SAVANNAH, GA. -  The Group of Eight Sea Island Summit, or G8 as it is more commonly known as, affected many communities in Georgia.  Savannah was no exception.

The state’s oldest city played host to media from around the globe.  Foreign leaders flew into Hunter Army Airfield, which lies within the city and hundreds of law enforcement personnel were there to protect everyone and everything.  While the presence on the street was obvious as sirens blared throughout the day as police entourages cruised through the city, a not so visible force was also in place just blocks away on the Savannah River and in the port.

The first part – a security zone on the Savannah River.  While commercial vessels were allowed to transit the area, all recreational boaters were prohibited from entering the zone that began in the Atlantic Ocean to the east and stretched inland past an ammonia facility to the west.  In fact, the only place boaters were allowed to cross the river was at the Intracoastal Waterway in Western Georgia, but only after safety and security law enforcement personnel conducted a boarding.  If not, boaters had to venture out to the ocean and go around the zone.  Coast Guard Auxiliary members and Georgia DNR crews sat and waited on both sides of the ICW to inform boaters of the security zone and report back the recreational boaters’ status to ensure the command post knew when the boaters arrived and when they had crossed the river.

“The biggest challenge we faced was ensuring the safety of the public and the waterway while also ensuring the flow of commercial shipping that comes into and goes out of the port of Savannah,” said Tunstall.  To accomplish this daunting task, Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team 91106 from New York was called upon.  MSST 91106 was already in Washington, D.C. for the World War II memorial dedication ceremony.  They put their 25-foot boats back on their trailers and headed down to Savannah.  MSSTs specialize in port security.

MSST crews escorted every commercial vessel that transitted the security zone in Savannah during G8.  To further assist MSST and other crews, Coast Guard helicopters flew patrols constantly up and down the river out to the ocean.  Helicopter crews reported vessels coming into the river to Command Post North, a makeshift operations center in the port of Savannah.

From within the modified mobile home, watch standers coordinated the movements of law enforcement boat crews, tracked commercial and recreational boaters and relayed information to the main operations center in Brunswick, Ga.

The Army Corp of Engineers facility on the north side of the river was used to store “contingency” boats.  Crews were on 24-hour standby during G8 to respond to any needs of law enforcement crews, weather it was a broken engine or someone needing extra water.  Contingency crews also transported personnel for crew changes during G8.

Crew safety was one of the main concerns said Tunstall.  Tunstall reiterated this point many times throughout the G8 summit.  Contingency crews were in place in the event that a crew became too fatigued to safely carry out their duties.  A contingency crew was at the main dock used in the Port of Savannah, ready to go if needed, at all times.

Refrigerated containers were even brought in to store food and waters for all involved with the exercise.  A crew lounge with couches and a television was set up in a separate trailer next to the command center so crews could rest between shifts.  Some chose to watch the news and what was going on throughout the city while others chose to take a nap during their time off.  During the all-hands crew briefing, Capt. Tunstall told crews that they should utilize every opportunity they got while not on duty to rest.  G8 was a marathon and the crews were the runners he said.  Tunstall also made it clear that he wanted any problems addressed immediately, especially if they concerned the safety of the crewmembers.  G8 was a daunting task and he wanted to ensure that his crews were well taken care of.

When it was all said and done on June 11, everyone went home.  In Tunstall’s eyes, the security effort was a success.  Commercial shipping was maintained in the Port of Savannah and in the river.  A strong law enforcement presence was maintained, no major incidents occurred within the security zone and its integrity was maintained.  While crews were tired, many said they would go home with the peace of mind that they were a part of the nations history as well as the history of the Coast Guard.

-uscg-