Auxiliarist Franke-main mission interpreter

The mission:

SEQUOIA (WLB-215), a Juniper Class seagoing buoy tender based in Guam, went to Shanghai to participate in the 2006 International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) Conference.

Sequoia in Guam home port

This was the first visit ever by a US Coast Guard ship to China, a cause of great pride to SEQUOIA’s crew.  My job was to interpret on radio calls and communication with the Chinese pilot during transit of the Yangtze and Huangpu Rivers, help with the connections to dock facilities in Shanghai, and interpret for official visits and tours of the ship.

I was also the interpreter for a number of formal and informal events.  I was particularly pleased to assist the Chinese Maritime Safety Administration, the hosts for the event and the Aids to Navigation (ATON) equivalent to the US Coast Guard, in their successful efforts to secure visas for the six crew members who did not receive them prior to SEQUOIA’s arrival in Shanghai.

Liberty in foreign ports is very important for the members of the Coast Guard and the six had not been permitted to go ashore until they got the visas.  I was also happy to use my language and cultural skills to break the ice at the parting dinner for the crews of SEQUOIA and the Chinese ATON ship attending the conference, neither of whom spoke the other’s language.

My impressions:

Spending eleven days on SEQUOIA was a great experience for me.  Seeing the skill, intelligence, and diligence with which the entire crew conduct their various functions was truly enlightening for me.

The ship itself seems to have been optimally designed to carry out its missions which, in addition to aids to navigation, include search and rescue, law enforcement, and pollution response.  The hospitality and friendliness of the entire crew were outstanding. I hope to get the privilege of working with them again.

Chinese CG vessel escorting Sequoia		Sequoia arriving to Chinese band