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In the chaos following the September 11, 2001 attacks, an extraordinary maritime evacuation unfolded around Lower Manhattan.

With normal transportation severely disrupted and thousands of people trying to leave the area, the U.S. Coast Guard called for assistance from vessels nearby. The response was remarkable.

Ferries, tugboats, tour boats, private vessels, and other commercial and recreational craft headed toward Manhattan to help transport people away from the disaster area. Many of the captains and crews were ordinary mariners who responded when their help was desperately needed.

An Extraordinary Rescue by Water

Over the following hours, vessels repeatedly carried passengers from Manhattan across the surrounding waterways to locations in New Jersey, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and elsewhere.

The operation became known as the 9/11 Boatlift. Estimates commonly cited in accounts of the evacuation suggest that roughly 500,000 people were transported by water from Lower Manhattan during the operation.

The scale of the evacuation has frequently been compared with the famous 1940 evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk, where military and civilian vessels worked together to rescue hundreds of thousands of people.

Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Moment

The 9/11 Boatlift remains a powerful example of cooperation during a national emergency. Professional crews, private boat operators, emergency personnel, and volunteers worked together despite uncertainty and danger.

The story is a reminder that during moments of crisis, people who may never have expected to become rescuers can step forward and make an extraordinary difference.

Did you know about the massive maritime evacuation of Manhattan on 9/11?