Maritime response following the September 11 attacks
United States Coast Guard patrolling the New York Harbor with the impact area of World Trade Center in sight, September 11, 2001.
DateSeptember 11, 2001 (2001-09-11)
LocationNew York Harbor
Coordinates40°40′06″N 74°02′44″W / 40.66833°N 74.04556°W / 40.66833; -74.04556
Also known as9/11 Boatlift[1]
TypeEmergency evacuation
Search and rescue
Firefighting[2]
CauseSeptember 11 attacks
Organized byUnited States Coast Guard[3]
ParticipantsU.S. Coast Guard, FDNY, Sandy Hook pilots, NY Waterway, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, Staten Island Ferry, SeaStreak, and other public and private vessels
OutcomeMore than 500,000 people rescued and evacuated from Lower Manhattan[4]

Following the September 11 attacks in New York City, many people were unable to leave Lower Manhattan due to the closure of bridges and tunnels and mass transportation.[5][6] Within minutes of the first plane hitting the first tower, multiple fireboats from the New York City Fire Department rushed to the scene.[7] The United States Coast Guard coordinated a large convoy of merchant ships, tugboats, and ferries to evacuate the stranded and injured victims.[8][9]

More than 150 different vessels and 600 sailors helped evacuate victims and delivered supplies in the days following the attacks.[10][11] According to the Commandant of the Coast Guard James Loy, the mass evacuation of more than 500,000 civilians following the attacks "moved more people from the island than the 1940 evacuation of Allied troops from France."[3]

Background

See also: Closings and cancellations following the September 11 attacks

Following the second plane crash into South Tower, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey closed all of the bridges and tunnels under their jurisdiction.[12] The MTA Bridges and Tunnels also closed their crossings into Manhattan for at least a day after the attacks.[6] As a result, many people were either stranded in Lower Manhattan or tried to evacuate via East Rivers crossings, like the Brooklyn Bridge.[13][12]

The United States Coast Guard New York Sector closed the New York Harbor to all ship movements.[14] After the collapse of the South Tower, many evacuees began to arrive at the Lower Hudson River piers to try and evacuate.

Maritime evacuation

See also: Casualties of the September 11 attacks and Aftermath of the September 11 attacks

In early reporting of the evacuation, large numbers of between 500,000 and 1 million people were evacuated by boat with a believed closer number of about 270,000 people actually evacuated. With about 130 to 150 boats being used in the response, ranging from Staten Island ferries that could hold about 6,000 people to rubber dinghies that could carry about two or three passengers at a time.[9]

Patrol Boat Hocking of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on its way providing assistance to the site of World Trade Center on 11 September 2001.

Coast Guard and government response

The United States Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service and the Harbor Unit of the New York Police Department put out emergency radio calls to all nearby vessels to help evacuate from Battery Park.[14][15] In addition to vessel coordination, the Coast Guard assisted at the Fresh Kills Landfill and Lower Manhattan with human remains and property recovery operations.[16] Some U.S. Coast Guard ships that responded included cutters USCGC Katherine Walker, USCGC Adak,[17] and USCGC Tahoma.[18]

After the attacks on the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001, the Coast Guard tug USCGC Hawser, homeported in Bayonne, New Jersey, was the first on scene in New York harbor and acted as On-Scene Commander. Adak arrived on scene an hour later and took over On-Scene Commander responsibilities. For hours Adak coordinated the evacuation of civilians, transport of firefighters and rescue personnel, and the establishment of security zones to protect other high valued assets from further attack. For her part in the response to the attacks of September 11, Adak received the Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award.

Multiple fireboats of the New York City Fire Department, including Fire Fighter and the retired (since 1995) John J. Harvey, were among the first boats on the scene and provided firefighting activities from the water, pumping harbour water at high pressure to the hoses of land-based firefighters when other water was in low supply or simply unavailable due to breaks in the waterlines caused by the destruction of the towers.[19][20]

Civilian response

Multiple ferry lines, including the Staten Island Ferry and SeaStreak, helped in the evacuation.[21][22] A variety of vessels including tugboats and merchant ships in the New York metropolitan area responded to the emergency calls for evacuations.[23]

Aftermath

Multiple news outlets praised the maritime coordination and evacuation.[4][11][24]

Norman Mineta, the Secretary of Transportation in a 9/11 Commission hearing, said the response was the "largest maritime evacuation conducted in the history of the United States".[25] As part of the 20th anniversary commemoration, the New York Council Navy League of the United States honored the maritime operators for their heroism in "the Great Boatlift of 9/11".[26]

Depiction in media

In 2011, a documentary called Boatlift: An Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience was released detailing the stories of boat crews responding to the evacuations.[27] It was narrated by Tom Hanks.[28]

References

  1. ^ "Boatlift - Tom Hanks Narrates "An Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience"". American Waterways Operators. September 11, 2014. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  2. ^ Goldblatt, Rochel Leah (August 5, 2019). "FDNY fireboat that served on 9/11 to be relaunched with new mission after Rockland repairs". The Journal News. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  3. ^ a b LaGrone, Sam (July 23, 2014). "Coast Guard Led 9-11 Water Evacuation Was 'Bigger Than Dunkirk'". USNI News. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  4. ^ a b DuLong, Jessica (August 20, 2017). "The 9/11 rescue that we need to hear more about". CNN. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  5. ^ "New York City Shuts Down". The New York Times. Associated Press. September 11, 2001. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  6. ^ a b New York City Department of Transportation (2011). "Manhattan River Crossings 2001" (PDF) (Press release). New York City: NYCDOT. Government of New York City. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  7. ^ "Historic Fireboat Aids in New York City Response and Recovery at the World Trade Center". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Archived from the original on August 17, 2007. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  8. ^ "Boats evacuated one million New Yorkers after WTC attack". Marine Log. September 19, 2001. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Douglas, L. Keeney (August 15, 2021). The Lives They Saved: The Untold Story of Medics, Mariners and the Incredible Boatlift that Evacuated Nearly 300,000 People on 9/11. Lyons Press. ISBN 9781493048113.
  10. ^ David, Brittney; Atmonavage, Joe Atmonavage; Matthew (September 10, 2021). "The great boat lift of 9/11: The unsung story of how hundreds of thousands were rescued that tragic day". NJ Advance Media.
  11. ^ a b Henry, James (September 10, 2019). "The unsung tale of 9/11's maritime rescuers". New York Post. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  12. ^ a b DeBlasio, Allan; Regan, Terrance; Zirker, Margaret; Day, Brian; Crowder, Michelle; Bagdonas, Kathleen; Brodesky, Robert; Morin, Dan (April 2002). "Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations, New York City – September 11" (PDF). Bureau of Transportation Statistics. United States Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  13. ^ "Brooklyn Bridge 2001". CBS News. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  14. ^ a b Milton, Joel (September 11, 2016). "Calling all boats". WorkBoat. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  15. ^ Helvarg, David (May 25, 2011). "The Coast Guard Heroes of 9/11". HuffPost. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  16. ^ Edwards, Emily. "Interpreting the Last Column: U.S. Coast Guard Marking". National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  17. ^ "Rogue Wave CG & 9-11" (PDF). Defense.Gov. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  18. ^ "List of 9/11 Rescue Boats". Harbor Heroes. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  19. ^ "FDNY Fire Operations response on September 11" (PDF). FDNY. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  20. ^ Braver, Rita (September 13, 2009). "The Little Fireboat That Could". CBS News. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  21. ^ Zimmer, Russ (September 8, 2016). "Middletown, 9/11 and what endures". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  22. ^ Linton, Caroline (February 6, 2015). "Secrets of the Staten Island Ferry". AM New York. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  23. ^ Allegretti, Thomas (September 11, 2014). "Remembering the heroes of the 9/11 boatlift". The Hill. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  24. ^ Kettler, Sara. "Real-Life Heroes of September 11, 2001". Biography. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  25. ^ Hearing of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States day 2, civil aviation security. DIANE Publishing. May 23, 2003. p. 6. ISBN 9781428932609.
  26. ^ "20th Anniversary September 11, 2001 Commemoration: Citywide Commemoration". National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  27. ^ "'BOATLIFT: An Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience'". Documentary Drive. September 11, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  28. ^ "Boatlift - An Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience". Kanopy. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
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