HEADQUARTERS

Welcome to Coast Guard Headquarters Office of Public Affairs in Washington, D.C.

July 14, 2026

Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City holds change of command ceremony

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City bid farewell to Capt. Catherine Carabine and welcomed Capt. Brian Conley as the air station’s new commanding officer during a change of command ceremony held Friday.

July 14, 2026

Coast Guard Sector Virginia holds change of command ceremony

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — U.S. Coast Guard Sector Virginia bid farewell to Capt. Peggy Britton and welcomed Capt. Brett Workman as the new sector commander during a change of command ceremony held Thursday at Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown in Yorktown, Virginia.

July 13, 2026

Coast Guard hoists man from sinking catamaran offshore Kauai

HONOLULU — The Coast Guard hoisted a man from his sinking catamaran 23 miles offshore Kauai Sunday.

July 13, 2026

Coast Guard apprehends 10 aliens, 3 smugglers near Point Loma

SAN DIEGO — The Coast Guard apprehended 10 suspected aliens and three suspected smugglers during two boarding operations near Point Loma, Sunday.

U.S. Coast Guard crewmembers aboard Coast Guard Cutter James, stand at parade rest during a change of command ceremony in Key West, Florida July 9, 2026. The James is one of four 418-foot Legend-class national security cutters homeported in Charleston, South Carolina, under U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

July 13, 2026

Coast Guard Cutter James holds change of command ceremony

KEY WEST, Fla. — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter James (WMSL 754) held a change of command ceremony July 9 in Key West. Capt. Charles Banks relieved Capt. Thomas Rodzewicz as the eighth commanding officer of the James during the ceremony, which was presided over by Vice Adm. Jo-Ann Burdian, commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area. Rodzewicz served as the cutter’s commanding officer from July 2024 to July 2026, leading patrols in the Eastern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and finishing his tour in the Caribbean Sea. Rodzewicz oversaw the successful execution of counter-drug operations, seizing over 41,348 kilograms of cocaine and 4,440 pounds of marijuana, totaling a value of $900 million dollars, and defense readiness missions, including a Composite Training Unit Exercise with the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group.

July 12, 2026

Coast Guard apprehends 25 suspected aliens in Mission Bay and Point Loma

SAN DIEGO — The Coast Guard apprehended 25 suspected aliens during two boarding operations near San Diego, Saturday afternoon.

U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Michael Hunt (left), incoming commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, renders a salute to Capt. Mark McDonnell (right), outgoing commanding officer of the sector, while Rear Adm. Arex Avanni (center), commander of the Coast Guard Northwest District, officiates the pass down during the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound change-of-command ceremony in Seattle, Washington, July 10, 2026

July 12, 2026

Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound holds change of command ceremony

SEATTLE — Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound held a change of command ceremony on Friday, July 10, at Coast Guard Base Seattle.

U.S. Coast Guard crews work to repair the Inner Apra Harbor rear range on July 11, 2026. Repairs are ongoing and weather- and equipment-dependent. The U.S. Coast Guard is coordinating with port partners to address already identified hazards and new issues following Super Typhoon Bavi. Multiple navigational aids are reportedly discrepant, off station, or simply missing. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Sara Muir)

July 12, 2026

U.S. Coast Guard lifts waterways restrictions at Port of Rota, recovery operations continue

SANTA RITA, Guam — The U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands reset Port Heavy Weather Condition (PHWC) WHISKEY for the Port of Rota, effective at 8 p.m. ChST on Saturday, July 11, reopening the port to commercial traffic and cargo operations. "More than 85 people across our U.S. Coast Guard teams, with critical assistance from our partners and Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Five, are actively engaged in the maritime space and on port recovery right now," said Capt. Jessica Worst, commander, U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam. "I want to thank our crews for their dedication and the long days they've put in, going on a week now. That work is what allowed us to reopen these ports. But I also want to be clear with the public: the waterways are not back to normal. VHF outages and aids to navigation that are off station or damaged mean the margin for error on the water is smaller than usual. This is a time for increased caution and preparedness." The U.S. Coast Guard advises all stakeholders that Rota's commercially regulated facilities may have facility-specific operational limitations, and commercial owners, operators, and shipping agents are strongly urged to coordinate directly with facility operators to ensure transit and cargo operations can be safely conducted. Mariners are urged to transit the area with caution when entering or departing the Rota West Harbor. Although no obstructions were identified, shifting or shoaling within the channel may have occurred.

A U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Port Angeles poses for a photo after completing a medevac from Shi Shi Beach

July 11, 2026

Coast Guard medevacs 15-year-old from Shi Shi Beach

SEATTLE – A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Air Station Port Angeles assisted the National Park Service (NPS) with the medical evacuation (medevac) of a 15-year-old male from Shi Shi Beach in the Olympic National Park, Friday.