I suspect that most of you who were old enough to remember have memories of your experiences when you heard about the terroristic attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001. I am not here to write of my memories. I am here to share on the heroic actions of mariners in the hours and days after the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. I did know that shortly after the attacks, the usual transportation in and out of New York City (roads, subways, rail) were shut down. That left boats as the only way out of NYC. I have a memory of TV media mentioning the evacuations from Manhattan by boat. I don't recall mention of the number of boats or the many different types of boats. I don't recall hearing about the role that these same mariners who worked the evacuations played in getting first responders and supplies to lower Manhattan in the days following. I had no idea, but am not surprised to learn that many of these mariners and crew got sick in the years following the attacks.
All the mariners, captains and crews are indeed heros, thank-you for your selfless dedication in getting folk off of Manhattan and for your service afterwards helping the response effort. Some of you are sick and may have died. You will not be forgotten.
I got the idea for this article after reading the cover story in my local newspaper yesterday, The Star Ledger from New Jersey Advance Media. This was, in my opinion, journalism at its best, and I was thrilled to read the article with the attendant crinkle of the newspaper that was delivered to my driveway. It was not until today that I saw a direct link to the article on the New Jersey Advance Media website. I (with photos and the videos I share below). Speaking of the first video, when I went online yesterday to see what else I could come up with regarding the role of the mariners following the 9/11 attacks I did find this video. The New Jersey Advance Media article on the role of the mariners (posted September 10th), "The great boat lift of 9/11: the unsung story of how hundreds of thousands were rescued that tragic day" by Brittney Davis, Joe Atmonavage and Matthew Stanmyre is well worth the read. Here are some excerpts from the beginning of the article:
Thousands lost their lives in the tragedy of 9/11. Trapped in the burning towers of the World Trade Center, there would be no escape when the two tall buildings collapsed at the tip of lower Manhattan. But for thousands of others, caught between the river and a scene of Armageddon, salvation came in the form of a waterborne rescue, called the largest maritime evacuation in modern history. …
The rescue effort started minutes after the first plane struck the north tower at 8:46 a.m. and ended nine hours later.
In between, the maritime community would rescue and transport an estimated 400,000 people off the island of Manhattan to New Jersey and elsewhere. …
There were tugboats from Staten Island, fishing vessels from Brooklyn, historic boats, dinner boats, sightseeing boats and more. Countless captains and crews converged on the Hudson to help rescue the thousands of people who were desperate to flee.
I close with the video that is also shared in the article, it takes about 12 minutes and is well worth the time to watch it.
The second video, shared below, is from the U.S. Guard. You will hear from Lt. Michael Day who helped coordinate the maritime evacuation. This video is under three minutes.
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