Station Burlington, Vermont
|
Location:
|
1 Depot Street, Burlington
|
|
Date of Conveyance:
|
|
|
Commissioned:
|
1948; current building built in 1993
|
|
Fate:
|
Still in operation
|
Remarks:
Coast Guard Station Burlington was originally established in 1948 as a seasonal unit. The only duty of its four-man crew was to maintain the aids to navigation on Lake Champlain, which included shore aids, buoys, and the light houses. This station was one of few to have a vessel that spent its entire lifetime of service in one port. That vessel, the CG-52309, a wooden hull front loader, was on display at the LCT Ferry Dock in Burlington.
Over the years commercial traffic on Lake Champlain has diminished, but recreational boating has increased dramatically. Search and Rescue (SAR) cases became more frequent, creating the need for a Coast Guard presence to protect against loss of life and property on the lake. Along with SAR, the Enforcement of Laws and Treaties (ELT) became necessary, as did enforcement of recreational boating safety. Because of these changed and the needs of the public and dedication to saving lives, the Coast Guard found it necessary to maintain an active year-round unit.
As of 1985, there were 17 men assigned to the Coast Guard unit, which kept a constant vigil on the lake. Also attached to the unit was one 46 ft. buoy boat and two rescue boats. When the lake is navigable, meaning not iced out, the Coast Guard kept a live radio and phone watch around the clock. Because of the increase of traffic on the lake, it was necessary for the Coast Guard to implement an augmentation plan. This consisted of a 25-man Coast Guard Reserve Unit, a Coast Guard Auxiliary flotilla, and constant contact with marine law enforcement units over the entire lake.
As of 2009 Station Burlington was staffed with approximately 25 enlisted men and women. At that time the station had 4 primary boats; 2 for SAR and ELT, and 2 for ATON. The station responded to a wide variety of requests for assistance and in the past few years SAR cases have numbered between 200 to 300 per year.
Not only was the Coast Guard responsible for Lake Champlain, but it also coordinated search and rescue operations on Lake George and Lake Sacandaga, which for the most part are handled by Coast Guard Auxiliary and the local marine law enforcement agencies in those areas. Another body of water which comes into play is Lake Memphramagog, where the Coast Guard maintains two shore aids to navigation.
The following was researched and written by Richard Hiscock:
________________________________
1891: Under an act of Congress March 3 1891 a Lighthouse Service Depot was established on Juniper Island. The Report of the Lighthouse Board 1893, states, "This is now a good depot for buoys, boats and supplies. Under the act of Congress, March 3 1891, making an appropriation for the purpose, the wharf was rebuilt and extended about 80 feet, and a shed for boats and buoys was built at its inner end." (Source: Light-House Board Reports.)
1939: U.S. Coast Guard takes over the USLHS Depot on Juniper Island and renames it a ‘repair facility’ to service Lights and aids-to-navigation around Lake Champlain.
1941: U.S. Coast Guard ‘repair facility’ on Juniper Island becomes a U.S. Coast Guard ‘depot’ to service Lights and aids-to-navigation around Lake Champlain.
1948: Coast Guard Station Burlington established as a four-man light attendant station on Juniper Island (?) to maintain aids-to-navigation (ATON) on Lake Champlain. (There is no corroborating evidence that this ‘station’ was established on Juniper Island?)
1977: Coast Guard establishes Station at Burlington at it present location along the waterfront on Depot Street. (Former CG Reservists confirm that the Station was located along the Burlington waterfront and that the new – 1993 – Station was built in the same location.)
1993: In August a new Coast Guard Station at Burlington commissioned.
Photographs:
Sources:
Station History File, CG Historian’s Office
Richard Hiscock
Dennis L. Noble & Michael S. Raynes. “Register of the Stations and Keepers of the U.S. Life-Saving Service.” Unpublished manuscript, compiled circa 1977, CG Historian’s Office collection.
Ralph Shanks, Wick York & Lisa Woo Shanks. The U.S. Life-Saving Service: Heroes, Rescues and Architecture of the Early Coast Guard. Petaluma, CA: Costaño Books, 1996.
U.S. Treasury Department: Coast Guard. Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers and Cadets and Ships and Stations of the United States Coast Guard, July 1, 1941. Washington, DC: USGPO, 1941.