| Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen | |
|---|---|
 Unit Patch CGAS Borinquen | |
| Active | 1976–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Coast Guard |
| Type | Air Station |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Captain Lawrence Gaillard |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Helicopter | MH-65D Dolphin MH-60 Jayhawk |
Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen is a United States Coast Guard Air Station located at the Rafael Hernandez International Airport (formerly Ramey Air Force Base), in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. [1]
United States Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen is the direct descendant of the former Coast Guard Air Station San Juan, which was located at the former Naval Air Station Isla Grande. In November 1971, the Air Station relocated to its present location at what was then Ramey Air Force Base, a Strategic Air Command (SAC) B-52 bomber and KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft base in Aguadilla, and became known as Coast Guard Air Station Puerto Rico. Two years later the United States Air Force discontinued its operation at Ramey AFB, turning the facilities over to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the United States Navy Naval Station Roosevelt Roads West Annex. The Coast Guard assumed the host role in July 1976, when the Navy vacated the station. It was then that the unit was designated Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen. The Air Station originally utilized three HU-16E Albatross amphibious seaplanes and two HH-52A Sea Guard helicopters to effect its search and rescue missions. In March 1973, three HH-3F Pelican helicopters replaced these aircraft.
The need for increased range for law enforcement and search and rescue resulted in the addition of four HU-25A Falcon jets to the Air Station's inventory in late 1983 and early 1984. In 1985, four new HH-65A Dolphin short-range rescue helicopters replaced the three HH-3F Pelicans, giving the Air Station a shipboard deployment capability. The HU-25As were replaced in 1987 by three HC-130H Hercules aircraft that provided long range search and surveillance capability until their departure in June 1996. Due to the increased tempo of operations in the Caribbean, the Air Station again added four HU-25As to the inventory from July 1999 until September 2001. The Air Station currently[ when? ] operates with 4 MH-65D Dolphin helicopters while also supporting a variety of other forward deployed aircraft. [2] [3]
U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen is under the operational control of Commander, the Seventh Coast Guard District. Its main operation is search and rescue missions, Secondary missions include: law enforcement, aerial support for ATON, and logistic support. Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen also provides support for U.S. Coast Guard vessels and aircraft, and other United States Department of Homeland Security agencies such as the CBP Air and Marine Operations and the United States Border Patrol Ramey Sector nearby the Air Station Borinquen.
The number of personnel at U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen is made of 170 enlisted personnel, 35 officers and 150 civilians.
The military defense of Puerto Rico is the responsibility of the United States as part of the Treaty of Paris. Locally, Puerto Rico has its own National Guard, the Puerto Rico National Guard, and its own state defense force, the Puerto Rico State Guard, which, by local law, is under the authority of the Puerto Rico National Guard. The commander-in-chief of both forces is the governor of Puerto Rico, currently Pedro Pierluisi, who delegates his authority to the Puerto Rico Adjutant General, currently Major General José J. Reyes. The Adjutant General, in turn, delegates the authority over the State Guard to another officer but retains the authority over the Puerto Rico National Guard as a whole. At the national level, the commander-in-chief is the President of the United States, currently Joe Biden.
Aguadilla, founded in 1775 by Luis de Córdova, is a city and municipality located in the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, north of Aguada, and Moca and west of Isabela. Aguadilla is spread over 15 barrios and Aguadilla Pueblo. It is a principal city and core of the Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastián Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphin is a twin-engined helicopter operated by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) for medevac-capable search and rescue (SAR) and armed Airborne Use of Force missions. It is a variant of the French-built Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin.
Rafael Hernández International Airport is a joint civil-military airport located in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It is named after the Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernández Marín. It is Puerto Rico's second largest international airport in terms of passenger movement. It is located in Porta del Sol tourist region, in Puerto Rico's west coast. It is also home to Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen and to the Caribbean Branch of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations. The airport has the longest runway in the Caribbean region.
United States Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater is the United States Coast Guard's largest air station. It is located at the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport in Clearwater, Florida and is home to nearly 700 USCG aviation and support personnel. As of March 2021, there are ten MH-60T Jayhawk helicopters and four HC-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to CGAS Clearwater. Also on static display is USCG 1023, a restored Grumman HU-16 Albatross.
The Sikorsky MH-60T Jayhawk is a multi-mission, twin-engine, medium-range helicopter operated by the United States Coast Guard for search and rescue, law enforcement, military readiness and marine environmental protection missions. It was originally designated HH-60J before being upgraded and redesignated in 2007.
Ramey Air Force Base also known as Borinquen Field, is a former United States Air Force base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It was named after United States Army Air Forces Brigadier General Howard Knox Ramey. Following its closure, it was redeveloped into Rafael Hernandez Airport.
The Sikorsky S-61R is a twin-engine helicopter used in transport or search and rescue roles. A developed version of the S-61/SH-3 Sea King, the S-61R was also built under license by Agusta as the AS-61R. The S-61R served in the United States Air Force as the CH-3C/E Sea King and the HH-3E Jolly Green Giant, and with the United States Coast Guard as the HH-3F, nicknamed "Pelican".
Coast Guard Air Station Astoria was established on August 14, 1964, at Astoria Regional Airport in Warrenton, Oregon, United States.
Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City is an Air Station of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) located in Traverse City, Michigan. The station was established in 1946 and operates under the authority of the Coast Guard's Ninth District. It is situated on the southern end of Grand Traverse Bay in Northern Michigan at Cherry Capital Airport. Since 1995, Air Station Traverse City has controlled and staffed Air Facilities throughout southern Lake Michigan. The area of operations includes all of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior and most of Lake Huron.
Punta Borinquen Light is a lighthouse located in the old Ramey Air Force Base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The station was established in 1889 by the Spanish government. With the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, the lighthouse would become "the most important aid to navigation on the route from Europe to Panama". In 1917, the U.S Congress provided funding for a new lighthouse in higher ground.
The Puerto Rico Joint Forces of Rapid Action —Spanish: Fuerzas Unidas de Rapida Acción (FURA)— is an agency within the Puerto Rico Police in charge of specialized divisions that relate to federal law enforcement agencies of the United States, and coordinate operations between the PRPD and U.S. federal agencies. The force is a limited unit, well trained, and well recognized in the police. The force collaborates with law enforcement agencies of the federal government of the United States such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Marshals Service, and the Department of Homeland Security among others.
The 141st Air Control Squadron (ACS) is a unit of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. It is a mobile radar command, control and communications element of the United States Air Force Theater Air Control System located at Punta Borinquen Radar Station near by Rafael Hernandez Airport formerly Ramey Air Force Base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.
Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco is a United States Coast Guard Air Station located 13 miles (21 km) south of downtown San Francisco, California, at the San Francisco International Airport in an unincorporated area of San Mateo County. The air station sits adjacent to the airport which consists of its own ramp, one hangar, an administration building and several other support structures.
Coast Guard Air Station Sitka, Commanded by Captain Vincent J. Jansen, is an Air Station of the United States Coast Guard located in Sitka, Alaska. The station was originally established on Annette Island in March 1944, until relocating to Sitka in 1977. Early aircraft consisted of Grumman G-21's, PBY’s, HU-16’s, HH-52’s, and HH-3 Pelicans. Primary missions performed by the air station are Search and Rescue (SAR), law enforcement, and logistics covering the Southeast part of Alaska. Area of responsibility encompasses approximately 180,000 square miles of water and land extending across Southeast Alaska from Dixon Entrance to Icy Bay (Alaska), and from the Alaskan-Canadian border to the central Gulf of Alaska. This includes 12,000 miles of coastline distinguished by a rugged coast, mountainous terrain, severe weather, and many remote villages.
Mobile Coast Guard Aviation Training Center is an air base of the United States Coast Guard located at Mobile, Alabama, where it shares an airfield with the Mobile Regional Airport. The Alabama Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 131st Aviation Regiment's "B" Company is also located at the airfield. The base is also home to the Coast Guard National Strike Force's Gulf Strike Team.
Coast Guard Air Station Detroit is an Air Station of the United States Coast Guard located in Detroit, Michigan. The station was established in 1966 and is located on Selfridge Air National Guard base. Early aircraft consisted of three HH-52A Seaguard helicopters with an area of operations encompassing Lakes Ontario, Erie, St. Clair and southern Lake Huron. During the summer months they assume responsibility for the southern portion of Lake Michigan and operate from an Air Facilities located in Muskegon, Michigan, and Waukegan, Illinois. Air Station Detroit conducts flights in support of domestic icebreaking operations, marine environmental protection, and search and rescue missions. Most notably they responded to several rescue missions during Hurricane Katrina of 2005. Today they support 30 Coast Guard shore units, five cutters, as well as federal, state, local, and Canadian government agencies. Detroit aircrews handle over 200 rescues annually. Currently the air station houses five MH-65E Dolphin helicopters.
Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi is an Air Station of the United States Coast Guard located in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Station is co-located with Sector Corpus Christi offices at Corpus Christi International Airport. The Coast Guard Air Detachment was established on 20 November 1950, and served the entire western Gulf of Mexico with one PBY-5 Catalina fixed wing aircraft, and four pilots. In 1965, the detachment was formally designated USCG Air Station Corpus Christi. Early aircraft consisted of HU-16E Albatross, HH-52A Seaguard helicopter, HC-131 Samaritan, and HU-25A fanjet's. Following extensive personnel and equipment changes in the operations department, the air station became fully operational on October 15, 1980, and operated as one of thirteen Coast Guard Group units between Port O'Connor, Texas and the Mexican border. The Station, maintained a 24-hour Search and rescue capability, with the use of three HH-52A helicopters and three HU-25A fanjets. The Unit averaged over 400 rescues a year, which included searches for overdue vessels, assisting sinking or disabled boats, and medical evacuations from offshore oil rigs. In the spring of 1986 the station's HH-52s were replaced with the Aérospatiale HH-65 Dolphin helicopter. In May 2005 the Coast Guard commissioned Air station Corpus Christi to combine all the units within the area of Port Lavaca to Brownsville under one unified command.
Punta Borinquen Radar Station is a facility of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard home for the 141st Air Control Squadron. Located adjacent to Rafael Hernández Airport, in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The facility has operated since 1964 when the 140th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (ACWS) was created under the control of Air Defense Command (ADC).