Changes of Command

Alert 11, Summer 2026

Summer brought leadership changes to two units we work closely with.

Station Bellingham

On May 21, Flotilla 11 members attended the change of command at Coast Guard Station Bellingham as the unit marked the transition to its new leadership. Flotilla Chaplain Lyle Schrag offered the blessing, and our members were on hand to represent the Auxiliary alongside active-duty crews and partners from across the border.

USCGC Sea Lion

On July 9, the crew of USCGC Sea Lion (WPB-87352), homeported here in Bellingham, held its own change of command. Members of Flotilla 11 attended to welcome the cutter's incoming commanding officer and to thank the departing skipper for years of close partnership across our shared area of responsibility.

• Fellowship & Events
• Coast Guard News

Also in this issue

• Member Training

  Training completed by members since the Spring edition, including Kat (Mary) Scanlon becoming Basically Qualified and a Vessel Examiner.

• Navigation Systems

  Flotilla Aid Verifiers completed a dozen PATON assignments in north Whatcom County and reported several discrepant aids to navigation.

• Rescue at Sucia Island

  All eleven people aboard a Kenmore Air floatplane survived its July 23 crash in Shallow Bay at Sucia Island, with Station Bellingham and Air Station Port Angeles among the responders.

• Summer on Patrol

  Flotilla 11's Boat Crew provided a safety presence for the Ski to Sea race and Bellingham's FIFA World Cup fan zone, and drilled man-overboard recovery.

• Into the Water: The PPE Swim

  Five Flotilla 11 Boat Crew members completed the annual in-water PPE swim this spring to test their gear and practice self-rescue.

• Fair Winds: Steve Bell and Hoyt Hatfield

  The flotilla said farewell to Steve Bell (24 years) and Hoyt Hatfield (25 years) with a BBQ on July 16 celebrating their service.

• Personal Minimums: An Idea Worth Borrowing from Aviation

  A proposal that boat crews borrow aviation's practice of personal minimums, writing an objective abort checklist in advance to back up GAR and the coxswain's judgment.

• The Coast Guard Steps Forward in the Western Pacific

  The Coast Guard has moved its six-cutter expeditionary squadron from Bahrain to Singapore and Subic Bay, taking on a larger presence and partner-building role in the Western Pacific.

• The Coast Guard in the News

  Adm. Kevin E. Lunday sworn in as 28th Commandant, the Force Design 2028 modernization push, and an Air Station Cold Bay rescue of nine crab boat crew in the Bering Sea.

• Parting Shot

  The national ensign flying from a Flotilla 11 patrol boat on Bellingham Bay.