Haitian Coast Guard base becomes hub for quake relief
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
The amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall operates off the coast of Killick, Haiti. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kristopher Wilson
Chance often plays a large role in the lives of our military’s men and women. The sailors and service members aboard the USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) recognize that fact of life all too well today.
LSD 44 was supposed to be off the west coast of Africa today, working with partner navies and providing security and stabilization instruction and assistance to the nations and peoples in that region as the sea base for Africa Partnership Station (APS) West . Instead, they find themselves off the coast of Haiti, uniquely staffed and provisioned for a relief mission they could have never imagined.

British Royal Navy Cmdr. David Salisbury, right, the director of staff for Africa Partnership Station West, embarked aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall, helps deliver donated goods from Mexico to more than a thousand people in a school yard in Killick. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Martine Cuaron
On board the ship are a number of officers from various navies in West Africa as well as officers from European militaries. Officers from nations as diverse as Gabon, Senegal, Ghana and Italy were part of the APS staff but have transitioned to being an integral part of Gunston Hall’s relief efforts. The ship also carried a Maritime Civil Affairs Team (MCAT) which has worked to allow closer cooperation with local leaders and NGO’s in the area.

Maritime Civil Affairs Team 203, along with Sailors from the amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall and the Mexican navy ship ARM Huesteco deliver donated goods from Mexico to more than a thousand people in a school yard in Killick. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Martine Cuaron
The ship is working through the Haitian Coast Guard (HCG) base on the outskirts of the devastated city of Carrefour. Killick Base was badly damaged by the earthquake on January 12 but the first U.S. ships on scene found the Haitian Coast Guardsmen at work. USCGC Forward was met by their small craft and their aid parties welcomed ashore.
HCG Killick Base has become an active relief center for the region. Large amounts of supplies have been offloaded for distribution by the HCG and local Haitian police. A medical clinic has been created and staffed, and medical evacuations to ships offshore such as USS Bataan and the hospital ship Comfort are carried out as necessary.

Petty Officer 1st Class Christine Perez, information systems technician, left, from Elgin, Texas, Nicole Lozano, chief Navy counselor, center, from Salt Lake City, and Seaman Nicole Worthy, from Vallejo, Calif., comfort a crying baby after a medical examination at Killick Haitian Coast Guard Base. All three Sailors are stationed aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall, which is assisting in Operation Unified Response following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, Jan. 12. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Martine Cuaron
Gunston Hall arrive January 18. It has been on station since then. Forty man work parties are going ashore every day to provide assistance in and around the medical clinic. The Mexican Navy is supplying medical personnel to the clinic.
Table of contents for Haiti quake 2010
- Massive earthquake strikes Haiti
- Earthquake in Haiti – aftershocks continue
- Haiti earthquake aid
- Haiti quake damages pile up
- Horror in Haiti – the morning after the quake
- U.S. quickly responds to Haiti quake
- Infrastructure hurdles to Haiti quake relief
- U.S. Coast Guard on location in Haiti right now
- Strong aftershocks continue in Haiti
- PR Guard standing by – Gitmo damaged by Haiti quake
- Paras and Marines on alert for Haiti move
- Earthquake in Haiti update for January 13 evening
- Earthquake in Haiti – January 14 morning update
- Marines ready to assist Haiti after earthquake
- Earthquake in Haiti – Update for January 14 evening
- FEMA report on Haiti relief efforts for January 15
- Out of the night sky – Air Force secures Port-au-Prince airport
- Earthquake in Haiti – January 15 evening
- Haiti Quake Relief Funding Numbers
- But people are dying – thoughts on the Haitian disaster
- Aftershocks continue to rock Haiti
- Earthquake in Haiti – Update for January 16
- Haiti Quake Relief Funding Numbers for Jan 16
- Hospital ship Comfort sails for Haiti
- Baby delivered during Haiti evacuation
- Navy is delivering supplies to Haiti victims
- Hospital ship Comfort racing to Haiti
- Country club serves as forward base for Paras in Haiti
- Situation at Port-au-Prince airport improving
- Sanjay Gupta Assists Vinson Medical Team in Haiti
- USAID Update on the Haiti relief operation January 18
- Air drop to aid Haitian victims of earthquake
- Haiti Quake Relief Funding Numbers for Jan 18
- Earthquake in Haiti – morning update January 19
- Los Angeles rescuers save Haitian woman
- Stories from Haiti – update for Jan 20 morning
- American volunteers in Haiti
- American donations for Haiti earthquake relief – Jan 21
- Haiti earthquake relief update for Jan 21
- Haitians receiving care and support aboard Bataan
- Hospital ship Comfort healing, hugging Haitians
- Brief update on Navy and Marine relief efforts in Haiti Jan 23
- Fort Hood veterinary services unit sent to Haiti
- Harbor damage in Port-au-Prince
- American giving for Haiti relief as of January 25
- Comparison of Haiti donations to Katrina and the tsunami
- Haitian Coast Guard base becomes hub for quake relief
- Comparison of Haiti donations to Katrina and the tsunami Jan 28
- High tech warbird aids Haiti relief efforts
- High-speed ferrys en route to Haiti
- Southern Command briefs on Haiti situation
- Paras opening roads in Haiti
- Aid from Dominican Republic via Kentucky National Guard
- Haitian assistance stories for February 3
- Haitian relief efforts slow
- Marine calls Leogane Haiti home
- Haiti earthquake relief update for February 7
- Army medics at work in Haiti relief effort
- Haiti earthquake relief funding update for February 14
- Keeping Haitians informed
- A tent means a lot to Haitian orphans
- Italian troops aid paras in Haiti rubble clearance
- Landslide in Haiti tests Special Ops rescuers
- Navy and Marines bridge Haitian divide from government
- Haitian earthquake relief – update for February 28
- Haitian earthquake update – March 4
- Air Guard Engineers Help Haitians
- Things are baaaaad in Haiti





