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The incredible Lin McCaffrey

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Nate Littlejohn | Coast Guard Auxiliarist Hua Lin McCaffrey completes a boarding at sea in the...... read more read more

FORT MYERS BEACH, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES

05.19.2022

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Nate Littlejohn

U.S. Coast Guard District 17

A 64-year-old woman prepared to jump from a U.S. Coast Guard small boat onto a China-flagged fishing boat somewhere in the South Pacific, at night. An 8-foot swell smashed off the port bow and sprayed her with the salty warm sea. She smiled and made the leap, toward two boarding team members who grabbed her outreached arms. Her will to help her country and her ability to speak two languages put her alongside the active-duty Coast Guard Cutter Munro team who made sure she got on safely.

Hua Lin McCaffrey joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary with a vision to volunteer in support of boating safety in her local community. She had an idea of what the Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Auxiliary did. She’d seen their small orange boats at the marina, checking to make sure folks headed out had enough lifejackets.

“I joined to learn and help out where I could,” McCaffrey said.

What she said she never foresaw, was getting a call asking for help on an active-duty Coast Guard mission because of her ability to speak Mandarin.

Soon McCaffrey found herself next to Coast Guard Cutter Munro boarding officers, on the high seas of the Pacific Ocean, thousands of miles from the nearest U.S. port.

Volunteers with skills like McCaffrey are in high demand in the Coast Guard Auxiliary, to help the Coast Guard detect and deter illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

IUU fishing is a pervasive global maritime security threat. By undermining international agreements and fisheries conservation measures, IUU fishing jeopardizes food security and economic security, with pronounced destabilizing effects on vulnerable coastal states. The U.S. Coast Guard is responsible for patrolling the high seas of the Pacific Ocean, along with the territorial waters of many countries in the Indo-Pacific, to help combat IUU fishing.

The Coast Guard relies heavily upon the Coast Guard Auxiliary to tackle this daunting endeavor. The Auxiliary, made up of approximately 40,000 volunteers throughout the U.S., supports all active-duty Coast Guard missions.

Auxiliarist Hua Lin McCaffrey, District 7, Division 9, Flotilla 1, in Fort Myers Beach, is a retired civil engineer who lives in Fort Myers, Florida. She was born in Beijing, China. She came to the U.S. on a student visa, to pursue a master’s degree in structural engineering at Cal State Polytechnic University at the Pomona Campus. Her student visa eventually led to a work visa. She became a U.S. citizen after getting married to her husband, Joe.

McCaffrey said she joined the auxiliary due to the options and learning opportunities she’d have as a volunteer. But she was very surprised to learn about the option to serve as a volunteer interpreter.

“I didn’t join to be an interpreter, but found out right away how valued and in demand my skills as a fluent Mandarin Chinese speaker were,” said McCaffrey. “The Coast Guard Auxiliary needs more Mandarin Chinese speakers. I encourage anyone with this skill to reach out to their local Coast Guard Auxiliary flotilla to explore the options for volunteering. You don’t need to own a boat, or to have maritime experience to join. I’ve had so much fun with my local flotilla, and on my active-duty mission aboard Munro.”

During Operation Blue Pacific, Coast Guard Cutter Munro’s 2022 spring patrol to combat IUU fishing in the Indo-Pacific, McCaffrey was critical for Munro’s mission success. But what Munro’s crew never saw coming, was her ability and initiative to exceed expectations in every capacity during her time aboard the ship.

“Ms. McCaffrey boarded vessels more frequently than any member of our active-duty crew during Operation Blue Pacific,” said Lt. j.g. Wilson Nichols, one of the Auxiliary liaison officers aboard Munro. “When she wasn’t busy on boardings, she was on the bridge hailing fishing boats over the radio, or helping translate documentation. When she completed those tasks, she often volunteered in our ship’s galley, helping with meal preparation and service. Above and beyond is the simplest way to describe her dedication to Munro.”

Her skills in both interpreting spoken and translating written Mandarin were essential for Munro’s crew to conduct boardings at sea. The majority of fishing vessels Munro encountered had Mandarin-speaking masters. McCaffrey’s expertise was required first in Munro’s pilot house before each boarding.

“There’s a checklist of inquires the Coast Guard must ask a vessel’s master over the radio before going aboard,” said McCaffrey. “Before boardings, I’d hail the vessel’s master over the radio and run through the required questions, with assistance from Munro’s crew members.”

During dozens of boardings over treacherous waters, in sweltering heat, McCaffrey’s endurance was every bit as paramount as her ability to interpret. But perhaps her interpersonal skills were what stood out to the fishing boat masters and crews she encountered.

That’s what stood out most to Munro’s crew.

“She’s spry as an auxiliarist can possibly be,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Trey Lee, a boarding team member on Munro. “But what shines most about Ms. McCaffrey, is her interpersonal skills. People on fishing boats smiled and even laughed when she engaged with them. That goes a long way during these boardings, which can be very stressful for fishing boat masters and crews—even those who are operating legally. They’re out in the middle of the ocean and suddenly our ship shows up and we want to come aboard, sometimes while they’re in the middle of actively fishing, trying to earn a living. Having someone like her who can talk to them at all is an absolute necessity, but having someone with her personality makes our team that much stronger. We’re out there to keep everyone honest, and she’s able to explain that we’re helping them when we enforce laws. They understand we’re here to protect their way of life and the fish who make their living possible.”

McCaffrey had a tremendous impact on Munro’s command and crew during her short time aboard.

“It was a pleasure to have her aboard for my last few weeks as commanding officer of this cutter, and to see her become part of team Munro,” said Capt. Blake Novak, Munro’s commanding officer until May 20, 2022. “The Coast Guard will continue to draw from the diverse backgrounds and skillsets of our members and the volunteers who support us. We’ll continue to work with our partners throughout Oceania to combat IUU fishing, to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Munro’s crew, made up of about 150 sailors out of Alameda, California, understands that mission success depends on how well they care for one another. McCaffrey couldn’t have volunteered on a better boat.