Officials of the United States Coast Guard held a Change of Command ceremony on Tuesday in Montauk.
Due to inclement weather, the ceremony was held not at the Coast Guard station, but at the hamlet’s firehouse. There, Senior Chief Nathaniel J. O’Connell relieved Master Chief William B. Harris. Chief Harris has served as Officer in Charge of Station Montauk for the past four years.
According to the Coast Guard, the Change of Command ceremony, a ritual conducted before the assembled crew of the command, formally restates to the station’s company that the continuity of command authority will be maintained. The heart of the ceremony is the formal reading of orders by the individual taking command.
Established in 1955, Station Montauk has a complement of 22 active-duty personnel who operate two 47-foot motor lifeboats and one 29-foot response boat. Its primary missions are search and rescue, law enforcement, and environmental protection. The station is also part of the East End Marine Law Enforcement Task Force and routinely conducts joint operations with partners including East Hampton Town Marine Patrol, the State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.