EARLY 50 Coast Guard
Auxiliarists from
throughout the First Southern District rallied over Memorial Day weekend to support the United States Coast Guard presence at this year’s Fleet Week New York. A dozen of the Auxiliarists who reported for duty hailed from the Flotillas of Division 5, the Auxiliary area of responsibility which encompasses the Bronx, and the Manhattan piers where many of the activities took place.
This year, the Auxiliary was scheduled to support the Coast Guard in three locations during Fleet Week. At Pier 86, by the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum Complex in Manhattan, the Auxiliary operated a Marine Safety and Public Affairs tent in cooperation with the active duty Coast Guard. From Saturday, May 27th to Sunday May 28th, Auxiliarists spoke with many members of the visiting public about recreational boating safety, provided presentations on the Auxiliary’s marine safety initiatives, and answered questions from many inquirers about opportunities to join the ranks of the Auxiliary.
Blocks away, at Pier 92, Auxiliarists worked hand-in-hand with active duty members of the Coast Guard to provide tours to members of the visiting public aboard the Legend-class cutter USCGC Hamilton (WMSL 753), from Charleston, South Carolina. Auxiliarists also assisted the Coast Guard in conducting crowd control for the sizeable lines of visitors that queued, sometimes for as long as an hour or more, to tour to the cutter. Auxiliarist Bert Ongkeo, who provided tours and crowd control at Pier 92, estimated that there were at least 1500 visitors to the Hamilton on Sunday alone, and 4500 visitors over the course of the three-day weekend.
Zach Perkins FSO-PA 05-03
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