York Town News
Command change next week at Coast Guard Sector Northern New England
PORTLAND - Capt. Stephen P. Garrity will be relieved by Capt. James E. Rendon as commander of Coast Guard Sector Northern New England at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 26, at Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth.
The area of responsibility for the sector extends across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and a portion of northeastern New York, spanning over 5,000 miles of coastline and 11,000 square nautical miles of water.
The commander of Sector Northern New England is responsible for all Coast Guard operations in the region including; maritime safety and security, protection of natural resources, and maritime mobility. The commander oversees most of the Coast Guard field units and cutters across the four-state region, 20 sub-units in all, and exercises federal authority granted by law and regulation as captain of the port, federal maritime security coordinator, officer in charge of marine inspection, and federal on-scene coordinator.
Sector Northern New England enjoys an excellent working relationship with the port communities and other governmental agencies from those states and has a long-standing legacy of excellence from the Coast Guard's proud history in Northern New England.
Garrity has been in command in Maine for three years, serving as the Sector Northern New England Commander for the past two years. Significant activities during his tour include 800 search and rescue cases, 2,000 law enforcement boardings and 750 vessel exams and inspections annually. He also directed Coast Guard review of two proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Downeast Maine; worked with Maine and New Hampshire to avert shortages of liquefied propane gas (LPG) during the recent winter, and led the Coast Guard's effort to minimize damage resulting from the Mother's Day Flood of 2006 and the Patriot's Day Nor'easter of 2007.
Garrity has also led the Area Maritime Security Committee and other forums, promoting collaborative efforts and exercises to enhance maritime safety and security throughout the Northern New England coastal region. Garrity concludes a richly satisfying Coast Guard career that spans over 29 years. The Garritys will retire to Andover, Mass.
Rendon most recently served as chief of response, Fifth Coast Guard District in Portsmouth, Va., where he managed multi-mission response operations along the coast and inland waterways of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, District of Columbia, Delaware, Virginia, and North Carolina.
This change marks the first Change of Command ceremony for the newly formed sector, which resulted from a merger of the former Marine Safety Office Portland, Group Portland and Group Southwest Harbor. Sector Northern New England was officially established on June 30, 2005.
