Coast Guard Pacific Area receives new commander
Vice Adm. Charles W. Ray relieved Vice Adm. Paul F. Zukunft as Commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area and Coast Guard Defense Forces West, in a change of command ceremony at Coast Guard Island in Alameda, Calif., April 22, 2014. “This is not a transition, this is a continuity of leadership,” said Zukunft. Zukunft served as the Pacific Area Commander since April 2012, and is leaving to assume the duties as the Coast Guard Commandant in Washington, D.C., upon Senate confirmation. “It has been a pleasure serving as the Coast Guard’s Pacific Area commander for the past two years, and I look forward to the opportunity to continue my service as the Coast Guard’s 25th Commandant,” said Zukunft. Ray served as the Pacific Area deputy since 2013.
Coast Guard Pacific Area Command Changeover
The US Coast Guard informs that Rear Adm. Charles W. Ray will relieve Vice Adm. Paul F. Zukunft (US Coast Guard Commander designate) as Commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area and Coast Guard Defense Forces West, in a change-of-command ceremony at Coast Guard Island in Alameda. Zukunft has served as the Pacific Area Commander since April 2012, and is leaving to assume the duties as the Coast Guard Commandant in Washington, D.C., upon Senate confirmation. “It has been a pleasure serving as the Coast Guard’s Pacific Area commander for the past two years…
USCGC Acushnet Decommissioned
The 67-year-old Cutter Acushnet, the Coast Guard's "Queen of the Fleet", is moored to the pier prior to the cutter’s decommissioning ceremony at Base Support Unit Ketchikan Friday, March 11, 2011. The Acushnet served as a medium-endurance cutter in the Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and Arctic Ocean. Primary missions included search and rescue, homeland security, maritime law enforcement, and environmental protection. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Walter Shinn.
Oldest Coast Guard Vessel Decommissioned
The U.S. Coast Guard decommissioned its oldest vessel, retiring the cutter Storis with eight rings of a bell and the playing of taps in a gymnasium at the Kodiak Coast Guard Base. About 70 Storis crew members wearing dress blues stood at attention during the ceremony to retire the 64-year-old icebreaker. About 200 invited guests also attended. Storis crews have boarded 7,500 vessels, saved 250 lives, kept 25 vessels from sinking, assisted 100,000 people and traveled 1.5 million miles. The Storis has been patrolling Alaska waters since the late 1950s. Capt. James M. McCauley, commander of the Storis, thanked Kodiak for the town's hospitality as homeport. McCauley's last outing with Storis was a 54-day patrol in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea.
