Nestled on the beautiful Brookings coast, Station Chetco River is a vital hub for maritime safety along a significant stretch of the Pacific coastline between Oregon and California.

The Coast Guard Station Chetco River was established in 1961 as a direct result of a vote put forth by the citizens of the region who recognized the importance of having an active-duty station in the area.

The geographical service area of the station is wide reaching as it covers from Port Orford down to the Klamath River to include Crescent City, California as it does not have its own Coast Guard station.

With thirty-two active-duty service members, and two reservists, their primary mission is focused on search and rescue and boater safety.

Each morning, the service members start their day with a quick huddle in order to keep the line of communication open and transparent. They recognize and acknowledge achievements within the crew, then every boat is inspected, cleaned and put through the ringers to ensure all are in top working condition.

Because search and rescue is the primary responsibility of the station, service members rely on the forty-seven-foot Motor Lifeboats as their primary response vessels.

The workhorse Motor Lifeboats are designed for resilience. They require a minimum of four personnel to operate, can travel fifty to sixty miles offshore and can hold up to thirty people during a search and rescue.

“It takes four people to move the boat in those (open ocean water) conditions,” explained Colin Chief Joyce. “The guy driving the boat is called the Surfman.”

Amazingly, the Motor Lifeboats can manage waves up to thirty feet. The boats are designed to float and remain upright.

“They are self-righting, so they’ll re-right in eight to ten seconds,” explained Chief Joyce. “They’re fun. It’s like if you would stick a football in the water, how that would ride on the water, that’s kind of how these ride. They want to float. They want to stay upright.”

The Surfman will ‘read’ the waves and steer the hull of the boat in a direction that allows the waves to break in front, or behind, the boat rather than on the boat itself.

“The height of the driver is fourteen feet,” said Chief Joyce, “so you know when you’re looking up at a wave, that’s pretty significant.”

In addition to the Motor Lifeboats, there also is one smaller Quick Response Boat that can hold up to ten people and is used when a swifter response is required; however, given the size of the boat, it can’t handle any extreme conditions.

“This is one we pretty much use for law enforcement,” said Chief Joyce. “It’s easier to get onto other boats. It’s quicker and more agile.”

Every year, the station’s crew responds to approximately sixty-five search and rescue missions, which include not only boats in trouble out on the open ocean waters, but people who get stuck on the rocky shoreline from hiking or climbing into areas that aren’t meant to be traversed.

“The bread and butter of this unit is search and rescue,” said Chief Joyce, “but it also includes recreational boater safety, fishing boater safety and commercial fishing safety.”

Another important daily activity for the station is managing the Chetco River’s Bar Report. On most days, just before sunrise, some of the crew take the Ready Motor Lifeboat (the boat that is housed in the semi-enclosed area at the station) near the mouth of the river to check the conditions. This ensures that both personal and commercial vessels can navigate safely out into the open ocean.

“We keep one boat in the house. This is our Ready Boat, so if we get a call they’re going to hop on and go,” explained Chief Joyce as he gave a tour of the boat. “They have a range of 200 nautical miles, easily. They can handle up to twenty-foot surf, thirty-foot waves and fifty knots of wind.”

According to the region’s website, their mission statement is: “We, the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District, provide critical maritime services within the Pacific Northwest. Our missions, maritime security, safety, and national defense, require superior professionalism, devotion to excellence and the highest standards of integrity. We pride ourselves in treating others with respect and dignity, facilitating partnerships with local, state and national agencies, and being innovative in our approach to meeting the region’s needs.” (www.pacificarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/District-13)

As the hub of activity at the District-13, Station Chetco River remains steadfast, so too is the commitment the service members of the Coast Guard give to our region, our country, our home.

We salute you and thank you.

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