STATION SHINNECOCK UNIT SPOTLIGHT
Located on the South Shore of eastern Long Island, Coast Guard Station Shinnecock has a long history of aiding mariners in distress. Originally part of the U.S. Life Saving Service, the station was once part of a series of lifeboat stations aiding stranded and shipwrecked mariners and passengers. Rebuilt after the Hurricane of 1938, the station is adjacent to the site of the former Shinnecock Lighthouse.
The station is staffed with 45 members who operate three rescue boats and answer more than 200 call a year. While their primary mission is search and rescue, Station Shinnecock Coast Guardsmen regularly provide security on the Orient Point ferry, run law enforcement missions jointly with local law enforcement agencies, and annually conduct hundred's of safety boardings on commercial and recreational vessels within their area of responsibility (AOR), which includes more than 300 square miles, including bays, inlets, creeks, the Atlantic Ocean and a functioning canal with operating locks.
The crew stays ready to respond by participating in training exercises with local agencies. Area fire departments have joined Station Shinnecock personnel in cooperative training sessions involving water rescues. They also assist local universities and high schools in collecting water and bottom samples taken from Shinnecock Bay. This enables these groups to compare the current conditions of the bay with data collected on previous sampling missions.
