and boat crews,
but explained how he thinks it makes the service stronger.
“Our boat crews have about a 30 minute head start when we’re notified of a case
since helicopter crews typically take about that long to launch,” he said. “We
always strive to safely arrive on scene before the helicopter. We’re on the
same team with the goal of saving lives, but working to get there first helps
us all keep focused on the mission.”
Hernandez admitted there are times when it’s frustrating to respond on the
water.
“Sometimes for search and rescue cases, we have to trailer our boats by vehicle
an hour or more away, launch from a remote location, then spend 45 minutes
traveling on the water before arriving on scene,” he said. “A helicopter crew
taking off from here can be to the same place in 15 minutes once they launch.
Sometimes after a case, we’ll get back to the station after long hours on the
water and find that the aircrew we were working with bought us a meal and beat
us back to the station with it. It’s always nice to come back to find food
waiting and to feel appreciated.”
Of course, anytime they want to be appreciated, crew members at Station
Elizabeth City can always turn to their station dog, Chief Bert, for his
unconditional affection.“
The crew adopted Bert, a German Shepherd and former explosive detection dog
who worked for six years with the Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team
in Galveston, Texas. He’s arguably the most popular guy on base.
“Bert makes me feel like I’m home when I’m here,” said Bowen. “I look
forward to coming here and seeing him. I think he brings a light-heartedness to
the station and even the entire base that people are drawn to.”
Bowen said that after Bert, what she likes most about Station Elizabeth City is
the opportunity to see all the Coast Guard jobs conducted around her.
“I’m lucky here,” she said. “In addition to the variety of jobs I get to
explore at my station, I’m also exposed to the aviation jobs being performed
right outside our door. We provide a lot of support for helicopter training
flights for the air station and the training center. It’s neat I get to be
around all that stuff and be a part of it.”
“The boat station crew allows us here at the rescue swimmer training school to
offer our graduating aviation survival technicians a pre-graduation flight
where they complete a free fall into the Pasquotank River,” said Chief Petty
Officer Claude Morrissey, an instructor at ATTC. The boat crew provides a
platform to pick up our swimmers from the water, and is there to respond in
case any emergency should arise.”
Even while they assist with helicopter training missions, Station Elizabeth
City crews are responsible for responding to emergencies in an area of
responsibility that spans 1,700 square miles, includes 10 rivers and three
sounds as well as the Intracoastal Waterway and Dismal Swamp Canal.
“We operate inshore and in areas that are very difficult to navigate due to
shallow waters and multiple hazards to navigation,” said Petty Officer 1st
Class Joshua Talys, executive petty officer at Station Elizabeth City. “Unlike
most Coast Guard Stations which normally have a search and rescue season in the
summer months, we have a transit season, which equates to periods of heavy
vessel traffic moving up and down the
Intracoastal Waterway in the months preceding summer and winter. Our job is to
ensure these boaters are safe and in compliance with federal laws and
regulations.”
“Since we have such a large area of responsibility and none of it is open
ocean, we operate in a wide range of environments,” said Hernandez. “There are
swampy areas, areas where people like to wakeboard and areas popular for
fishing. I think all the different nooks and crannies we have to be familiar
with is what keeps it interesting here.”
Hernandez said they do their best to cross train in each other’s jobs at the
station. “Lots of people here can do almost any job required at the station,”
he said. “We have seamen and machinery technicians that want to become
coxswains, and we have boatswain’s mates who work with our engineers if they
need help with a project.”
When they aren’t actively working, Coast Guardsmen on the base engage in
sports, often competing with teams from different units. The station crew says
they enjoy heated ultimate frisbee showdowns with the rescue swimmer shop, and
basketball games against the MH-60 Jayhawk team from the air station. That
recreational competition keeps the healthy rivalry alive and thriving in a
service of the same status.
“This station is very unique to the Coast Guard,” said Talys. “Being co-located
with Air Station Elizabeth City gives us direct insight into all the hard work
and training the flight crews conduct every day.”