Coast Guard to Hold 9/11 New York City Response Retrospective

The Coast Guard invites the public to attend “The U.S. Coast Guard 9/11 New York City Response Retrospective,” scheduled to be held at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum complex in Manhattan, N.Y., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

This event will be held to remember those who lost their lives during the attack on the World Trade Center and to discuss the actions taken by the U.S. Coast Guard and its agency partners on 9/11 and after.

The event includes panel discussions by Coast Guard, Navy and Army senior leaders, multimedia presentations and musical performances by the U.S. Coast Guard Band. The Coast Guard Cutter Bainbridge Island, homeported in Sandy Hook, N.J., a 9/11 first responder asset will be open for tours during the event.

"This Coast Guard retrospective is an opportunity to reflect upon the maritime community's response to the tragic events of 9/11, when the Port did an incredible job in organizing the waterborne evacuation of at least 350,000 people from Manhattan," said Capt. Gregory Hitchen, Coast Guard Sector New York deputy commander. "It is also an opportunity for us to tell the American people about the Coast Guard's role in meeting the Nation's enormous homeland security challenges."

Immediately following the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, the Coast Guard coordinated the evacuation of 300,000 to 500,000 people from lower Manhattan. Tugs, ferries, police boats, fire boats and other watercraft converged on lower Manhattan as Coast Guard personnel and vessels directed the boat traffic and successfully carried out one of the largest maritime evacuations in world history.

Coast Guard Panel Members

Capt. Gregory Hitchen, Deputy Commander, Coast Guard Sector New York
Cmdr. Michael Day, Chief of Pentagon Interagency Planning Branch
Retired Coast Guard Capt. Dan Ronan, Transportation Safety Administration
John Hillin, Chief of Coast Guard Sector New York Safety and Security Division
Capt. Daniel Croce, Chief of the Cargo Vessel Branch, Coast Guard Sector New York

Schedule of Events

10:45 a.m.

Event begins
Multimedia presentation of 9/11 imagery taken by Coast Guard photographers

Location: USS Intrepid auditorium

11a.m. -12 p.m.

Panel discussion #1

Topic: Response and recovery operations in the Port of New York and on 9/11 and after, the Coast Guard’s role in the maritime evacuation of Manhattan, Manhattan recovery operations and current Coast Guard security operations in the port.

Panel members: Capt. Gregory Hitchen, Cmdr. Michael Day, Retired Capt. Dan Ronan, John Hillin and Capt. Daniel Croce

Location: USS Intrepid auditorium

Musical performances by the U.S. Coast Guard Band

Location: USS Intrepid pier

11:30 a.m.

Coast Guard Cutter Bainbridge Island open for tours

Location: USS Intrepid pier

12:15 to 1:15 p.m.

Panel discussion #2

Topic: U.S. Army, U.S. National Guard, U.S. Air National Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Fort Hamilton’s roles in 9/11 response and recovery operations.

Location: USS Intrepid auditorium

1:15-1:30 p.m.

Multimedia presentation of 9/11 imagery taken by Coast Guard photographers

Location: USS Intrepid auditorium

1:30-2:30 p.m.

Panel discussion #3

Panel members: Capt. Gregory Hitchen, Cmdr. Michael Day, Retired Capt. Dan Ronan, John Hillin and Capt. Daniel Croce

Location: USS Intrepid auditorium

2-3 p.m.

Musical performances by the U.S. Coast Guard Band

Location: USS Intrepid pier

2:45-3:45 p.m.

Panel discussion #4

Topic: The U.S. Navy’s role in responding to 9/11 and afterwards in the war on terrorism.

Location: USS Intrepid auditorium

4 p.m.

Event ends

Source: U.S. Coast Guard