Falmouth Resident Paints Picture for USCG Station Woods Hole

Woods Hole, MA – U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliarist, and Falmouth resident, Barry O’Neil was commissioned to paint a "Welcome Aboard" painting for the entrance to the new building that opened this past July and is home to U.S. Coast Guard Station Woods Hole. The painting was unveiled during a ceremony on November 15, 2019.

Mr. O'Neil has been a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary for thirty-nine years. Among the many qualifications and positions he has held over his volunteer career, he is an official Coast Guard artist. Many of his paintings can be seen around the other buildings located at the Coast Guard base in Woods Hole. "Barry has been an active member of the Woods Hole Auxiliary Flotilla for many years. He dedicated service to the Auxiliary, as well as to our active duty Coast Guard shipmates, is a shining example for his fellow Auxiliarists", stated Mr. O'Neil's Flotilla Commander, Russ Gasdia.

Mr. O’Neil’s painting was done on an actual nautical chart of the Woods Hole area. It includes the image of one of Station Woods Hole’s newer forty-five foot response boats and one of the old forty-one foot utility boats, no longer in service. In addition, the Coxswain device and Boat Force device are shown. The four depictions along the bottom represent the four ratings for personnel at Station Woods Hole. They include; Maritime Law Enforcement, Machinery Technician, Boatswain Mate, and Gunner’s Mate.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the volunteer, uniformed civilian component of the U.S. Coast Guard and supports the Coast Guard in nearly all mission areas. The Auxiliary was created by Congress in 1939. The local Woods Hole Flotilla provides a variety of support to local Coast Guard units, as well as the recreational boating public, through their safe boating courses, courtesy vessel safety checks and other efforts geared towards promoting safe boating. We're always looking for new members. To learn more, please visit: http://whcgaux.org