Coast Guard Duty Just Got Better
(Continued From Page 26)
capc to all kinds of nearby diver
sions. The ree r(x)in houses a fxx>l
table, video game, ping-pong table,
and, of course, television. A next
door storage room holds more: ten
nis and volleyball nets and a
"morale" boat for fishing expedi
tions.
There are also administrative of
fices, a mess (dining area), and up
stairs a conference room, duty
quarters and plenty of storage
space.
A few steps away from this facil
ity is the new electronics shop, con
verted from the former communica
tions center and also attractively
garbed in grey cedar shakes.
Linking the station to the river is
the new seawall, pier and buoy pad.
Docked there, along with the
Blackberry , are the two Coast
Guard boats, a 45-footer and a 41
footcr.
One was buili heavily counter
weighted so that in turbulent surf it
will roll over anu right itself, said
Arndt.
From that vantage point he
pointed out an unusual historic
sight.
"You won i oltci see three gen
erations of Coast Guari stations
within a block Oi CuCn uuiCf. he
said.
L(x)king back from the river one
can see in a glance the new station,
its predecessor, built in 1932 for 10
people, a few yards away, and
across the road a private home that
was the original station in the early
19(X)'s.
Despite the luxury look of it, this
station is a workplace where much
critical intervention takes place.
The Oak Island Coast Guard has ju
risdiction on the Intracoastal Water
way to the Carolina Beach bridge,
and on the Capc Fear River up to
Fayetteville.
STAFF PHOTO BY MARJORIE ME GIVE RN
SENIOR CHIEF J. D. AKi\I)T (right) confers with Seaman Galen
Miles in the communications room of the new Coast Guard station.
"'We provide initial response in
pollution cases." Arndt said. "If a
boater is seen pumping bilge into
the Intracoastal Waterway, for ex
ample, we stop him and lake water
samples, then call the Marine
Safety Office for an in-depth inves
tigation."
They also enforce Marine Fish
eries regulations.
"Commercial fishermen can on
ly lake certain species and sizes of
fish," he said, "and how they catch
them is regulated, too, and the sea
son is limited.
Arnilt said ihe Coast Guard is the
smallest of the country's armed
forces, with 38,(XX) men and
women on active duty.
"We're smaller than the New
York Police Department." he said
with a laugh.
The Guard's role today is in
creasingly important, especially in
identifying drug activity and help
ing make the water sale for the
growing number of boaters.
The new Oak Island Coast Guard
Station was dedicated in cere
monies held May 22.
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