The "Deadliest Catch" fishermen have got nothing on New York City's Coast Guard unit, Sector New York.
We embedded with the unit on a routine nighttime stop and search mission to intercept two ships coming into New York harbor. The conditions were tough, and they conduct these missions year round through any kind of weather and in the heat of day or dead of night.
They do it 12 miles out in the Atlantic ocean where American waters begin, the wind charges in from the north, and if things go wrong, there's no one to call for help until it's too late.
The boarding team we're with is made up of six Coast Guardsmen ranging from their early 20s to mid-30s. The three crew manning the 47-foot Motor Life Boat (MLB) that carries them are no older. Regardless of age or responsibility, none of them complain and they all work equally hard in the harsh conditions.
This was a difficult assignment for us and we were only taking photographs. Click on the link below to follow these Coast Guardsmen through the night and into morning as they search two ships — the Isola Corallo and the CMG Amber — off the coast of New York.
We had no idea what a long night one small team of Coast Guardsmen were in for until we accepted their invitation to embed with them on a pair of overnight boarding missions.
Located at Sandy Hook, more than an hour from Staten Island, this is where the Coast Guard depart for the long ride out into international waters.
It's all business once we arrive, and after gearing up, weapons are issued and the crew heads for the boat.
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