Photos

The Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill

Photos of the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

By Ben Holtzclaw

Updated: July 27, 2010

The Gulf Oil Spill

On April 27, 2010, there was an explosion that occurred on the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig off Louisiana. The explosion killed 11 and forever changed the lives of countless individuals who made their living from the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, the disaster is far from over. This is a collection courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard that is meant to give you a visual idea of the spectrum of the occurrence and what is being done to get the Gulf back the way we all like it and need it to be. Photo Courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard

The Gulf Oil Spill

Ariel photo showing the scope of the mess in the Gulf. Photo Courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard

The Gulf Oil Spill

A contract workers from Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) loads oily waste onto a trailer on Elmer’s Island, just west of Grand Isle, La., May 21, 2010. Hundreds of HSE contract workers are cleaning up oil from the Deepwater Horizon/BP incident which began washing up on beaches here one month after the drilling unit exploded. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Patrick Kelley.

The Gulf Oil Spill

President Barack Obama addresses the media at Coast Guard Station Grand Isle, La., concerning the ongoing, multi-agency response to the Deepwater Horizon incident, May 28, 2010. Obama stressed that Adm. Thad Allen, national incident commander of the response, has all resources to manage the response at his disposal. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Patrick Kelley.

The Gulf Oil Spill

A clean-up crew worker contracted by BP, and under the direction of the U.S. Coast Guard, shovels oil that washed ashore at Grand Terre, La., June 3, 2010. Hundreds of contracted clean-up crews are spread throughout the gulf area and are part of the ongoing Administration-wide response to the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ann Marie Gorden.

The Gulf Oil Spill

Contract workers aboard a Vessels of Opportunity (VOO) collect surface oil approximately four miles offshore of Okaloosa Island, Fla., June 25, 2010. The VOO workers are using sorbent boom, pom-poms and skim nets to absorb sheen and corral and collect dispersed oil. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Colin White.

The Gulf Oil Spill

Crews aboard vessels around the drillship Discoverer Enterprise continue operations to minimize the impact from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill Monday, June 28, 2010. Thousands of volunteers and vessels are working together on largest oil spill response in U.S. History. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Walter Shinn.

The Gulf Oil Spill

Response workers use boat hooks to recover and dispose of oiled absorbent boom in the marsh grass in Terrebonne Bay, La., July 4, 2010. The cleanup proceeded throughout Independence Day as part of the largest oil spill response in history. U.S. Coast Guard Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Derek W. Richburg.

The Gulf Oil Spill

Personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Palm Beach County, and city of Ft. Lauderdale discuss oil identification procedures during a Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique team training scenario held at Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet July 8, 2010. The SCAT team also learned about proper documentation practices during the hands-on training session. U.S. Coast Guard photo by PA1 Krystyna Hannum.

The Gulf Oil Spill

Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Leonard looks on from a small boat detached from the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute as oil and gas is flared off the Q4000 at the site of the Deepwater Horizon Response. The Resolute, home-ported in St.Petersburg, Fla., is serving as a search and rescue guard to help support and protect people and ships involved in Deepwater Horizon response efforts to stop the leak and recover oil on the water. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Belson.

The Gulf Oil Spill

Mike Pixley, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inspects what seems to be a deceased bird in the water near Bay Ronquille, La., July 9, 2010. Information such as bird species, location of bird, and whether the bird has oil on it are important to study the effects of the Deepwater Horizon spill on the local wildlife population. U.S. Air Force photo by Bryan Nealy

The Gulf Oil Spill

Members of the crew from the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute scrub down the hull of the ship to remove oil accumulated while patrolling near the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill site July 9, 2010. The Resolute, home-ported in St.Petersburg, Fla., is serving as a search and rescue guard to help support and protect people and ships involved in Deepwater Horizon response efforts to stop the leak and recover oil on the water. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lieutenant Patrick Montgomery.

The Gulf Oil Spill

A Sikorsky helicopter hoists sand bags from the sling site to drop on the shore line July 11, 2010. Operations are conducted on a continuous 15 minute rotation at the sling site in Plaquemines Parish Branch. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt Polly Bennett.

The Gulf Oil Spill

Amanda Dolinski, a staff member at Pelican Harbor Seabird Station in Miami, checks over one of the 45 baby pelicans that were transported to Pelican Harbor Saturday, while Kristin Castellon, the rehabilitation manager, completes the process paperwork. The pelicans, ranging in age from 5-to-10 weeks old, arrived Saturday, July 11, 2010, via a Coast Guard aircraft from New Orleans, and had been impacted in the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill and previously cared for at Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, La. The chicks will remain at Pelican Harbor until they can fly and be released into the wild. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Krystyna

The Gulf Oil Spill

Two vessels converted to oil skimmers conduct skimming operations in the waters near Grand Isle, La., July 12, 2010. Over 3000 vessels have been activated, and over 500 have been coverted to skimmers in the Vessels of Opportunity program in order to assist with the Deepwater Horizon response effort. U.S. Air Force photo by Bryan Nealy.

The Gulf Oil Spill

Two brown pelicans stretch their wings after being released at Gulfside City Park in Sanibel Island, Fla., July 12, 2010. Twenty-one pelicans and 11 northern gannets were rehabilitated and then transported to Southwest Florida aboard a Coast Guard aircraft after being found oiled near the coasts of Louisiana and Alabama. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Nick Ameen.

The Gulf Oil Spill

The US Coast Guard Cutter Walnut’s crew readies the cutter for skimming operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The Walnut is a 225 foot buoy tender homeported in Honolulu, HI.

The Gulf Oil Spill

A boat with the Vessel of Opportunity program stands by while oil and gas is flared off during a controlled in-situ burn which supports in the cleanup of surface oil July 17, 2010. A trained specialist lights a flare within a U-shaped boom and monitors the burn closely for the entire duration. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Polly Bennett.

The Gulf Oil Spill

Allison Chaillet a staff biologist scoops up a sea turtle in the Gulf, July 19, 2010. Chaillet is on staff as a biologist with Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation. Chaillet is volunteering to help clean up sea turtles affected by the oil spill in the Gulf. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Polly Bennett.

The Gulf Oil Spill

John Dec, a civilian contractor, holds an operations meeting with the Coast Guard and civilian crew of the motor vessel Gulf Tiger prior to launching the dual Vessel of Opportunity Skimming System to ensure that each member knows their respective role, July 19, 2010. The Gulf Tiger is the only vessel involved in the Gulf of Mexico cleanup capable of deploying two oil recovery systems. The Gulf Tiger departed Pensacola, Fla. July 20, 2010 to assist with oil recovery operations in the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandyn Hill.

The Gulf Oil Spill

Dr. Sharon K. Taylor, a veterinarian with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Dan Alonso, the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge manager, and others release a crate of brown pelicans into the wild, June 27, 2010. This is the largest of 10 bird releases to date, totaling 72 birds. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Robert Brazzell.

The Gulf Oil Spill

George Ross, a Briggs employee from Aberdeen, Scotland, watches the igniter package he just placed in oil contained by fire boom in the Gulf of Mexico July 10, 2010. Ross is conducting In-Situ Burns near the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site. The controlled burns are 95 percent effective at removing oil from water. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cheryl Hackley.

The Gulf Oil Spill

A response worker to spreads an absorbent peat on the oiled marshes near Cocodrie, Tuesday, July 20, 2010. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Pamela J. Manns

The Gulf Oil Spill

A response worker anchors clean boom into the ground around an oiled marsh using bamboo poles, Monday, July 19, 2010. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Pamela Manns.

The Gulf Oil Spill

Hosea Melancon, right, and Josh Giessinger, contractors working to clean the beaches in Gavleston, work to dispose of potentially oil coated waste into waste bags on East Beach Sunday, July 11, 2010. Cleanup crews have been cleaning Texas beaches since July 3, when reports of tar were made to officials. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Prentice Danner.

The Gulf Oil Spill

The US Coast Guard Cutter Walnut’s crew readies the cutter for skimming operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The Walnut is a 225 foot buoy tender homeported in Honolulu, HI.

The Gulf Oil Spill

Weathered oil enters Coast Guard Cutter Walnut’s skimmer off the Gulf Coast. Walnut’s crew left Hawaii in May and traveled over 6000 miles to assist with cleanup efforts. U.S. Coast Guard photo.