"My God, we are under attack"

Sea Power, Sep 2002 by McGranachan, James

U.S. Coast Guard Activities New York: Eyewitness to War

The multimission nature of the Coast Guard, the broad security and safety authorities of its captains of the port, and its unique characteristics as the only federal service with both national-defense responsibilities and law-enforcement authority have allowed the service to act quickly and decisively to increase the security of U.S. ports and the nation's maritime-transportation infrastructure in the days, weeks, and months following the terrorist attacks of 9/11. But it was on.that new "date that will live in infamy" that the gallant young men and women of today's Coast Guard truly proved their mettle. Following are a few of their stories.

Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Jason Moberly was the officer of the day at Coast Guard Station New York on the morning of 9/11. From his office on the second deck of the station, he noticed smoke billowing in southern Manhattan. Going downstairs to get a pair of binoculars, he saw his commanding officer, Lt. Kenneth Moser, and two 1st-- class boatswain's mates outside the front door. He told them about the smoke, and all four walked around the side of the building. By then, binoculars were not necessary. They saw flames. All knew that the World Trade Center (WTC) was on fire. Moser immediately ordered Moberly to launch two rigid-hull inflatable boats and a 41-foot utility boat. Not knowing at the time that there had been a terrorist attack, their original mission was to provide emergency assistance and secure the area around the WTC from curious boaters.

As their crafts moved across the harbor at high speed, the three crews' thoughts were focused on how they could assist people who had been harmed in what they still assumed was a terrible accident. Midway across New York's Upper Bay, they looked up just as a giant Boeing 767 roared directly overhead. It was heading toward lower Manhattan. At that instant, the boat crews had no doubt about what they were witnessing.

The Coast Guard's Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) center for New York harbor-headquartered at Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island-received radio calls from vessels in the harbor that there had been a "major incident." Capt. Frank Peterson, captain of the Staten Island Ferry American Legion, en route from Staten Island to Manhattan, reported originally that a helicopter had exploded over Battery Park. Within 10 seconds, he changed the report to confirm that a plane had crashed into one of the WTC towers. As Peterson reached Manhattan, the unbelievable occurred. The first tower collapsed upon itself.

Shock and Horror

Boatswain's Mate 1st Class Robin Shipley, at the helm of a Station New York rigid-hull inflatable, took up station at the mouth of the East River between Governors Island and Manhattan's Battery Park. "We understood that a Cessna had accidentally collided into a tower of the WTC," Shipley said. "Shortly after our arrival on-scene we saw a large commercial jetliner approaching from Staten Island at a very low altitude.

"It was hard to believe what we were seeing," she continued, "but it took only fractions of a moment to realize what we were about to see. The plane veered to our right, crossed Governors Island, turned left-crossing over our boat-- and turned into a vertical position as it flew into the tower." The reaction of her three-man crew was, "My God, we are under attack."

Shortly after the second plane struck its target, the aviation unit of the New York Police Department (NYPD) advised Coast Guard Operations at ActNY that the second tower might collapse into the harbor. If it did, the resulting wave would jeopardize all emergency vessels in the waters off Manhattan. NYPD officials said it would be best for all vessels to move back from the crash site, position their bows toward the WTC, and ride out whatever might come their way.

Another problem immediately apparent was that the large communications tower at the top of WTC One served many customers-including the Coast Guard and other emergency services.

Chief Boatswain's Mate James Todd, officer in charge of the 65-foot small harbor tug USCGC Hawser, was at his homeport in Bayonne, N.J. Although he was not scheduled to be underway on 9/11, he was on the tug while the disaster was unfolding and knew that he and his vessel would be needed. Because some members of his crew were off duty, he crossed the pier to the office of the Aids-to-Navigation Team and enlisted the help of two volunteers to round out his crew. The Hawser was underway within minutes. After arriving off the tip of Manhattan, Todd assumed the role of on-scene-commander until the 110-foot patrol boat USCGC Adak arrived an hour later.

While scores of boats and small craft were moving toward lower Manhattan, the Coast Guard's VTS center for New York harbor shifted into high gear. Cdr. Daniel Ronan, chief of the center's Waterways Management Division, was told there was "a lot of smoke" coming from Manhattan. He arrived at the VTS site within moments. Using radio transmissions from vessels in the harbor and the center's own surveillance cameras, he quickly evaluated the situation. "We saw the second plane hit the South Tower," he said. "There was a mood of disbelief and anger. Every person in the room knew that this was not an accident-and that it was time to go into emergency mode.