Steven R. Salmon, RCO-OMS, courtesy of District 11N Northwind

A t 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 7, the container ship Cosco Busan struck the Delta tower of the Bay Bridge. The collision (or “allision,” in Coast Guard terms) tore a gash in the side of the vessel, rupturing two fuel oil tanks and discharging heavy bunker oil into the waters of the Bay.

Coincidentally, Wednesday is the day I normally work in the Coast Guard Investigations Office. By 9:00 a.m. that morning, things had gotten very busy. One team was en route to the ship to interview the captain and crew, while two other investigators and I went to find the pilot, interview him, and get the results of his obligatory alcohol and drug tests. Over the next 10 days, I would spend many hours recording and processing the growing pile of evidence collected by the Coast Guard in the case.

Meanwhile, other Auxiliarists were quickly activated as well. Auxiliarist Bob Lund, a marine engineer, began the complex engineering calculations of the damage and the extent of the spill. Auxiliarist Jimmin Chang, RCO-MS, went aboard the ship the next day to assist in translating the statements of the crew, many of whom spoke only Chinese (he returned for more translating service on Saturday).

On Thursday afternoon, the Pacific Area Public Affairs Department called Auxiliarist Ed Sweeney, DSO-PA, to ask if the Auxiliary could assist in staffing the Joint Information Center (JIC). Help was needed in answering phones, taking messages, and monitoring media coverage of the event. Ed then sent an email to all Auxiliarists in District 11 North, relaying the call for help. The response was immediate. By the time the JIC operations wound down, almost two weeks later, more than a dozen Auxiliarists had assisted. Many of them worked long hours, in some cases up to 12 or more hours at a time.

On Saturday, November 11, Auxiliarists were called out for a very different need. A number of commercial fishing boats had volunteered to tow oil containment booms into place. However, the Coast Guard felt the fishing vessels needed safety in-sections before proceeding. Seven Commercial Fishing Vessel Examiners—virtually our entire Auxiliary corps of CFVE's—spent Saturday and Sunday inspecting more than 20 commercial fishing boats.

In the following days, Ed Sweeney forwarded additional information to the membership, not only about continuing needs at the Joint Information Center but also about opportunities for training in cleanup operations, and in cleaning non-oiled beaches. Many Auxiliarists responded individually to these requests as well, working alongside thousands of other citizens from around the Bay Area.

The Auxiliary’s efforts were very much appreciated. The Public Affairs Department sent one message saying the Auxiliarists were doing “an awesome job” in the JIC each day. And Rear Admiral Bone, our District Commander, reported to the Chief Director of the Auxiliary that “our Aux folks have stepped in and helped out wherever they could and it has not gone unnoticed,” adding that he truly appreciated “their spirit of volunteerism and the skills they bring to this effort.”Division 11 is part of the U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. The Auxiliary is a volunteer organization that teaches boating education classes, inspects boats for safety, performs safety patrols on waters in our jurisdiction, and works with the Coast Guard in performing Homeland Security.