M.E.B.A. Members Shine Through Dark Days in New York City

MEBA NEWS
O
n that black day, iron-willed
members defied the danger and
sailed into a war zone deter-
mined to alleviatethe suffering of a city
under siege.Forthe MEBAmembersplying the watersaround New York Harbor,
the responsewas immediatewhen two
airliners,guided by terrorists,tore into
the World TradeCenteron September11.
Staten Island Ferries
the order of the day but Capt. Palese
made a quick decision as the enveloping
horror unfolded. Realizing that it would
be a danger to dispatch his passengers
onto a battleground, he made the call to
deliver the ferry back to the safe haven of
Staten Island. "It was absolutely the right
call:' reflected ReserveCapt. Jim
Capelonga. Capt. Pareserecounted that
they "proceeded past the slips and
through the Buttermilk Channel, and
then through the Bay
Ridge Anchorage. I
was trying to avoid
being out in the open
for too long, and possibly becoming a target." The crew was
able to keep 3,500 frantic passengerscalm
until they could safely
offload them in St.
George. Soon after, the
NEWHOUSE made a
beeline back to
Manhattan to assist in
the mass exodus. 'The
Aboard the JOHN F. KENNEDY, GO\/:
HERBERT H. LEHMAN and the AMERICAN LEGION, crews were brought face
to face with the enormity of the circumstances.On the LEGION, Capt. Daniel
Cruz was on his approach to Manhattan
as the billowing smoke and debris obliterated all visibility and cloaked the slip in
a wall of darkness. When it seemed
impossible that the ferry could safely
dock, a gust of wind blew in, temporarily
clearing the path.
"We're gonna go
in," the Captain
announced as the
crew prepared to
come to the aid
of thousands of
desperate citizens clamoring
to get off the
island. Mate Billy
Vogel recollected
that the 3,000
passengers that
piled onto the
vessel were
MEBA memberCapt. JimmyParese
was closingin on ManhattanIsland on
crew all knew what
mummified in a
his 8:45a.m. run with a boatloadof paswe were returning to,
Capt. JoseCasaisand A/C Jim Capelonga.
layer of soot
sengerseying the curious smokeemanatyet
they
all
undershuffling
around
ing from the North Towerof the World
stood
the
importance
to
return,"
said
zombie-like
-their
trauma
palpable.
TradeCenter.As the SAMUELI. NEWCapt. Parese.The NEWHOUSE was the
When they marched off the ferry in
HOUSEnearedGovernor'sIsland and
first
boat
to
pull
into
the
slip
on
the
Staten Island, Billy had to prevent an
beganits final approachinto lower
orange sea of dazed passengers from
Manhattan,PareseandAsst. CaptainPhil Whitehall side and they were met by
thousands of hysterical New Yorkers des- mindlessly walking off with the lifejackCarroll gapedin horror from the pilotperate to flee the chaos. As they filled the
ets.
houseas terroristscontinued their insidiboat
to
capacity,
the
first
Tower
came
The CoastGuard immediately
ous assaulton Tower2 with a second
dropped their "12-hourrule" allowing
strike. Mass confusionand shockbecame down and "a cloud of smoke, dust and
ash blanketed the area, reducing visibility
NYC workers to toil well into the night
to zero." Panicked passengersinstinctiveand continuethe incredible outburstof
ly lunged for the lifejackets under their
compassionon behalf of the strickencity.
seats preparing for a further calamity.
Many of the ferry membersworked on
The crew had to rely on radar to make
fumes for over 18hours seekingsometheir escape through the blinding smoke
how to soothethe misery.Anothermemand debris. Deckhands attempted to
ber worked a 35-hourshift. "Everyone
restore calm to a full load of 6,000 filthy
wants to help, but if you work 'em all
and frenzied passengers,but the onboard
there'll be no one to go the next day,"
bedlam multiplied when a false report filBilly noted. In their off hours,many fleet
tered in that a passengerhad plunged
membersdevotedtheir time to comb
into the water. The ash-caked vessel
throughthe ruins of the TradeCenter,in
slowed to a halt as deckhands Richie
the flickering hope that survivorscould
Campanella and Mark Herman, through
be unearthed.
burning eyes,peeled the water searching
Over on the KENNEDY,Capt. Frank
for the non-existent man. ConVinced that
Petersand Asst.Capt. Eddie Squirewere
the boat was on fire and ready to sink,
loading passengersfrom Manhattanas
petrified passengers scrambled for the
the secondplanehit. Later on in the day,
remainder of the life jackets...
medicalpersonnelsetup an improvised
Crewmembers aboard the three other
showeraboardthe boatand nurses
Staten Island Ferries operating that day
attendedto various afflictions. Eyewash
Takenon themorningof Sept.11,befi>re
thechaos. were also cast into a similar situation.
was the primary servicein demand.
4
MARINE
OFFICER
NOVEMBER
/ DECEMBER
2001
Military Sealift Command -
USNSCOMFORT
On September11,theMilitary Sealift
Commandhospitalship USNSCOMFORT,crewedby civilian mariners
including MEBA members,lay at her
berth in Baltimore,Maryland. First
AssistantEngineerSteveStarrand an
elite teamaboardthe floating first aid kit
determinedthat they would begin readying the highly decoratedship for activation in casethey weregiven the word.
Starrbeganto fire up ship systemsthat
had beenrelying on shoresideconnections during their reducedoperatingstaCapt. Bill McLane, Mate Wayne SpeidelandA/C
tus. His six-manteambeganprepping
Mike Gansas.
the boilersand readyingthe engineroom
to getunderway."The ship was scheduled to performdock trials the following
week," Starrpointed out, "so I began
preparingthe ship to run on her own
steam,figuring that evenif we weren't
activated,I had just gottena headstarton
the following week." That afternoon,the
vesselreceivedthe call from MSCbrass
that the COMFORTwould be activated
and deployedto New York on a mission
of mercy.Starr had given the ship a threehour headstart.The Military Sealift
Commandused the time neededto fire
up the plant and to fill the additionalbillets required for a seavoyage.MSC got
1st AlE Steve Starr aboard the USNS COMChief EngineerDon Skurkato cut his
FORT. (Photo courtesy of Bridget Morris-MSC.)
vacationshortand reportto the ship to
head up the enginedepartment.The
COMFORTis in ROS-5,meaningthat she
Capt.JoseCasaispointed out that soon
is preparedto sail within 5 days.
enoughthe ferries weretransportingfire
However,within 21 hours afterreceiving
equipment,emergencyvehiclesand
her activationorders,the 14-yearold vesarmoredtrucks aboard,among other
sel that had performedso admirablydurgear.On the StatenIsland side,the suping the PersianGulf War,was readyto
ply depot that had been setup was
go. "The seven-man,reducedoperating
indicative of an incredibleand rapid
statuscrew'sfocus on ship readinesswas
organizingeffort. Within threehours of
the sole reasonwe could get underwayin
the disasterthey had coffeewaiting for
lessthan 24hours," Chief Skurkaattestthe workersand a basisfor operations
ed. "SteveStarrdeservesall the credit."
that would last for weeks.
Dockedat Earle,New Jerseytwo days
Originally the ferries wereslatedfor
laterto pick up additional supplies,the
morgue detail but when it becameappar- missionof the COMFORTwas altered.
ent that therewereno bodies,the fleet
Insteadof servingasa hospital ship, it
continuedto supportemergencyteamsat was convertedinto a hospitalityship to
Ground Zero until the City was reopened provide floating respitefor emergency
by Mayor Rudy Giuliani the following
relief workers.At 8:30p.m. on Fridaythe
weekand accessfinally beganloosening
14th,COMFORTpulled into its tempoup. The ferries,which previouslyhad
rary new address,at Manhattan'sPier 92
carried personalvehiclesin and out of
nearWest52ndStreet.By Saturday,
ManhattanIsland for the generalpopuarrangementswerebeing finalized to
lace,havesincediscontinuedthat service accommodatethe swarmsof rescueand
becauseof securityconcerns.
relief workerswho neededa breather
from the grueling labor being performed
at the disaster scene,Chief Skurka noted
that, "by Saturday morning, the majority
of the engineering department had been
awake for about five days, But the cause
was worth it,ll
The size of three football fields, the
COMFORT's 1,000beds normally
assigned to the infirm, were reserved for
grateful Ground Zero heroes who needed
a well-deserved rest, For the 16 days the
ship received "guests," until the soup
Mate Billy VogelaboardtheKENNEDY.
kitchen was closed on the 30th of
September, the COMFORT served 17/000
meals feeding over 6/650guests. Guests
included New York City police and firefighters/ National Guardsmen, the N.Y.
State Militia and volunteer relief workers.
In addition, 4/400 pounds of laundry
were cleaned, 1/359 medical massages
were given by volunteer staff, and 500
"mental health consultations" were conducted. On the morning of the ship' s
departure, Oct. 1st/ a message from
Mayor Giuliani was piped aboard giving
thanks to 335 military personnel and 54
civilian mariners -the gracious hosts of
the COMFORT.
Anny Corps of Engineers
Vessels
The Marine Division of the Army
Corpswas readyto move when the call
cameto rush to the relief of the devastated city. Crewmembersrepresentingthe
New York,WIlmingtonand Philadelphia
Districts werein town taking a safety
coursearound the comer from the Trade
Centerwhen the first planehit. It wasn't
long beforethey flocked down to the fleet
of Corpsvesselsto begin ironing out
logisticalnightmares."All the personnel
MARINE
OFFICER
NOVEMBER
/ OECEMBER
2001 5
MEBA NEWS
an emergency dredging of the Hudson to
permit barges transferring rubble to landfills to proceed unfettered. The dredgeship MCFARLAND, out of the
Philadelphia District, played a large role
in clearing out the barge route and also
continued critical transport of supplies
and personnel. The Army Corps vessels'
quick and ongoing support allowed
emergency personnel on the sceneto continue an unremitting response to the disaster area.
destroyed
with
and
the
debris...11
Capt.
and
FDNY Marine Division
his
the
extricated
from
his
The
floating
pumping
stations
known
the
two
the
scene
MARINE
OFFICER
NOVEMBER
/ DECEMBER
2001
After
in a quest
supplies
as best
they
broken
lower
lung.
As
the
and
head
carried
decision
was
that
ahead,
was
Hospital
him
weeks
team
that
once-great
search
in
for
Street
to combat
ther
to
FIGHTER
to paw
with
hellish
the
mission
the
inferno
on the
in
crew
1973.
water
WITCH
that
ESSO
BRUSSELS.
was
battling
a raging
mains
in
beyond
Manhattan
incurred
were
City
Fireboats
rendered
of water
for
small
and
the
clock
to beat
lines
the
pumped
even
coming
know
from,lI
bered.
inch
out
He
FIGHTER's
standpipe
Pilot
aft
manifold
connecting
They
flow
began
of
IIThey
water
was
remem-
lIa separate
was
run
directly
to the
supand
Hudson.
Gagliardi
line
The
water
the
that,
as
round
engines
critical
where
York
only
back.
four
of the
reported
non-friction
New
72 hours
fire
absolutely
susattack
worked
blaze
to land-based
water
didn't
first
fleet
the
16-
water
couldn't
connected
began
threaten-
by the
the
crude
the
devastated
to be the
aging
FIREFIGHTER
the
fire
an
when
Now
inoperable.
proved
the
erupted
century-old
lower
and
ply
the
that
combated
with
damage
the
source
collided
The
tain
in
honored
During
heroically
SEA
complex.
boat
been
tanker
acre
fur-
FIRE-
Administration's
Award
to spread
was
The
decorated
oil
ship
that
having
the
ing
by
operations
zone.
most
Maritime
Ship
a position
blaze
the war
the
FIREFIGHTER
assumed
Gallant
the
heartbreak-
Meanwhile
the
commenced
Harbor
and
of the
through
had
is the
Jordan
their
and
the
York
than
skeleton
survivors.
ravaging
New
and
-less
Lt.
the
fireboat,
1938
Vesey
home
continue
oldest
built
treatment
ordeal,
Towers
and
fleet's
Capt.
City
incredibly
return
returned
wreckage
ing
sure
Jersey
later.
Following
his
the
Manhattan
immediate
to
to the
inundated.
rehabilitation
allowed
back
made
at the
where
continued
two
met
trauma
a punctured
gurney,
likely
they
sustained
trauma,
to avoid
were
wounds
had
him
2 on a makeshift
Radioing
to stabilize
his
and
SMOKE
Fuentes
team
severe
hospitals
of
on
medical
dress
extremities
made
of one
to recover
Fuentes
they
Gagliardi
crucial
could.
ribs,
to his
care-
ambulances
able
for
Captain
the
official
Pilot
for
was
team
window
burning
head
fastened
Dept.
grave,
He
upon
His
from
the
Fire
the
twisted
the ailing
stumbled
carnage.
extremities
the
through
Building.1I
6
lower
would-be
squeezed
silence
falling
protruding
rubble.
fully
enough
therevolunteeredto help automatically:' as the New York City Fireboats are a frenoted JoeMeyersfrom the New York
quently
forgotten
commodity
in a city
District who was pulled awayfrom the
surrounded
by so much
water.
The aging
classroom."Without a secondthought,
fleet is often dismissed
and left to wither
they placedthemselveson duty." Initially, away, remembered
only
when
something
the Corpsmannedthe Motor Vessels
bad happens
on the Harbor.
HA1TON,HUDSON,HAYWARD,GELOn September
II, a recall was issued
BERMANand DRIFTMASTER,as well as for all members
of the fireboat
fleet.
Lt.
theM/V HOCKINGand NEW YORK
Terrence
Jordan
and firefighters
Robert
SURVEYBOAT#1. They immediately
Spadaro
and Paul Coulbourne
left
deployedtheir boatsas evacuationvesEducational
Day at Randall's
Island
and
sels.Fast-actingcrewswhisked thouconverged
on the Brooklyn
Navy
Yard.
sandsof stunnedsurvivors acrossthe
They were
met by Pilots
Scott Hanson
waterto Caven'sPoint,NJ, where relief
and Neil
Yellen,
along
with
vacationing
stationswere quickly setup. CorpsperPilot Joe Gagliardi
who
had been plying
sonnelcouldn't help but noticethe
the Hudson
that day on a pleasure
boat.
glazed-overdispositionof their passenIt was there
they got the word
from
Pilot
gersas they wereferried to safety.A
Ed Mauro
who
reported
that the World
three-prongedmakeshiftmarina at
Trade
Center
had collapsed
and that
Caven'sPointdivided offloading passen- FDNY Marine Division
Supervisor
gersinto the unharmed,the injured and
Captain
Al Fuentes
was missing
in the
thosein dire shape.On the return trips,
vicinity
of the debris
field.
The marine
the Army Corps vesselsshuttled firefightjoined
by Engineer
Paul
Fornuto,
ers and emergencypersonnelto the scene crew,
Firefighter
Sean McLoughlin,
Marine
of the disaster.Theyalsodelivered critiWiper
Dennis
Crowe
and Safety
Chief
Sal
cal suppliesto keepfireboatsand fire
Posavetz
readied
the SMOKE
2, a fireboat
trucksoperational.Resupplyinglandbuilt
in 1958, now
only usable
as a tender.
basedpersonneland equipmentproved
Soon after, the Company
picked
up a dischallengingbecauseof the poor access
tress call on the radio
from
Captain
createdby the ongoing pandemonium
Fuentes
who
had sustained
serious
and destruction.The New York District's injuries and had become trapped under a
JoshDaskalakispointed out, "They were shower of debris from what was once the
passingfive-galloncansby hand. There
World
Trade
Center
-near
West Street
was no other way to accessthe site."
and Vesey. The SMOKE
2 docked
at the
Whateverwas requiredwas floated over. North Cove Marina behind the atrium of
Suppliesincluded drinking water,
the World
Financial
Center
Building.
Two
antifreeze,oil and equipmentaslarge as
teams
were deployed
to search
for Capt.
forklifts.
Fuentes
and any other
"surface
victims."
TheHOCKINGbecamethe command "The scene was one of complete
devastavesseland transportedCongressmen,
tion,"
Lt. Jordan
reported,
"apparatus
staff and Army Corps officials,including
Chief of EngineersLt. Gen. Robert
Flowers,to surveythe damage.The initial responsevesselswere later.joined by
a host of Corps shipsincluding the
WAMPANOAG,
CATAUMETand the
COLVIN.The vesselssoonbegantransporting structuralengineersand assisting
in the removalof debris.The agencysuccessfullydealt with two pier collapses
The NYC FireboatFIREFIGHTERat her berth
and Corpsplannersbeganpreparing for
in StatenIsland.
the
were
with
beneath
they
amid
shoulders
debris
complete
of sporadic
Somehow,
Fuentes
equipment.
Army Corpsshipsrespondingto thedisaster.
on fire,
exception
from
fivethe
to the
Verizon
pumping
at 11
Marine Engineer Ronnie B. West.
a.m. on Sept. 11th and maintained their
vigil and vital operations for ten days.
The four pump, 134-foot twin-screw fireboat is capable of spouting out 20,000
gallons of water per minute at 150 psi. A
grueling workload with antiquated equipment stretched the fireboat to the edge of
its limits. "Every single pump needs an
overhaul," Chief Engineer Dan Reddan
moaned weeks later. "The pumps took a
beating -a beating." Inside the vessel it
was steaming. Lack of shoreside electricity to the DC powered vessel prohibited air conditioning or even
a working refrigerator on the boat. The
overheated engiPilot Joe
neers had to use a
Gagliardi
cooler full of ice in
and Chief
the engine room to Dan Reddan
cool down the bearaboardthe
ings.
FIREThe other fireFIGHTER.
boats in the fleet
continually met
equipment challenges as well.
On the JOHN D. MCKEAN, the
boat experienced generator problems from the get-go. A flexible coupling
(the connection between the motor and
prime mover) broke while they were
underway necessitating a welding job.
The JOHN J. HARVEY, a boat that finished its service in 1991 and was recently
saved from the scrap heap was pressed
into service. Numerous problems
plagued the noble crew of this floating
museum and the diesel electric plant shut
down after 36 hours. The pumps on the
SMOKE 2 proved inoperable and the 43year old fireboat was sent back to the
Brooklyn Navy Yard. The 40-year old
reserve boat GO\/: ALFRED E. SMITH
was also feeling its age. The KEVIN C.
KANE, only nine years old, was able to
join the FIREFIGHTER on the front lines.
The 52-foot fireboat can only match a
quarter of the FIREFIGHTER's water
capacity, yet its age has allowed it to
become the workhorse of the fleet.
Double crews manned the fireboats.
For the first several days, the Marine
Division toiled 24 hours on/24 hours off,
though many worked the first two days
straight. They used much of their time off
to join searchteams in a quest for their
missing brothers. On one occasion,while
rummaging through the "pit/l, Dan
Reddan's day ended when he was surprised by a Brown Recluse Spider, one of
six poisonous kinds of arachnids in the
U.S., whose bite left him battling potentially fatal symptoms. On another day
while sifting through the twisted wreckage of the World Trade Center, the men of
Marine Company 9 came upon /Ian
apparition so astounding/l it made them
do a double-take. In a series of e-mail dispatches reprinted in Easton, Maryland's
Star Democrat,Dan Reddan noted, /lThere
are three sets of matched beams in a cross
configuration, the center one wrapped in
swaddling bombed-out clothing. It is all
backlit with sunlight from the street and
opening three stories up!/l Surrounded by
a desolate wasteland, the crossesinduced
an inspirational hope not experienced in
some time by dispirited New Yorkers.
That hope was essential for the Marine
Division as they
attended the endless funerals for
their comrades in
the weeks to come.
Ten days of continuous pumping
finally quenched
the advance of the
worst of the runaway fires facing
the grid around the
Towers. The
response of the fireboat fleet saved the
Verizon Building, which was proclaimed
structurally sound enough to stand.
On Sept. 20th, the MCKEAN took over
the FIREFIGHTER's Vesey Street position
and the 63-year old boat, its riveted hull
worn down and in desperate need of
plating work, headed back to its berth in
Staten Island. The boat hasn't been out of
the water for repairs in over six years.
Though the poorly funded FDNY Marine
Division is often ignored; its heroic crews
exploited the maximum capabilities out
of the ancient fireboats with staggering
resolve and sheer know-how.
Postscript
During this horrendous and significant time in our nation's history, the
eruption of human kindness and solidarity to fellow Americans was truly gratifying. MEBA Brothers and Sisters were part
of this outpouring of humanity with their
unbelievable tenacity and relentless
response to adversity. The heroic accomplishments of our members on the Staten
MARINE
OFFICER
NOVEMBER
/ DECEMBER
2001 7