https://youtu.be/MDOrzF7B2Kg



Ten years after that fateful day in September, 2001, one of the most remarkable stories in human history is being told and heard for the first time: the evacuation of nearly half a million people from Manhattan by boat in the hours after the Twin Towers collapsed.

While the world focused on the thousands of lives lost and the hundreds of first responders who so gallantly risked- and far too often sacrificed their own lives to save the victims of this act of terrorism, hundreds of others bravely responded and saved hundreds of thousands of lives without fanfare or mention. These courageous individuals were members of the New York maritime community: tug owners, ferries, Coast Guard vessels, party boats and private vessels from yachts to small crafts. This response culminated in what turned out to be the largest maritime evacuation in world history. Until September 11, 2001, the evacuation of Dunkirk (1940) during World War II held that record when 390,000 French and British troops were evacuated over a nine-day period. By contrast, on September 11, 2001, nearly 500,000 people were evacuated by boat from the island of Manhattan in about nine hours.

The maritime evacuation started rather spontaneously when ordinary citizens strove to assist the thousands of people running from the World Trade Center to the piers along the shores of Manhattan. Manhattan is an island, and while that could be overlooked or even forgotten by commuters who rode subway trains or drove through tunnels and over bridges to reach their Manhattan offices, it was all too apparent after the attack on the Twin Towers. All of the bridges and tunnels to the south closed to traffic and the subway systems shut down. Those running from the collapsing towers and the billowing smoke ended up along the seawalls where they were picked up and transported by boat away from the conflagration.

CDR Michael Day, United States Coast Guard, (a Lieutenant in 2001) hoisted the Coast Guard ensign over the 100-foot pilot boat, New York to assist in whatever way he could. Day saw the vessels attempting to assist. Some were dangerously overloaded. The radio was chocked with calls for help and other communications failed. Day sent out a broadcast to all available boats willing to help with the evacuation and exhorted vessel owners to stay within reasonable passenger load limits. He had no idea who heard hear or who would respond, but within fifteen to twenty minutes, hundreds of vessels converged upon the tip of Governor Island to assist in the evacuation of Manhattan.

Like other mariners, U.S. Merchant Marines offered assistance. Student members of the Merchant Marine Academy guided victims towards the island’s southern shore from where boats arrived and departed throughout the remainder of the day. The process of transporting the crowds of people from Manhattan to safety continued into the evening. Once the towers collapsed, visibility was poor, at best. The smoke and dust extended over the water’s edge. Boat captains had to drive into this blinding haze to pick up passengers. Almost miraculously, there were no collisions and not a single injury or death reported because of the evacuation efforts.

There is much more to this story, like the water, food, and equipment carried into lower Manhattan by boat to assist the rescue workers. This, however, is the story about the exodus- the largest maritime evacuation in the history of the world carried out largely by everyday Americans- our unsung heroes.