Titles:
Commanding officer, Marine Safety Office San Diego, U.S. Coast Guard; Captain of the Port; officer in charge of marine inspection; federal on-scene disaster coordinator
Education:
Bachelor of science, ocean engineering, U.S. Coast Guard Academy; master of public administration, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Age:
41
Residence:
San Diego
Birthplace:
Massena, N.Y.
Family:
Wife, Theresa
Recreation:
Cycling, running, swimming
Coast Guard Cmdr. Stephen Metruck
Didn’t Expect to Make a Splash So Soon in His New Position
Cmdr. Stephen Metruck had probably not expected to make a splash so soon in his San Diego assignment.
But five months into his stay, the Coast Guard officer found himself closing San Diego Bay.
Acting in his capacity as Captain of the Port, Metruck, commanding officer of Marine Safety Office San Diego, restricted bay traffic Sept. 11 in response to the coordinated terrorist attacks on the East Coast.
For more than a week, the Coast Guard and San Diego Harbor Police stopped all vessels, large and small, outside the entrance channel.
Authorities physically searched every incoming boat, including recreational boats. During the second weekend that followed the attack, the Coast Guard boarded 290 watercraft.
The boarding parties were well received. “People are very cooperative and understanding,” Metruck said.
Security remains high.
Though last week the Coast Guard was not boarding every vessel entering port, the agency now asks for passenger and crew lists for large ships scheduled to arrive , and wants the list available for review 96 hours before the ship enters.
The Captain of the Port also coordinates security with other law enforcement agencies and federal authorities. Metruck declined to talk about other security measures, either in place or under consideration.
Even in the best of times, Metruck and his predecessors have had to listen to the bay’s varied constituencies: the Navy, commercial shippers, pleasure boaters, charter boat operators and more.
Awareness And Diplomacy
The job requires political awareness and diplomacy.
Metruck, 41, seems to have had ample chance to refine those skills.
Consider that his last job was in New York City, where he served as an adviser to the U.S. representative at the United Nations.
As Coast Guard liaison to the United States Mission to the United Nations, he worked under Ambassador Richard Holbrooke , essentially as a member of the State Department. He dealt with ocean-related topics such as the law of the sea, not to mention disarmament, nuclear weapons and nonproliferation, and peacekeeping operations.
“It all was quite interesting,” he said.
The job gave him a perspective on how international relations really work, he recalled.
The United Nations stint was part of a career path that also saw him work in the U.S. Senate.
“Steve always was a pretty high performer,” said Capt. Bill Wagner, commanding officer of the Marine Safety Office in Tampa, Fla., who has known Metruck since 1985.
Wagner described Metruck as honest, upfront, friendly and empathetic when telling people they could not get a waiver on a certain regulation or had to continue cleaning up an oil spill.
‘Respect For People’s Opinions’
“He has respect for other people’s opinions,” Wagner said.
Capt. Steven Hardy, commanding officer of the Marine Safety Office in Buffalo, N.Y., also praised Metruck’s ability to deal with people, whether they are seamen or senators.
Hardy described Metruck as one of the first to get to the office in the morning. In the evenings, “I’ve had to run him out of here,” Hardy said.
“He’s a sharp guy. He really is,” Hardy said.
Metruck was born and grew up in Massena, which is about as far north in New York state as a person can get. It is just west of the point where the St. Lawrence River leaves the United States.
He attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, graduating in 1982. Assignments after graduation included the Coast Guard cutter Durable out of Brownsville, Texas, and the Marine Safety Office at Tampa.
Metruck received a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1993.
During the mid-1990s he served as a Coast Guard Congressional Fellow on the staff of Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass. There he worked on issues related to the Coast Guard, fisheries and other marine natural resources.
Then it was back to New York, where he served as executive officer of the Marine Safety Office in Buffalo. Just as he does in San Diego, he dealt with environmental, safety and security concerns , except he was at an inland port, and the international border was with Canada.
San Diego More Diverse
San Diego Bay probably has a more diverse set of users than Tampa or Buffalo, Metruck observed.
People’s perceptions differ as well. At a recent community meeting this spring, he recalled one person started talking about the start of San Diego’s boating season.
“In Buffalo you knew the beginning of boating season because that was when the ice broke up,” he said.
Metruck actually wears four hats in his job at San Diego’s Coast Guard station.
– As commanding officer of Marine Safety Office San Diego, he is in charge of protecting the environment, enforcing laws and regulations, and keeping commercial vessels safe. He works under Capt. R.D. Allen, commanding officer of U.S. Coast Guard Activities San Diego, the big Coast Guard base across from Lindbergh Field.
– As Captain of the Port, Metruck is responsible for port safety and security.
One recent emphasis has been laying out a protective zone around Navy ships. Current rules call for vessels to stay at least 100 yards away, and operate at minimum speeds within 500 yards of Navy ships.
Public Safety
The Captain of the Port also works to keep the public away from things that might endanger them. One example Metruck offered: a barge setting off fireworks.
– As officer in charge of marine inspection, Metruck is in charge of making sure commercial vessels and foreign-flag vessels are safe for U.S. passengers. The inspector’s concerns include the adequacy of the vessel construction and the lifesaving equipment on board.
– As federal on-scene disaster coordinator, Metruck prepares for , and responds to , oil spills and hazardous materials spills of all sizes. His office investigates “anything that creates a sheen upon the water,” he said.
Metruck moved into his current job in April, relieving Cmdr. Mike Farley. Farley was promoted to captain at the same time and is currently stationed in Panama, where he serves as the Coast Guard’s advisor to the canal authority.
Metruck and his wife, Theresa, now make their home in San Diego. In his off-hours, Metruck enjoys cycling and other sports.
While he has not gotten involved in community activities here, he did attract some attention when he built a partnership between the Coast Guard and Buffalo’s Southside Elementary School. Students at Southside are not the most affluent in the community, Hardy said.
He said Metruck’s work matching Coast Guard mentors with students earned him the Coast Guard’s national Collaborative Partnership in Education award , twice.
These days the Coast Guard is trying to balance its roles of national defense, public safety and pollution prevention.
Though the agency was not stopping boats as they passed Point Loma last week, it was keeping an eye on port traffic, Metruck said. He declined to discuss the security precautions his office was still taking.
In the wake of the attacks, President George W. Bush is setting up a Cabinet-level office for homeland security.
Metruck said he is not sure how that will affect the people at San Diego’s Coast Guard station.
Suffice to say it will affect them.
“We expect to play a major role in the oncoming efforts,” he said, since homeland security has always been part of the Coast Guard’s role.
“I’m not sure what will be coming out as far as resources and things like that,” he said, “but we’ll be ready to take that mission and do that.”
