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Press Release | June 13, 2023

Media Availability: Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay to hold change-of-command ceremony

Editor’s note: Media interested in attending must RSVP to Lt. Malia Hindle at 609-224-0237 no later than 4 p.m. Thursday.

PHILADELPHIA — Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay is scheduled to host a change-of-command ceremony Friday at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay.

Who: Capt. Kate Higgins-Bloom will relieve Capt. Jonathan Theel as commander of Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay. Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath, commander of the 5th Coast Guard District, will preside over the ceremony.

What: Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay change-of-command ceremony

When: Friday, June 16, at 10 a.m., news media is requested to arrive no later than 9:30 a.m.

Where: 1 Washington Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19147

Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay’s area of responsibility encompasses much of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey’s rivers, bays, inlets, and coastline out to 200 nautical miles offshore. Their AOR also includes the Ports of Philadelphia, Camden, and Wilmington which combined form the largest freshwater port complex in the world,and contribute more than $88 billion annually to the U.S. economy.

The change-of-command ceremony is a time-honored military tradition that marks a transfer of total responsibility and authority from one individual to another. The ceremony is conducted to formally demonstrate the continuity of authority within a U.S. military command.


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