Coast Guard duty more than rescues

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND - A lost kayaker in the Laguna Madre, an overdue 65-foot shimp boat or a broken-down Russian freighter 30 miles offshore would all rely on the U.S. Coast Guard to come to the rescue.

So would two fishermen in a 14-foot jonboat that flips over on a windy day while fishing in the bay.

Once part of the regular armed forces, later transferred to the Department of Transportation, the Coast Guard was made part of the Department of Homeland Security, which was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The 60 Coast Guard personnel stationed at the Island now do far more than just rescue stranded boaters or struggling swimmers.

They now seize boatloads of drugs and patrol South Texas waters to prevent attacks by terrorists.

"The Coast Guard is pretty unique," Boatswain's Mate Third Class Russell Sutherland said.

"One day you'll be saving somebody, the next day you'll be doing law enforcement boardings .... the next day you'll be dealing with shrimpers."

Duty in the Laguna Madre and Gulf of Mexico near the Island and Port Isabel is hardly dull, said Boatswain's Mate second class David Perrin, coxswain of a 33-foot special purpose law enforcement craft.

Powered by three giant outboard motors, the boat blasts across the water. Sailors are all armed when on patrol and must be ready to deal with anything, he said.

One of the most frequent duties is dealing with shark boats from Mexico, illegally fishing in U.S. waters, crewmembers of the 33-foot boat said.

Coast Guard sailors rescue swimmers in trouble, both from boats and with an emergency response sport utility vehicle from the beach, said Seaman Erin Woods, a rescue swimmer who helped recover three people on June 1.

"There's a real need for lifeguards here on the Island, due to the fact that it takes us about six or seven minutes to respond offshore," he said.

Sailors in the boat must get quickly out through the jetties and go through the surf to the public beaches, he said.

When high winds and rough seas prevent the Coast Guard team on the Island from attempting a rescue, the Coast Guard station at Corpus Christi will send a helicopter, Sutherland said.

Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Charles Hawkins, recently replaced as commanding officer by Lt. Mickey Lalor, said patrols farther out in the Gulf of Mexico are handled by the Coast Guard Cutter Amberjack, an 87-foot vessel, also based at South Padre Island.

Hawkins served three years as commanding officer and now Lalor will serve until 2011.

Enlisted sailors carry a lot of responsibility at the station because there are only two officers and 58 enlisted sailors, he said.

Other Coast Guard personnel with specialized craft tend to buoys and other navigational aids, based at the SPI station.

The Island station covers the area from the Mexican border to 30 miles north of Port Mansfield and out 30 miles or more into the Gulf, Perrin said.

Ships using the Port of Brownsville, as well as tugboats and barges serving the Port of Harlingen, also depend on the Coast Guard station, Sutherland said.

Sailors are on duty 48 hours, then off 48 hours, sort of like firefighters, Sutherland said. They alternate serving 72-hour weekends.

The active duty sailors are assisted by volunteer civilians in the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

The Auxiliary concentrates on teaching boating safety classes to the public and conducting voluntary boat inspections, he said.