BOURNE, Mass. (AP) – The collection of shipping containers stacked haphazardly in a weedy corner of the Massachusetts Military Reservation is actually “The House of Pain,” according to a sign on its door.

Inside, Coast Guard members in body armor creep through narrow hallways, handguns in front of them, hoping they hold their fire until just the right time. Hostages are taken, men wait behind corners to ambush them, and irate “crew members” pull guns and start shooting.

The containers are meant to mimic the insides of the ships the Coast Guard routinely boards as part of fisheries enforcement and homeland security duties. The dangerous scenarios that unfold are not typical in real life, but they are possible, and the goal is to make sure the men and women that could face them are prepared.

The expansion of the Coast Guard’s duties since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is well-documented, and boarding commercial and fishing ships is something members of an agency known for its multitasking must be ready to do.

“It’s a big threat area. It’s become a very big mission for us,” said Lt. Ryan Hamel, commanding officer of the Northeast Regional Fisheries Training Center and creator of the training facility.

The House of Pain was constructed at the military base about four years ago. It has since grown to three levels to better replicate the insides of a ship.

The trainees carry semiautomatic handguns fitted with barrels that fire soap-tipped shells called “simunition,” which is more realistic than the paint balls and guns trainees once used. The colored soap bullets sting a bit when they hit an unarmored area, but they may leave a bigger mark on pride. Trainees who walk out of the containers showing soap splatter know they made a mistake that could have cost them their lives. “It’s humbling,” said Chief Petty Officer Scott Carr. “And that’s a good thing.”

The Coast Guard has a good recent record of keeping itself safe during boardings, rescues, and all its other duties. Since 2000, the most serious incidents came when Coast Guardsmen were twice fired on – once while searching for a fugitive in Alexandria Bay in upstate New York in July 2003 and again in November 2005 while patrolling off Puerto Rico. No one was hurt in either incident.

One goal of the training is to help officers keep their cool and build confidence through repeated exposure to tough situations. Proof that things can unravel during training is seen in the stray paint marks on the container’s ceilings, which are signs of quick, panicked firing.

“It was stressful,” said Ryan Fahey, 20, a petty officer third class from Middleborough, after his first run-through. “You don’t know what they’re going to do. I tried to remain as calm as I can.”

“You get tunnel vision when you go first go through, you’re so focused on what you’re doing,” Carlos Nieves, 24, a Coast Guard fireman from Brooklyn, N.Y.

During Fahey’s first trip through, his three-man group initially moved deliberately through the corridors, their flashlights and guns extended as they “cleared” each room, tossing the furniture and checking all corners for possible assailants.

In a lounge area, a “crewman” sprinted up a stairway and out of sight, and the group correctly did not rush after him and expose themselves to attack in blind spots in the upper level.

But the escape seemed to throw them. The slow, tight circle they were moving in got looser, and they left themselves vulnerable to two separate attacks.

In an another scenario with a different group, the ship’s captain was leading the team on a routine check when he was confronted by an irate crewman at the bottom of a stairway, who grabbed a weapon and shot the captain to death. The team learns that they could have diffused the situation by getting down the stairs earlier, before the man had a chance to grab the gun.

Instructors debrief the teams after each scenario, going over the good and bad. Petty Officer First Class Seth Strahan, one of the instructors, said veteran teams run through so efficiently the “bad guys” can’t get off a shot, which is the point – something Strahan reminds one trainee who lamented he hadn’t yet had a chance to fire his weapon that day.

“Dude, you don’t want to shoot anyone,” Strahan said. “If you can get through the day without shooting anyone, that’s awesome.”

AP-ES-12-23-06 0949EST