Faces of Hamilton: Petty Officer 1st Class Joel Bigelow

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Sydney Phoenix | From Clinton, Utah, Petty Officer 1st Class Joel Bigelow is the shop lead of the damage control division aboard USCGC Hamilton (WMSL 753), as seen here in the Atlantic Ocean, May 22, 2021. Bigelow has been on the Hamilton for about two years and was on the recent deployment working with U.S. Sixth Fleet and partners in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Sydney Phoenix)  

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC, UNITED STATES

06.04.2021

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Sydney Phoenix 

U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area

From Clinton, Utah, Petty Officer 1st Class Joel Bigelow is the shop lead of the damage control division aboard USCGC Hamilton (WMSL 753).

“I joined the Coast Guard because when I was in college, I realized I was spending a lot of money not knowing what I wanted to do when I grew up,” said Bigelow. “My brother joined about three years before me and talked me into joining up, but I really think he just did it for the award and the 72-hour special liberty pass he received for me joining.”

Bigelow has been on the Hamilton for about two years and was on the recent deployment working with U.S. Sixth Fleet and partners in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
  
Bigelow said that the best part of this deployment was the information exchange and damage control demonstrations the crew did with the Ukrainian forces. He said it was enjoyable to talk with them about how the Coast Guard conducts damage control efforts.
 
“Underway life can be hard on you mentally, physically, and emotionally, but you’re not in it alone,” he said. “Some of the best relationships you will develop in the Coast Guard are on a cutter because, at the end of the day, you know the crew has your back and are in the same situation as you.”

His advice to anyone who is underway is to go out and see things in port calls, try foreign foods, buy some souvenirs, and experience the different cultures.

Bigelow is a damage controlman or DC. Typically DCs assigned to cutters are responsible for watertight integrity, emergency equipment associated with firefighting and flooding, plumbing repairs, welding fabrication and repairs, chemical, biological and nuclear-warfare detection, and decontamination.

• Date Taken: 06.04.2021
• Date Posted: 06.04.2021 15:01
• Story ID: 398139
• Location: NORTH CHARLESTON, SC, US
• Hometown: CLINTON, UT, US