LIVING HISTORY
promote racial and gender equality,” she said. “When anyone
experiences prejudice in the military or in the country for that
matter, it affects everyone. The Coast Guard has developed
an acumen regarding diversity inclusion and encouraging
people to talk about it.”
PATROLLING THE COASTLINE
Harris and her crew spend a lot of their time patrolling the
coastline looking for smugglers transporting drugs, contraband,
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firearms and people. A lot of the trafficking comes from
the Caribbean countries through the Straits of Florida, which
can be very dangerous as the Gulf Stream can get rough and
treacherous very quickly.
“We perform just as many rescues as we do seizures, as we
bring the passengers on board to safety,” Harris explained.
“We also board recreational boats and make sure they adhere
to safety regulations. We do it to save lives because the ocean
can be fickle and it’s important to be prepared for an emergency.
Every day brings a new adventure.”
The USCGC Ibis is docked at the Coast Guard Station Fort
Pierce, a small-boat station on Seaway Drive which is part
of the Coast Guard’s 7th District, Sector Miami. Station Fort
Pierce exists to safeguard the American public and the visitors
to the Treasure Coast. It specializes in search and rescue, maritime
law enforcement and marine environmental protection.
The station, which was built in the early ‘70s, houses
about 40 guardsmen, two Response Boat Mediums and two
Special Purpose Craft Law Enforcement boats and provides
dockage for Coast Guard cutters. The station is built just a
block west of its original location at 1400 Seaway Drive. The
original structure, built in 1942, still stands proudly as the
home of Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 58 whose members
support the Coast Guard with vessel safety checks, marine
recreational boating safety visitations and radio and aviation
operations.
“The location was chosen because geographically it makes
sense,” said Boatswain 1st Class Ray Martin, a 17-year Coast
Guard veteran. “Our station is in charge of patrolling the
waterways north of Sebastian down to the Stuart inlet. Lake
Okeechobee is also under our jurisdiction. All the stations
work together however, and we’re sometimes called to assist
Station Cape Canaveral and Station Lake Worth Inlet with
their missions. We are all part of Sector Miami.” >>
NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Members of the USCGA worked out of this building on the Fort Pierce Inlet pictured
in the book Images of America, US Life-Saving Service Florida’s East Coast.
Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce
is a small-boat station that is part
of Coast Guard 7th District Sector
Miami. Located on Seaway Drive,
along the Fort Pierce Inlet, its
patrol area ranges from north of
Sebastian to the St. Lucie Inlet in
Stuart. It also has jurisdiction over
Lake Okeechobee.
ANTHONY INSWASTY