U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Steven Hammerton of Coast Guard Naval Engineering Support Unit in Boston recently returned from duty supporting Coast Guard oil recovery operations at the DeepWater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Hammerton oversaw field operations on area beaches by identifying the environmental impacts of the oil on the maritime environment and marine species in specified areas along the Gulf Coast. The information he collected was utilized in assessing the organization and deployment of response assets and clean-up operations in the affected areas. Hammerton’s assignment as a field observation unit member was instrumental to response and recovery efforts in the oil spill.

Hammerton is a police officer in Auburn and a U.S. Coast Guard Reservist with more than 15 years of experience serving with the U.S. Coast Guard. He is the son of Robert and Erna Hammerton of Cambridge, Mass., and currently resides in Lisbon Falls.