Killick
Encyclopedia
Killick is the Haitian Coast Guard
base in Port-au-Prince
. It is the main base for the Coast Guard. It is the other port for the city, aside from the main Port international de Port-au-Prince
. It is located about 10 miles outside of downtown Port-au-Prince, and is about a century old. The base is named after Admiral Hammerton Killick of the Haitian Navy, whom scuttled his own ship, the La Crête-à-Pierrot, a 940-ton screw gunship, by igniting the magazine, and went down with the ship, instead of surrendering to German forces, in 1902, at Gonaïves
, Haiti.
The port facilities at Killick are able to handle boats of up to 40-footers. There were two piers, a north pier and a south pier. The north pier was destroyed in the 12 January 2010 quake.
A heliport is attached to the base.
The base was used by UN MINUSTAH forces at the time of the 7.0 magnitude 2010 January 12 earthquake in Port-au-Prince. Stationed at the base was a battalion of Sri Lankan UN peacekeepers, and a Uruguayan maritime police unit also with the UN. The Haitian Coast Guard units on base were a 28-footer and a 40-footer.
. Only a handful of structures remained standing at the base. Many destroyed structures appeared to have the roof collapsed down, while the four walls collapsed outwards. The main administrative building, mess hall, and depot were severely damaged. The south pier was damaged, and the north pier collapsed. The heliport was also non-operable as a result of the quake.
Crews from USCGC Tahoma
and USCGC Mohawk
are helping to rebuild the base. After the tremblor, a field hospital
was set up at the base to treat victims of the quake. On the 18th, anchored at the base, and started relief operations. The crew of Gunston Hall made the heliport operational again. As of 9 February 2010, the south pier was mostly operational again. A floating pier had been set up, which has cranes. A second floating pier is on its way. The harbour is being used as an entry port for aid to Haiti.
Haitian Coast Guard
The Haitian Coast Guard, officially the Coast Guard Commission , is an operational unit of the Haitian National Police. It is one of the few law enforcement organisations in the world to combine water policing and coast guard duties while remaining as a policing unit...
base in Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
. It is the main base for the Coast Guard. It is the other port for the city, aside from the main Port international de Port-au-Prince
Port international de Port-au-Prince
The is the seaport in the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. It suffered catastrophic damage in the 2010 Haiti earthquake.Some of docks and warehouses are operated by the government's Autorité Portuaire Nationale , and some are run by private companies.- History :On 13 June 1872, a German fleet...
. It is located about 10 miles outside of downtown Port-au-Prince, and is about a century old. The base is named after Admiral Hammerton Killick of the Haitian Navy, whom scuttled his own ship, the La Crête-à-Pierrot, a 940-ton screw gunship, by igniting the magazine, and went down with the ship, instead of surrendering to German forces, in 1902, at Gonaïves
Gonaïves
Gonaïves is a city in northern Haiti, the capital of the Artibonite Department. It has a population of about 104,825 people . The city's name derives from the original Amerindian name of Gonaibo. It is also known as Haïti's "independence city"...
, Haiti.
Facilities
The base is approximately an acre in size.The port facilities at Killick are able to handle boats of up to 40-footers. There were two piers, a north pier and a south pier. The north pier was destroyed in the 12 January 2010 quake.
A heliport is attached to the base.
History
The base was set up during the 1915–1934 occupation of Haiti by the United States. It was a US Marine base.The base was used by UN MINUSTAH forces at the time of the 7.0 magnitude 2010 January 12 earthquake in Port-au-Prince. Stationed at the base was a battalion of Sri Lankan UN peacekeepers, and a Uruguayan maritime police unit also with the UN. The Haitian Coast Guard units on base were a 28-footer and a 40-footer.
2010 7.0 earthquake
The base was damaged in the 12 January 2010 7.0 earthquake2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
. Only a handful of structures remained standing at the base. Many destroyed structures appeared to have the roof collapsed down, while the four walls collapsed outwards. The main administrative building, mess hall, and depot were severely damaged. The south pier was damaged, and the north pier collapsed. The heliport was also non-operable as a result of the quake.
Crews from USCGC Tahoma
USCGC Tahoma (WMEC-908)
USCGC Tahoma is a United States Coast Guard medium endurance cutter. Her keel was laid on June 28, 1983 at Robert Derecktor Shipyard Incorporated, Middletown, Rhode Island. She was delivered August 12, 1987 and commissioned April 6, 1988...
and USCGC Mohawk
USCGC Mohawk (WMEC-913)
USCGC Mohawk is a United States Coast Guard medium endurance cutter. She was launched on September 9, 1989 at Robert Derecktor Shipyard Incorporated of Middletown, Rhode Island and commissioned in March 1991...
are helping to rebuild the base. After the tremblor, a field hospital
Field hospital
A field hospital is a large mobile medical unit that temporarily takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent hospital facilities...
was set up at the base to treat victims of the quake. On the 18th, anchored at the base, and started relief operations. The crew of Gunston Hall made the heliport operational again. As of 9 February 2010, the south pier was mostly operational again. A floating pier had been set up, which has cranes. A second floating pier is on its way. The harbour is being used as an entry port for aid to Haiti.