I've got a POV character giving a testimony on what he saw during a routine run between Pelee Island, Ontario and Sandusky, Ohio. I've done research on the types of ferries that run this route, and... they're pretty big. Small pleasure boat to the right for human scale. So that's what he's piloting, when he is ordered to turn around and return to shore by the Coast Guard. No problem, you probably imagine some big cutter ship, right? That's what I thought at first. No - this is the Great Lakes, where the nearest Coast Guard station (Marblehead) uses these: The Coast Guard would be absolutely dwarfed, not just by this particular ferry, but by a lot of vessels on the lake. How does the Coast Guard in this situation assert their authority against this much larger vessel?
I supposed it would depend on whether the ferry captain wants to stop. If not, well, he's on a lake. I assume the Coast Guard could just wait him out. He can't really go anywhere.
I forgot radios were a thing when I posted this, lol. Being that he's captaining a large vessel, it's likely he has a radio, and so I simply had the Coast Guard hail the vessel over the radio. In this scenario my character did comply, but being that I no longer need this thread and it may be useful to someone else, let ask: what if he didn't? What if the Coast Guard has declared a restricted area and they need to remove a much larger, non-complaint ship from said area?
I don't know about the Coast Guard, but having been born and raised on the Great Lakes I promise you he CAN go somewhere. The Lakes are really an inland sea and are all interconnected, ending in the Atlantic via the St. Lawrence River. Four of the lakes, including Erie where this ferry is running, also border Canada, so he could possibly escape US Coast Guard jurisdiction. Of course odds are the Canadians would assist, but he could theoretically get away.
I am sure the fact that the smaller vessel, is armed and part of the military doesn't provide any incentive for compliance.
Simply put, the larger vessel will only stop if it recognises the authority of the coast guard, or is forced to do so. If the smaller vessel has no means to force them, they can't. If they know they're outgunned, they would be crazy to even try - the coast guard aren't stupid, they will prioritise their own safety and call for reinforcements (if there are any). "Approaching vessel, turn to port to avoid collision. Over." "Negative. You turn to port, over." "Negative. Repeat, turn to port, over." "Negative. You turn to port, over." "This is the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Midway! Repeat, turn to port immediately! Over!" "This is a lighthouse. Your move. Over."
It really depends on the emergency of the situation. If it is something they can just wait out and catch him when he docks somewhere...that's probably what they will do. However if there is an emergency and they have to stop the vessel, they have the ability to grapple and board much like the Somali pirates do, only with much better boarding equipment. They also employ air assets and would have the ability to fast rope coastguardsmen on to the vessel from their fleets of MH-65 and MH-60T helicopters.
The lakes are interconnected, but unless your big boat wants to shoot the Niagara Falls, she's not going to get from lake to lake without having to navigate some locks that might be too small for her, and the lock authorities can simply refuse to operate the locks. I think the Soo Canal and Locks would have to be dealt with if the boat was in Lake Superior and trying to get to one of the other lakes. If the Coast Guard really wants to bring down a boat of any size, it can simply call on the Air Force to send a missile its way. Of course, that would complicate any search for what's on board. But if I were captaining a hijacked boat, I would know that the jig is up and surrender myself and my crew.
The boat's in Erie. He can't go into Ontario without running through the locks, but he can go west into Huron and Michigan. He'll hit locks again trying to get into Superior. The locks, btw, can handle commercial ships, so a ferry can easily make it through. I get that the boat in this scenario would be unlikely to try to outrun the Coasties. Just saying it's possible in case anyone can use the info. There are over 5,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline in the US. A small boat could potentially run and hide.
That might be even more fun if the Falls are frozen. Don't ask me how it would get there if they're frozen. I don't know. I'm just picturing a big boat sliding gracefully over the edge.
True. But while the locks are certainly big enough to accommodate a large boat, I'm sure that the Coast Guard wouldn't allow the locks to operate and let the boat through.
I'm fairly sure the coastguard can ask the other arms of the forces for support if they need to... but that aside its in a lake, and the coast guard has a radio, they'll just pass the word to wherever its going and have it boarded when it reaches port
And I can see a scenario where the ship/boat is allowed to pass into a lock, and then the lock is only half-filled (or half-emptied). That ship ain't going nowhere.
The master of a vessel like that doesn't own it. If he fails to comply with an exclusion zone he's looking at criminal prosecution and his employers are looking at a hefty fine. At best he ends up stacking fish boxes on a quayside somewhere. Companies hate it when employees cost them large amounts of money and employees who have invested significant portions of their life in their career hate being sacked.
