Coast Guard member returns from Deepwater Horizon oil spill in Gulf of Mexico

MOBILE, Ala. – US Coast Guard Lt. James Fitzgerald, of Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Chicago, recently returned from duty supporting Coast Guard oil recovery operations at the Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Fitzgerald served as a Vessel of Opportunity (VOO) Supervisor where he oversaw the response of military and civilian vessels which contributed to oil skimming operations and clean up efforts along the Gulf Coast. Fitzgerald’s assignment was instrumental to response and recovery efforts in the largest oil spill response in U.S. history.

Fitzgerald is an 18-year member of the U.S. Coast Guard and a 2004 graduate of DeVry University. He currently resides in Chicago.

In a matter of days, the government stood up a joint organization, integrating hundreds of federal, state and local agencies, industry, and academia, to conduct an operation spanning 460,000 square miles of ocean – an area larger than Texas and California combined – and 750 miles of shoreline making this response the largest of this kind.

The government is overseeing an unprecedented, cutting-edge operation at the sea floor, at 5,000 feet of depth. This operation encompasses the efforts of 100 private companies, including experts from nine oil companies, as well as the Coast Guard, Navy, Departments of Energy and the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and at least three federal labs.

For additional information, contact Joint Information Center Mobile at (251) 445-8985.

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