On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, located in the Mississippi Canyon about 40 miles (64 km) off the Louisiana coast, suffered a catastrophic explosion; it sank a day-and-a-half later. It was in the process of being sealed with cement for temporary abandonment, to avoid environmental problems. Although initial reports indicated that relatively little oil had leaked, by April 24, it was claimed by British Petroleum that approximately 1,000 barrels (42,000 gallons) of oil per day were issuing from the wellhead, about a mile below the surface on the ocean floor.
On April 29, the U.S. government revealed that approximately 5,000 barrels (790 m3) of oil per day (210,000 gallons), five times the original estimate, were pouring into the Gulf from the wellhead.
The resulting oil slick quickly expanded to cover hundreds of square miles of ocean surface, posing a serious threat to marine life and adjacent coastal wetlands, and to the livelihoods of Gulf Coast shrimpers and fishermen. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Sally Brice O’Hare stated that the U.S. government will be “employing booms, skimmers, chemical dispersants and controlled burns” to combat the oil spill.
It was during this cleanup period that the United States Coast Guard contacted Vision-Strike-Wear.Com with a request that they create a t-shirt design that would capture the effort and dedication these men and women put forth in cleaning up our American coastline.
Vision-Strike-Wear.Com took their request and donated this design, which is displayed below, that would become symbolic of the Coast Guard's efforts to clean up the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf Of Mexico.
