Workers to be honored for rescues after rig blast

BELLE CHASSE, La. – Crew members of a supply vessel that was tethered to the Deepwater Horizon when the oil rig exploded last year in the Gulf of Mexico will be honored at a Coast Guard awards ceremony for helping rescue survivors.

About a dozen crew members from the Damon B. Bankston are expected to attend Friday's ceremony at a Coast Guard air station in Belle Chasse, La.

The awards will include the Coast Guard's certificate of valor and distinguished public service award.

In a statement, the Coast Guard says the ceremony will honor the "courage, selflessness, poise and preparedness" of the crew members and Coast Guard helicopter crews that rescued more than 100 workers who evacuated the rig after the April 20 explosion, which killed 11 workers and triggered a massive oil spill.