On the job, she's minding the sea

Capt. Meredith Austin is the first female commander of the U.S. Coast Guard of the Delaware Bay based in Philadelphia.

Austin, on the job since June, is responsible for everything that happens on water between Harrisburg and 200 miles into the Atlantic Ocean, from the Shark River near Asbury Park to Cape May, and all of Delaware.

She oversees 756 Coast Guard members in 22 stations and on five Coast Guard cutters. The job of the Coast Guard is "very much firehouse," she says. "On a daily basis we deal with things that are planned and unplanned." It can be freezing weather and ice jams, hurricanes and high riptides, VIPs on a ship that require security patrols, boating accidents, ship inspections.

When a brick of cocaine washed up near Sea Girt recently, police asked what to do. "We were able to tell them, 'Here are the numbers to call.' We know that events will happen, and so we're not going to sit back and be surprised by them."

Question: How do you handle ship security?

Answer: When ships are 96 hours out, they have to let us know, "Hey we're coming in. Here's where we've been. Here's the owner of our company" detailing the ship's cargo and names of crew members. The information is sent to a national center. They crunch all the data and send it to us.

From that, we determine if the vessel needs to be boarded prior to coming to port, or if we are going to let it in at all. It's not just security. If the ship has navigational issues, like its radar is not working, or the steering. Typically, if there's a safety issue we say, "Stop at the anchorage further south on the bay and repair it."

Q: These are not terrorist problems?

A: No, they are mechanical safety issues, and sometimes things just break. We physically get on the ship before it gets to the port, in the anchorage. We'll send a team. Every day we are boarding something for some reason.

Q: How has security changed since the 2001 terror attacks?

A: Prior to 9/11 it was probably 4 percent of our time, and now it's on par with search and rescue. We have a huge emphasis on security and safety of the port.

Q: What is the Coast Guard's mandate for security, safety, environmental protection, and commerce?

A: Federal laws and regulations give the Coast Guard responsibility for maritime security, for environmental protection. We are not responsible for commerce, but it is our role to facilitate commerce. So there's a balance between security needs and making sure business can go on.

Q: What is the Coast Guard's role?

A: We have 11 mission areas that include search and rescue, ports, waterways, and coastal security. To make sure that bad guys don't try to use a vessel or try to sneak in. Sometimes it could be a ship that we want protected.

Aids to navigation - the little buoys in the water up and down the river. Ships use them to steer by.

In the winter, we do some ice breaking so that ships can get up and down the river. We respond to oil and chemical spills, and get the people responsible to clean it.

We inspect commercial vessels for safety. We investigate accidents, if someone goes aground, if there's a problem with a mariner, if there's a fight on board. We are responsible for waterways management - if people want to have a fireworks display, or a boat race, they have to get a permit from us.

Q: What is the biggest part of your job?

A: Facilitating relationships between the different port players. We're neutral ground here. We have to make sure each voice is heard. Some of the hats I wear give me statutory authority - it's what I say. But I'm not going to do it in a vacuum because it affects a lot of interests, a lot of moving pieces. I bring people in. I ask for opinions. At the end of the day, someone is going to make the call, and that will be me.

But if there is more than one way to do something, I've recognized over the years the right way is to try to build consensus.

Q: How do you manage your day?

A: It changes. On a daily basis you assess the risks out there. Today the risk might be the wind blowing 50 miles an hour and there are really big seas and we know boats are out fishing. Every day it's, "OK, what are the biggest risks today?" It's usually not singly focused. So it's just constantly rejiggering the portfolio.

Q: Have women been captains of ports for long?

A: No. The Coast Guard Academy first allowed women in 1976. When I graduated in 1985 there were 16 women in my class out of 190. Women began entering the Coast Guard in appreciable numbers, probably in the mid-1980s. We're now working our way through. It takes 20-something years to grow a captain. We have five women admirals. About 13 percent of the Coast Guard are women.

Q: Did you always want to go into the Coast Guard?

A: No, I had no idea. This sounds silly but I wanted to be a pilot. I wanted to fly helicopters. Clearly, I've changed my mind over the years. I applied to the three military academies. I could have gone to West Point, too, but I preferred the Coast Guard's mission - search and rescue, safety, pollution.

Q: Is the Coast Guard concerned about safety and welfare of seafarers?

A: Absolutely. We work very closely with the Seamen's Church Institute of Philadelphia and the terminals where ships dock so it's possible for escorts to take these folks off to go shopping, use the phone, Internet, whatever. "You pull into these ports, and if you can't get off the ship, it's a hardship."

Job: Captain, U.S. Coast Guard of the Delaware Bay.

Personal: Age 46; lives in Cherry Hill; single.

Distinction: Graduate, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 1985; one of 33 female Coast Guard captains.

Background: Grew up in Pomona, N.Y.; earned master's degree in public health in industrial hygiene, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Pastime: Arts and crafts shows.

Best kept secret: Likes to make candy - chocolate truffles for 50. Usually bakes at Christmastime for her staff.

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