SANTA RITA, Guam — Lt. Drew Lovullo assumed command of USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) from Lt. Emma Saunders in a change of command ceremony on Victor Wharf in Guam at 9 a.m. on Friday.
Capt. Jessica Worst, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam, presided over the ceremony.
Under Saunders' command, Myrtle Hazard’s crew recently delivered roughly 20,000 pounds of relief supplies to five islands across the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands after Super Typhoon Sinlaku, carrying the mayor of Agrihan and Pagan to his constituents and moving equipment for Navy partners. Weeks later, after Super Typhoon Bavi, the crew ferried aids to navigation and Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams across the Marianas, running sonar assessments off Rota and supporting the assessments that reopened the ports of Tinian and Rota.
A native of Chicago, Saunders graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in government. She previously served as Fifth District flag aide to Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath, as executive officer aboard USCGC Mustang (WPB 1310) in Seward, Alaska, and as deck watch officer and first lieutenant aboard USCGC Alex Haley (WMEC 39) in Kodiak, Alaska, where she stood underway officer of the deck and served as a boarding team member in the Bering Sea. Her awards include the Coast Guard Commendation Medal with Operational Distinguishing Device and the Commandant's Letter of Commendation Ribbon with same. Saunders departs for a postgraduate assignment at George Washington University.
Lovullo reports to Myrtle Hazard from a postgraduate assignment at Northeastern University, where he earned a Master of Public Administration. A native of Annapolis, Maryland, he enlisted in 2016 and served as a boatswain's mate at Station Saint Inigoes, Maryland, and aboard USCGC Hudson (WLIC 801) in Miami Beach before earning his commission through Officer Candidate School in 2020.
He most recently served as operations officer aboard USCGC Sequoia (WLB 215), cross-decking to USCGC Hickory (WLB 212) in Guam, where he planned and executed a 10,600-nautical-mile transit from Guam to the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore. He previously served aboard USCGC Bertholf (WMSL 750) in Alameda, California, as a deck watch officer. His awards include the Coast Guard Commendation Medal and two Coast Guard Achievement Medals, all with Operational Distinguishing Device. He has earned the Cutterman and Boat Forces Operations insignia. He graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in sociology and a Bachelor of Arts in political science.
As Lovullo takes his first command, he inherits a cutter and crew proven across a demanding operational tempo — positioned to continue safeguarding mariners, strengthening partnerships with the Freely Associated States, and advancing national interests across the 2.6 million square nautical miles of the Micronesia region.
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About USCGC Myrtle Hazard USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) is a 154-foot Sentinel-class fast response cutter homeported in Santa Rita, Guam, with a permanent crew of 24. The cutter conducts search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, ports, waterways and coastal security, and living marine resources missions across Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Freely Associated States. Myrtle Hazard’s crew routinely embarks shipriders from partner agencies and also partner nations under bilateral agreements, extending regional maritime governance and enforcement capacity throughout Oceania.