Coast Guard Sector in Philadelphia hosts change-of-command ceremony for Delaware Bay
Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay Holds Change-of-Command Ceremony in Philadelphia
On June 16, 2023, Coast Guard Capt. Kate Higgins-Bloom assumed command of the Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay in Philadelphia, relieving Capt. Johnathan Theel in a formal change-of-command ceremony. The event presided over by Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath, commander of the Fifth Coast Guard District, marked a transfer of total responsibility and authority from the outgoing commanding officer to the newly appointed one.
Capt. Higgins-Bloom most recently served as the deputy commander of Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay and has a significant background in the armed forces, including being a White House fellow participant in the executive office of the president, building national public-private partnerships to overcome veteran employment, and mental health challenges. Additionally, she served as chief of the Office of Emergency Management and Disaster Response in the Coast Guard’s Office of Emerging Policy.
The Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay is comprised of over 815 active duty, civilian, and reserve personnel and is supported by more than 2,100 Auxiliary volunteers. The sector’s area of responsibility includes much of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey’s rivers, bays, inlets, and coastline, stretching out to 200 nautical miles offshore. It also includes the Ports of Philadelphia, Camden, and Wilmington, which together form the largest freshwater port complex in the world, contributing more than $88 billion annually to the US economy.
The change-of-command ceremony represents continuity of authority within a US military command, adhering to time-honored military traditions. Capt. Theel, who commanded Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay, will retire from active service after 27 years of honorable service.
During the event, a search and rescue demonstration was conducted by the crew of the 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Mako, a coastal patrol boat homeported in Cape May, New Jersey, and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, New Jersey. With 19 sub-units, including six multi-mission boat stations, four seasonal stations, five ships, two aids to navigation teams, a marine safety detachment in Lewes, Delaware, and an engineering and weapons support detachment in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay has a critical role in ensuring maritime safety, security, and environmental stewardship in its area of responsibility.
