By Claire Hamlet
Staten Island Advance
NEW YORK — The U.S. Coast Guard last week named a vessel after Jeffrey Palazzo, a firefighter and Coast Guard reservist who died responding to the World Trade Center attacks.
Palazzo was serving with the Staten Island -based FDNY Rescue Company 5 when he died.
The unit, based on the North Shore, was among the FDNY companies that rushed to the World Trade Center after the attacks.
The firefighters, who died when the towers collapsed, became known as the “Staten Island 11,” one of the largest losses suffered by a single FDNY unit on Sept. 11.
The 63rd Fast Response Cutter was commissioned during a ceremony in New York City on Sept. 12.
“Jeffrey Palazzo’s legacy reminds us of what service and sacrifice mean,” Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Kevin Lunday said at the ceremony. “As this cutter enters service, its crew will carry his legacy forward by standing the watch, saving lives, countering threats and protecting American interests across the region.”
Palazzo joined the Coast Guard in 1988 and was stationed in Rockaway, New York .
He saved dozens of lives in 1993 while he was on the first Coast Guard boat to discover the Golden Venture, a cargo ship carrying more than 200 people, that had run aground, according to a press release from the agency.
After eight years of active duty, Palazzo joined the FDNY while continuing to serve in the Coast Guard Reserve.
In early 2001, he earned a position with Staten Island’s elite Rescue Company 5. On Sept. 11, 2001, Palazzo and 10 fellow members of Rescue Company 5 died responding to the World Trade Center.
The Jeffrey Palazzo will be homeported in Guam, joining cutters Vincent Danz, Myrtle Hazard, Oliver Henry and Frederick Hatch.
The vessel will execute a variety of missions, including maritime security operations, search and rescue, countering illegal fishing and strengthening partnerships with Pacific Island nations.
All Fast Response Cutters are named after enlisted Coast Guard heroes who performed extraordinary service in the line of duty.
Matthew Palazzo, his son, is now an active-duty member of the U.S. Coast Guard.
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