The September 11th attack
Coast Guard steps up patrols
By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
Seaman Jeremy Knochel helped his fellow crew members mount two M-60 machine guns aboard their 41-foot Coast Guard utility boat before leaving Sand Island this past week, a preparation that once was made only in advance of engaging suspected drug dealers.
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"We're pretty much on patrol all day every day now," Knochel said. "Our awareness is heightened, and if we see the least little thing that seems out of place, we're going to take a little extra time to investigate."
Coast Guard vessels like this 41-foot utility boat have been patrolling Honolulu Harbor with M-60 machine guns and other weapons since the attacks.
Since Sept. 11, patrols have been armed, and crews assigned to the smaller boats of Coast Guard Station Honolulu have increased patrols of Honolulu Harbor, Ke'ehi Lagoon and the area around Honolulu International Airport's reef runway.
Knochel said boaters and fishermen don't seem put off by the increased policing, which includes random safety checks.
"They still wave to us and seem happy to see us," the 19-year-old seaman said. "I think they know we are there to protect them."
Parts of the harbor are closed to vessels that have not been cleared by the Coast Guard, according to alerts aired to mariners.
Larger Coast Guard vessels, including the 87-foot Kittiwake, also are heavily armed and are monitoring cruise ships as they approach and depart Hawai'i's waters, said Lt. DesaRae Atnip, Coast Guard public affairs officer.
On shore, Coast Guard members compare cruise ship passenger lists with lists of terrorism suspects provided by the FBI.
Lt. j.g. Jennifer Cook, commanding officer of the Kittiwake, said she and her 10-member crew have received positive feedback from the captains of the cruise ships they have escorted.
"They radio in and say we are making their passengers feel more secure," Cook said.
Cook and her crew, whose homeport is on Kaua'i, have been kept in Honolulu to help secure O'ahu's coasts since Sept. 11. They are getting a little weary, but say they're still glad to be able to help in the aftermath of the attacks.
"You don't join the military without knowing the possible consequences," she said. "We'll be out here, doing our job and protecting the coasts."
Bill Anonsen, vice president of maritime affairs for American Classic Voyages, said passengers of Hawai'i's cruise ships, Independence and Patriot, do seem to appreciate the increased security and understand the reasons for it. They know that security for ships, just like airplanes, has been heightened.
"It's nationwide," Anonsen said. "All harbors and terminals, all forms of transportation."
Cruise ship passengers, like airline passengers, will be subjected to "100 percent screening of baggage," Anonsen said. All crew members and passengers will pass through metal detectors.
During the first week after the attacks, the number of passengers dropped for Hawai'i's cruise ships, Anonsen said. He attributed that drop off to uncertainty about the availability of airline connections.
Last week, he said, when air traffic began to return to normal, the cruise ships were sailing with normal numbers of passengers.
"Our passengers are people of courage and fortitude," Anonsen said. "They consider this (increased security) a minor inconvenience."
