| Sector Field Office Grand Haven | |
|---|---|
| Part of Coast Guard District 9 | |
| Grand Haven, MI in United States of America | |
 | |
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| Coordinates | 43° 3' 37.8468 N 86° 14' 17.9988 W |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Coast Guard |
| Site history | |
| In use | 1876-Present |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander | LT Paul Larouche |
Coast Guard Station Grand Haven is a United States Coast Guard facility in Grand Haven, Michigan. A Sector Field Office for District 9 is positioned across the street.
Coast Guard Station Grand Haven is manned by active duty and reserve Coast Guardsmen. It is the home of two 47' Motor Life Boats, three 29' Response Boat - Smalls, and two 15' ice or shallow rescue skiffs. The station's primary missions are search and rescue and maritime law enforcement on over 3,500 square nautical miles and four counties on the eastern half of Lake Michigan. Station Grand Haven is also the parent command to Aids to Navigation Team/Seasonal Search & Rescue Detachment Muskegon, located near the mouth of Muskegon Harbor, and seasonal Station Holland, located on the shore of Lake Macatawa. The main station is located on the Grand River in Grand Haven, MI, which has been given the distinction of being named "Coast Guard City, USA". Unit personnel and resources are highly involved in the planning and execution of operations during the annual Coast Guard Festival, a week-long celebration that brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to this summer vacation destination. [1]
As of 2023, Station Grand Haven has 35 active duty Coast Guardsmen. [2]
The history of the Coast Guard in Grand Haven dates back to at least 1876 when the Eleventh District of the U.S. Life Saving Service (USLSS) established its headquarters in town. On May 1, 1877, the USLSS opened the first station on the north side of the Grand River. The first station had assigned to it one six-ton self-bailing, self-righting lifeboat, one six-man surfboat, and a life car.
Following the reorganization of the USLSS and the Revenue Cutter Service into the Coast Guard in 1915, Grand Haven became headquarters for the Tenth Coast Guard District. Grand Haven's second station was built just west of the old station. It opened its doors on December 22, 1922, and at this time Grand Haven had its first power boat.
With the reorganization of 1939, Cleveland succeeded Grand haven as headquarters of the Ninth Coast Guard District, but Grand Haven remained an important location with a Coast Guard station, a lighthouse, and USCGC Escanaba, which exploded and sank on June 13, 1943, while on convoy duty in the North Atlantic. All but two men of the 103 man crew died that day.
The third, and present day station, is located on the south side of the Grand River along Government Road. This location is further upriver from the previous two stations. It opened its doors on June 5, 1989.
On April 28, 1991, William Dale Kozlowski, a seaman of Station Grand Haven, was fatally injured by the propeller of the station's 22 foot small boat after being tossed from the station canoe during a collision with the small boat, 50 feet from the dock. A second crewmember aboard the canoe received minor head injuries. [1]
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the United States military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission with jurisdiction in both domestic and international waters and a federal regulatory agency mission as part of its duties. It is the largest coast guard in the world, rivaling the capabilities and size of most navies.
Edwin John Roland, was a United States Coast Guard admiral and served as the twelfth Commandant of the Coast Guard from 1962 to 1966. During his tenure, Roland oversaw the replacement of many World War II era cutters under fleet modernization programs. He also assisted the U.S. Navy with operations in Vietnam by supplying crews and cutters for Operation Market Time. Roland was noted for his support in efforts to bring international safety standards to merchant shipping. Although Roland was already retired when the Coast Guard was transferred from the Department of Treasury to the newly formed Department of Transportation in 1967, he was largely responsible for the planning for the move and the Coast Guard retaining its military responsibilities along with its transportation related functions.
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The history of the United States Coast Guard goes back to the United States Revenue Cutter Service, which was founded on 4 August 1790 as part of the Department of the Treasury. The Revenue Cutter Service and the United States Life-Saving Service were merged to become the Coast Guard per 14 U.S.C. § 1 which states: "The Coast Guard as established January 28, 1915, shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces of the United States at all times." In 1939, the United States Lighthouse Service was merged into the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard itself was moved to the Department of Transportation in 1967, and on 1 March 2003 it became part of the Department of Homeland Security. However, under 14 U.S.C. § 3 as amended by section 211 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006, upon the declaration of war and when Congress so directs in the declaration, or when the President directs, the Coast Guard operates as a service in the Department of the Navy.
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This article covers the organization of the United States Coast Guard.
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This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Coast Guard.