SAN DIEGO — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf (WMSL 750) held a change of command ceremony, Monday, in San Diego.
Vice Adm. Andrew Tiongson, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area, presided over the ceremony in which Capt. Andrew Pate relieved Capt. Billy Mees as Bertholf’s commanding officer.
Mees served as Bertholf’s commanding officer from June 2023 to June 2025. Under Mees’ leadership, Bertholf deployed to the Bering Sea, Western Pacific and Oceania in support of domestic and illegal, unregulated, unreported fisheries and building international partnerships.
While deployed to the Western Pacific, Bertholf supported the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet. Led by Mees, the cutter and crew participated in international engagements in the Republic of Singapore, Malaysia, and India, strengthening interoperability and maritime governance through joint at-sea exercises, professional engagements, and subject matter expert exchanges. Bertholf reinforced existing relationships and built new ones, contributing to a more secure and prosperous Pacific.
“I have nothing but thanks and gratitude to the crew of Bertholf,” said Mees. “It has been an incredible privilege to serve with such devoted and resilient men and women, especially during this, my final tour at sea. The boundless dedication to our mission and the immense care toward each other has marked my time aboard as one of the greatest honors of my career. Each and every member of Bertholf truly live up to our ship’s motto, Legends Begin Here.”
Pate reports to Bertholf after serving as the chief of maritime cutter forces at Coast Guard Pacific Area.
Mees departs Bertholf to serve as the chief of staff for District 13.
The change of command ceremony is a time-honored tradition and formal ritual conducted before the assembled company of a command to confirm to the unit’s men and women that the authority of command is maintained. The ceremony is a transfer of total responsibility, authority, and accountability from one individual to another.
Commissioned in 2008, Bertholf is one of four Coast Guard legend-class national security cutters homeported in Alameda. National security cutters are 418 feet long, 54 feet wide, and have a 4,600 long-ton displacement. They have a top speed of more than 28 knots, a range of 12,000 nautical miles, endurance of up to 90 days, and can hold a crew of up to 170.