1037: "The Maritime Evacuation: An Undertold Story of 9/11"

Interesting Things with JC #1037: "The Maritime Evacuation: An Undertold Story of 9/11" – On September 11, 2001, while chaos reigned in Lower Manhattan, a spontaneous maritime rescue saved over 500,000 people. Learn about the largest boatlift in history and the ordinary mariners who became heroes. Tune in for this incredible tale of unity and courage.

• Curriculum

  Episode Anchor

  Episode Title:
  The Maritime Evacuation – An Undertold Story of 9/11

  Episode Number:
  #1037

  Host:
  JC

  Audience:
  Grades 9–12, college intro, homeschool, lifelong learners

  Subject Area:
  U.S. History, Civics, Emergency Response, Media Literacy

  Lesson Overview

  By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

  • Define key terminology related to the maritime evacuation and 9/11 emergency response.

  • Compare the 9/11 boatlift with other historical mass evacuations, such as Dunkirk.

  • Analyze the role of spontaneous civilian action during crises.

  • Explain the significance of the 9/11 maritime evacuation in the broader context of American resilience and disaster response.

  Key Vocabulary

  • Evacuation (/ˌiː.væk.juˈeɪ.ʃən/) — The organized removal of people from a dangerous place. The evacuation of Manhattan on 9/11 involved over 500,000 people transported by boat.

  • Maritime (/ˈmær.ɪ.taɪm/) — Related to the sea or waterways. The maritime evacuation of 9/11 used every type of vessel available in New York Harbor.

  • Spontaneous (/spɒnˈteɪ.ni.əs/) — Occurring without premeditation or planning. The rescue effort on 9/11 was a spontaneous response to an unfolding crisis.

  • Civic Duty (/ˈsɪv.ɪk ˈduː.ti/) — The responsibilities of a citizen to act for the benefit of society. Boat captains acted out of a sense of civic duty, not obligation.

  • Logistics (/ləˈdʒɪs.tɪks/) — The coordination of complex operations. Despite having no logistics plan, the boatlift was executed with remarkable success.

  Narrative Core (Based on the PSF – Reframed)

  • Open:
    The episode hooks listeners with a powerful, lesser-known narrative—how, amid the chaos of 9/11, an urgent call mobilized an unplanned civilian flotilla.

  • Info:
    Background is provided about how traditional evacuation routes were sealed, leaving hundreds of thousands stranded on Manhattan Island.

  • Details:
    With no orders and no formal leadership, hundreds of boat owners acted swiftly, launching the largest water evacuation in recorded history.

  • Reflection:
    The episode draws attention to the power of collective action and the quiet heroism of civilians who refused to wait for permission to help.

  • Closing:
    “These are interesting things, with JC.”

  Transcript

  See Transcript Below

  Student Worksheet

  1. What made the 9/11 maritime evacuation unique in terms of scale and coordination?

  2. Why were traditional means of leaving Manhattan (bridges, tunnels) unavailable on 9/11?

  3. How does the 9/11 boatlift compare to the Dunkirk evacuation in World War II?

  4. Why might the general public not have known about the maritime evacuation until years later?

  5. If you had been in Manhattan on 9/11, how do you think you would have reacted to the sight of boats arriving?

  Teacher Guide

  Estimated Time:
  1–2 class periods (45–90 minutes)

  Pre-Teaching Vocabulary Strategy:
  Use a word wall and real-life images of maritime vessels and maps of Lower Manhattan for context.

  Anticipated Misconceptions:

  • Students may assume all evacuations are government-led.

  • Students may confuse the Dunkirk reference with fiction (e.g., the film) instead of historical fact.

  Discussion Prompts:

  • What does the 9/11 boatlift reveal about community action in times of crisis?

  • How does media coverage affect which stories we remember from major events?

  • Why might spontaneous volunteerism be both risky and necessary?

  Differentiation Strategies:

  • ESL: Use bilingual maritime diagrams and evacuation infographics.

  • IEP: Provide guided notes with fill-in-the-blanks and simplified vocabulary.

  • Gifted: Assign comparative research on Dunkirk, Katrina, and the 9/11 boatlift.

  Extension Activities:

  • Create a digital storyboard of the 9/11 maritime evacuation.

  • Interview local first responders or veterans about moments of spontaneous courage.

  • Watch and critique the short documentary Boatlift (narrated by Tom Hanks) as a media literacy task.

  Cross-Curricular Connections:

  • Civics: Volunteering and civil responsibility.

  • Geography: Use of waterways in emergency planning.

  • Ethics: Moral decision-making under pressure.

  Quiz

  1. What made the 9/11 boatlift the largest of its kind in history?
     A. It lasted the longest
     B. It was unplanned and evacuated the most people in a short time
     C. It used military vessels
     D. It took place over multiple states
     Answer: B

  2. How many people were estimated to have been evacuated from Manhattan on 9/11 via boat?
     A. 50,000
     B. 100,000
     C. 500,000
     D. 1,000,000
     Answer: C

  3. Which government organization issued the call for maritime help on 9/11?
     A. NYPD
     B. U.S. Navy
     C. U.S. Coast Guard
     D. FEMA
     Answer: C

  4. What inspired the civilians to act during the 9/11 evacuation?
     A. Personal gain
     B. Military training
     C. Civic duty and instinct
     D. Media attention
     Answer: C

  5. When did the documentary Boatlift bring attention to the 9/11 maritime evacuation?
     A. Immediately after 9/11
     B. On the 5th anniversary
     C. On the 10th anniversary
     D. In 2021
     Answer: C

  Assessment

  1. In what ways did the 9/11 boatlift reflect the values of courage and community?

  2. What lessons can modern emergency planners learn from the spontaneous nature of the maritime evacuation?

  3–2–1 Rubric:

  • 3 = Accurate, complete, thoughtful responses with evidence from the episode.

  • 2 = Partial responses, may lack full detail or connection to episode content.

  • 1 = Inaccurate, vague, or off-topic answers.

  Standards Alignment

  Common Core – History/Social Studies (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2):
  Determine the central ideas of a source; summarize key supporting details and ideas.
  Aligned via episode’s focus on the overlooked narrative of the 9/11 boatlift.

  C3 Framework (D2.His.14.9-12):
  Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of historical events.
  Used to analyze the spontaneous vs. planned evacuation methods.

  ISTE Standard for Students (1.3.D):
  Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues.
  Via reflective tasks and creative prompts based on firsthand accounts.

  CTE – Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security (LPS01.1):
  Demonstrate the importance of ethics and community in emergency response.
  Applied through discussion of civic duty and emergency preparedness.

  UK National Curriculum (History – KS4):
  Understand significant events and people from the recent past.
  Matched via analysis of the 9/11 boatlift and its impact.

  IB MYP Individuals & Societies (Criterion B):
  Investigating: Select, analyze, and evaluate sources to investigate questions about the past.
  Aligned with documentary review and primary source analysis.

• Transcript

  Interesting Things with JC #1037: "The Maritime Evacuation – An Undertold Story of 9/11"

  The events of September 11, 2001, are seared into the memory of the world. Most know the footage, the fire, the collapse, and the chaos—but not every story from that day is widely told. One of the most extraordinary, yet often overlooked, is the maritime evacuation of Lower Manhattan, a spontaneous rescue mission that became the largest water evacuation in recorded history.

  As the Twin Towers fell, smoke and debris choked the air in Lower Manhattan. Bridges and tunnels shut down immediately. Over half a million people were trapped on the island with no clear way out.

  Then, something unexpected happened. The U.S. Coast Guard put out a call on emergency radio: “All available boats, this is the United States Coast Guard... Anyone wanting to help with the evacuation of Manhattan, report to Governors Island.”

  The call was answered. Hundreds of boats; ferries, tugboats, fishing trawlers, private yachts, even sightseeing cruisers rushed toward Manhattan’s shoreline. With no centralized command and no pre-planned operation, these vessels began picking up people by the thousands.

  There was no script. No drills. Yet what unfolded was stunning in its efficiency. Civilian and commercial crews worked shoulder to shoulder, navigating smoke-filled waters littered with debris, while the threat of further attacks still loomed.

  They docked, loaded passengers, pushed off, and returned again and again. Many people boarded in silence, their clothes covered in dust, their faces marked with fear and disbelief. Yet for every evacuee, each boat became a floating refuge, a path out of terror.

  In just under nine hours, this impromptu flotilla evacuated an estimated 500,000 people. For scale, that’s more than were rescued during the nine-day Dunkirk evacuation in World War II.

  What made it work was the will of the people. Boat owners and captains didn’t hesitate. They didn’t wait for permission or protection. They simply acted.

  For those rescued, the sight of the boats pulling up to the shore offered more than transport—it offered hope. In a city shaken to its core, the boatlift became a lifeline. Some of the mariners didn’t even know how many people they had saved until years later. They weren’t seeking recognition. They just did what they felt was right.

  For years, this massive rescue effort remained largely unknown to the general public. It wasn’t until the 10th anniversary of 9/11 that the documentary Boatlift, narrated by Tom Hanks, brought national attention to it.

  Still, many remain unaware of the scale of what happened that day on the water.

  The maritime evacuation of 9/11 shows what can happen when ordinary people take extraordinary action. In a moment of panic and paralysis, the harbor became a highway of escape. In a city under attack, the water became its way out.

  This isn’t just a story of logistics or boats. It’s a story of humanity. Of instinctive courage. Of people who didn’t wait to be told what to do, they just showed up.

  And in doing so, they saved half a million lives.

  These are, Interesting Things, with JC

• Show Notes

  This episode brings attention to the unsung heroes of 9/11—the boat captains and civilian mariners who orchestrated the largest water evacuation in recorded history. Perfect for teaching resilience, emergency response, civic engagement, and media literacy, this lesson turns an overlooked historical moment into a platform for critical thinking and compassion. The spontaneous nature of the event also prompts discussions about human behavior during crises and how communities can mobilize without formal instruction.

  Reference:

  DuLong, J. (2021). Saved at the Seawall: Stories from the September 11 Boat Lift. Cornell University Press.
  Available at: Cornell University Press