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USCG ANT GALVESTON
Photographs by Petty Officers 3rd Class Mario Romero and David Schuhlein |
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Located on one of the busiest and most challenging ship channels in the world, Aids to Navigation Team Galveston is one of the busiest ANT's in the Coast Guard. Stretching for more than 50 miles, the Houston Ship Channel sees traffic from more than 50 ships and 300 barges every day. The Houston Ship Channel has the most Aids to Navigation discrepancies in the Coast Guard, spending more than $2 million each year to repair or replace aids. |
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ANT Galveston is responsible for all the aids in the Houston Ship channel, the Intracoastal Waterway from High Island, Texas, to the San Bernardo River, and the various lakes, bayous and rivers in between. In order to cover this area, the ANT has two Trailorable Aids to Navigation Boats (TANB), including one of the new 26 foot TANB's, a 55 foot Aids to Navigation Boat (ANB), and a 22 foot Flats design utility boat. They are alo expecting two more fo the new 26 foot TANB's by the end of the year. A typical work week for ANT Galveston is Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., but the duty crew often works late nights and is called in on the weekend to fix critical aids as well. Everything from climbing tower lights to putting up dayboards and replacing buoys, ANT Galveston sees it all. With over 700 aids in their area, everyday brings something different to their plate. "We work a multitude of missions daily in a diverse environment," said Chief Petty Officer Michael Snyder, the officer in charge of ANT Galveston. "Crewmembers receive a |
GALVESTON, Texas - Seaman Aaron Sunstrom from Aids to Navigation Team Galveston inspects a dayboard light on the Houston Ship Channel here Thursday, June 28, 2007. Lights, dayboards and buoys provide a visual reference for boaters, marking areas where the water is the deepest and safest. U.S. Coast Guard Photograph by Petty Officer 3rd Class Mario Romero. |
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tremendous amount of technical training which allow them to accomplish their daily missions." The average crewmember from ANT Galveston lives anywhere from as close as Galveston Island itself to only as far away as Houston, 50 miles to the north. All crewmembers are put on Basic Allowance for Housing when they arrive; there is no housing or barracks on base for the ANT. Galveston Island is a summer city, with long beaches and many hotels open to a lot of summer tourism. The Island itself is home to the Schlitterbahn Water Park, as well as an expansive garden. Houston has several museums, including the Texas Museum of Natural History, the Houston Zoo, and the Houston Aquarium. |
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GALVESTON, Texas - Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Shane Beck, lead instructor for the tower climbing training, lowers down a crewman from the tower acting as simulated victim here, Tuesday, July 31, 2007. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 3rd Class David Schuhlein. |
Approximately an hour north of Galveston, the NASA Houston Space Center has several buildings open to the public, including interactive areas for children to learn about space and have fun. Being on the water, the weather remains moderate through-out the year, the highest months of summer reaching 85 degrees on average, the highest temperature recorded in August at 90 degrees. The coldest month of the year is January, averaging about 56 degrees, with the lowest temperature recorded being 49 degrees. There's rarely any snow, the usual precipitation is rain, with the heaviest rain fall averaging in September at almost six inches. Hurricane season does reach Galveston, from approximately May to November, but a prepared course of action is ready and presented to all new crewmembers. There are only 15 people assigned to the unit, so everyone knows each other very well. Crewmembers find themselves working with everyone at the unit during their time, so a good sense of camaraderie develops. Snyder has only this warning for new crewmembers coming in: "Show up with a positive, hard working attitude and be prepared to learn and have some fun!" For video of the ANT in action, select the following link: http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=149001
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