HEADQUARTERS

May 18, 2023

MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Coast Guard, partner agencies to hold oil spill-boom deployment exercise in Yorktown

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Editor's note: Media interested in attending are asked to RSVP Coast Guard 5th District Public

May 18, 2023

MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Coast Guard to kick off National Safe Boating Week

Editor's Note: Media are requested to RSVP by 6 p.m., Friday, to the Coast Guard public affairs detachment Jacksonville office at 786-449-4059. WHO: Coast Guard Maritime Force Protection Unit Kings Bay and Coast Guard Station Mayport crews invite media to attend an event to promote National Safe Boating Week. WHAT: Coast Guard crews will provide information on safe boating practices, how to remain clear of Naval vessels being escorted by the Coast Guard and will conduct a search and rescue demonstration to include a helicopter rescue swimmer deployment demonstration by a Coast Guard Air Station Savannah aircrew. WHEN: Media are requested to arrive by noon, Saturday, May 20, 2023 WHERE: Fernandina Harbor Marina, 3 S. Front St., Fernandina Beach, FL 32034 For breaking news, follow us on Twitter. For additional information, find us on Facebook and Instagram. -USCG-

May 17, 2023

At the top of her class

NEW LONDON, CONN., -- Life as a cadet at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy is not meant to be easy. So, when a student earns a near perfect grade point average and receives two prestigious scholarships to pursue advanced educational opportunities, it is a significant accomplishment to say the least. Add to that being named the Distinguished Graduate, the cadet with the highest military precedence average, which combines the academic, military, and physical components of the entire 200-week program. Christine Groves, a Mechanical Engineering major from Austin, Tx., has recently earned all of these accolades. In 2022 she received a Truman Scholarship, the premier graduate fellowship in the nation for public service leadership which is granted to those who demonstrate leadership potential, academic excellence, and a commitment to public service. Earlier this year, she was also awarded a Fulbright scholarship, which is a graduate education program designed to improve intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the U.S. and other countries. “Christine Groves is a special talent,” said Dr. Amy Donahue, Academy Provost. “This has been apparent to us throughout her cadet career as we have marveled at her accomplishments, and it is very gratifying to have her recognized with two preeminent prestigious scholarships. She is the first cadet to achieve this, and we couldn’t be prouder of her.” While studying at the Academy, Groves conducted research on renewable energy technologies to address environmental pollution and climate change, but her work extended beyond the classroom as well. Working with the Coast Guard Office of Inclusion and Diversity, she provided recommendations to support transgender members. In support of the LGBTQ+ community, Groves founded the Academy’s Transgender Committee to promote gender equality and build an inclusive and welcoming environment in the Corps of Cadets. One of the pillars of the Academy mission is to develop leaders “in the service of their country and humanity”. Her future plans embrace those concepts and may even help future generations as she sets out to pursue a master’s degree in sustainable energy engineering, with a research focus on direct air carbon capture technologies.

May 17, 2023

Media Advisory: Coast Guard hosts proclamation signing event for Safe Boating Week

HONOLULU — Coast Guard Sector Honolulu will be hosting an event to mark the start of the 2023 National Safe Boating Week on Friday at Sector Honolulu.

May 17, 2023

PHOTOS AVAILABLE: U.S. Coast Guard Academy Commencement

NEW LONDON, CONN., -- Two-hundred and thirty-five ensigns were graduated and commissioned for service at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Wednesday, May 17. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas delivered the keynote address during the 142nd commencement exercises on Cadet Memorial Field. The Class of 2023 arrived at the Academy on July 1, 2019. The class motto is Omnes Simul, which means “All Together.”

May 17, 2023

Coast Guard repatriated, transferred 169 people to Cuba, Bahamas over 5 days 

Coast Guard crews repatriated and transferred 169 people to Cuba and the Bahamas from Friday through Tuesday, making it known that the maritime borders to the United States are closed to irregular and illegal migration. These repatriations and transfers came from nine separate voyages, originating from Cuba or the Bahamas. A total of 169 migrants were interdicted from those nine encounters.  

May 17, 2023

Lake freighter runs aground, is later refloated off Belle Isle

DETROIT — The Mark W. Barker, a 639-foot lake freighter that ran soft aground in the Detroit River due to an electronics malfunction, was successfully refloated at approximately 12:10 p.m. today with the assistance of commercial towing.

May 17, 2023

Coast Guard unit set to relocate from Massena to Fort Drum, N.Y.

MASSENA, N.Y. — MASSENA, N.Y. — The Coast Guard is requesting public comments on the planned relocation of a Marine Safety Detachment from Massena to Fort Drum, N.Y.

May 17, 2023

MEDIA ADVISORY: Coast Guard Sector Virginia to hold National Safe Boating Week media event

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Editor’s Note: Media interested in attending should contact Lt. j.g. Abdallah at

May 17, 2023

Coast Guard returns 96 of 102 migrants to the Dominican Republic, following 3 vessel interdictions in the Mona Passage

Coast Guard crews returned 96 of 102 people to a Dominican Republic Navy vessel Tuesday, following three separate interdictions in Mona Passage waters off the west coast of Puerto Rico. The Coast Guard, along with Homeland Security Task Force – Southeast partners, maintains a continual presence with air, land and sea assets in the Florida Straits, the Winward Passage, the Mona Passage and the Caribbean Sea, collaborating to protect safety of life at sea. With their combined multi-layered approach, they were able to interdict several irregular maritime migration events over the past days.