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Remembering 9/11, 25 Years Later: A Harbor of Courage and Care 

Douglas Stevenson, Esq. (center), then Director of SCI’s Center for Seafarers’ Rights—now the Center for Mariner Advocacy—and the Rev. Jean Smith (right), SCI’s Managing Director at the time, speak with a rescue worker outside SCI’s Water Street headquarters, which had become an emergency relief station. Photo courtesy of Douglas Stevenson.

By Bridgit Patterson

SCI Communications Coordinator

On September 11, 2001, New York Harbor became both a witness to unfathomable tragedy and a pathway to safety. As smoke from the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center darkened Lower Manhattan and ash filled the streets, hundreds of thousands sought to escape the island. With bridges, tunnels, and subways closed or disrupted, the waterfront became a vital lifeline—and mariners responded without hesitation. More than 150 ferries, tugboats, tour boats, pilot boats, and personal watercraft joined officials on the water. Together, they executed the largest water evacuation in history, carrying an estimated 500,000 people away from danger while bringing first responders and essential supplies directly into a city in crisis. 

The Rev. Canon Peter Larom, former SCI Executive Director, on the phone as he walks through the debris in Lower Manhattan near SCI’s offices at 241 Water Street.

Twenty-five years later, we first remember those whose lives were lost, alongside the families and communities forever changed that fateful morning. We honor all who responded with unwavering courage, risking their own safety in service of others. Among them were mariners who headed straight toward the chaos—many without being asked, guided simply by a selfless commitment to their community and the knowledge that they could help. 

That morning, the staff of the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) watched the horror unfold from their headquarters at 241 Water Street, just 850 yards from the World Trade Center. As people evacuated Lower Manhattan under the threat of the Twin Towers collapsing, SCI staff gathered in the Headquarters’ Chapel.

They put a single question to a vote: should they stay and set up a relief station for rescue workers? The vote was unanimous. Within hours, staff waded through ankle-deep ash to distribute flyers directing workers to what quickly became an officially recognized Emergency Relief Station. 

For twelve straight days, SCI operated around the clock. Staff slept in makeshift rest areas inside maritime training rooms, joined by friends, family, trustees, and volunteers. Together, they provided vital relief to hundreds of firefighters, police officers, National Guard troops, utility crews, and communications workers. City Council even called on SCI to shelter three evacuated local families. 

Yet SCI’s response went far beyond physical necessities. It was a true ministry of presence—rooted in empathy, respect, and deep gratitude for those carrying the physical and emotional weight of the disaster. Rescue workers arrived covered in dust and grime, many sitting down for the first time in hours. They spoke of the carnage they had witnessed and the colleagues they had lost. At SCI, they found hot meals, quiet rest, listening ears, opportunities to pray with chaplains, and 24/7 grief counseling. Each person was welcomed not merely as a first responder on duty, but as an individual needing care. As the Rev. Canon Peter Larom, then Executive Director, later recalled, “Each one was greeted at our doors as a hero.” 

Firefighters and National Guard officers gather at the entrance of SCI’s Headquarters for much-needed respite and support in the days following September 11th.

In the days following September 11, countless individual acts formed a vast network of care across New York Harbor and beyond. Mariners moved people to safety. First responders entered places others were fleeing. Volunteers prepared meals, delivered supplies, offered shelter, listened, and prayed. Each act met a different need, yet all reflected a single conviction: in the face of profound suffering, no one should carry the burden alone. 

Twenty-five years later, SCI is reminded of its place within that collective response with enduring humility and gratitude. We remember those who were killed, those who mourn them, and those who continue to bear the physical and emotional scars of that day. We give thanks to the first responders, volunteers, chaplains, staff, and neighbors who gave so much in service to others. And we remember the vital role mariners played—answering no call but the need before them, heading toward danger to carry strangers to safety amid an unfolding tragedy. Their example remains a testament to what happens when a community unites—not only to carry people away from danger, but to hold each person with dignity, compassion, and love.