Changing of the Guard
John Lowell takes over at Coast Guard Station Brant Point.
Written by Brian Bushard
Photography by Kit Noble
John Lowell likes to say he rode the “Swiatek pipeline” to Nantucket. A Dennis, Massachusetts, native, Lowell rose up the ranks of the U.S. Coast Guard to serve on the same cutter off the coast of San Diego as former Coast Guard Station Brant Point Master Chief Chris Swiatek, where Lowell performed counter-smuggling operations on the high seas.
This summer, Lowell followed Swiatek’s footsteps once again, taking the helm of the Brant Point Station as its new master chief, bringing Lowell back to the waters he grew up navigating with his family. Lowell spoke with N Magazine on the dock beside the 47-foot Coast Guard vessel at Brant Point to discuss his journey to Nantucket and what he hopes to accomplish in his four-year tenure on the island
What was your path to Nantucket?
I’ve been in the Coast Guard for 16 years on various assignments—both search-and-rescue units and ships. When it was time for me to transfer out of San Diego, I put Nantucket at the top of my list and got ordered out here.
From a navigational perspective, what are the biggest causes of boating accidents?
Drinking and boating is definitely a recipe for disaster. Nantucket has a lot more fog than most other areas, as we know, so navigating through that can be a challenge for anyone who’s not used to it. Those are the biggest two.
What was the most harrowing rescue of your career?
In my career, I’ve done Medevacs off big commercial vessels, which are always challenging. When I was in Hawaii, we had long-range search and rescue cases off commercial vessels. When I was in New York, there were people who were beset by heavy weather in an inlet and were at risk of capsizing.
What is the line of thinking for the Coast Guard's removal of some navigational buoys?
The one navigational buoy in question is the NB at the mouth of the channel, also known as a sea buoy. The thought is that it’s a non-lateral aid, as opposed to buoys that are red and green to serve as lateral aids, meaning boaters know which side of them they should be on. This is just one fewer buoy to maintain.
Have the recent federal deportations changed your job?
No. That’s always been a mission of the Coast Guard. Station Brant Point was not involved with the most recent ICE raid [which partnered with the Coast Guard vessel Hammerhead out of Woods Hole], so day-to-day on Nantucket, the job did not change at all.
You led a counter-smuggling operation in San Diego. How would you describe that job?
We mostly captured human traffickers and turned them in to the authorities. It kept me busy. It was action-packed. I had an outstanding crew there and worked for a great chain of command that was extremely supportive. But I’m looking forward to getting back to what I trained to do.
How different is the work on Nantucket compared to what you were doing in San Diego?
It’s very different. But my background in the Coast Guard is search and rescue. This is what I was trained to do, compared to what I did in San Diego. I also served at three units on Long Island, New York, doing this same thing—search and rescue and recreational boating safety.
What are you excited for on Nantucket?
So much—driving over sand to get to the beach with the family, Daffodil Weekend, Figawi, the Fourth of July, the half marathon in October, fishing for stripers and bay scalloping. All of the things I grew up doing, I get to teach my kids. That’s going to be awesome.
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