Deepwater Horizon and the Coast Guard’s spill response mission
William H. Thiesen, Ph.D. —
In the evening of April 20, 2010,, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig blows up. The explosion results in the deaths of 11 workers and, within two days, the loss of the rig. The resulting spill of over 200 million gallons of crude oil became the largest discharge of oil in U.S. waters. This was the catalyst for the largest response for an environmental disaster in the Service’s history.
