The Coast Guard Cutter Harold Miller sits moored during the commissioning ceremony at Sector Field Office Galveston, Texas, July 15, 2020.
HOUSTON — The Coast Guard held a commissioning ceremony for the Coast Guard Cutter Harold Miller, the service’s 38th fast response cutter, at Sector Field Office Galveston, Texas, Wednesday.
Rear Adm. John Nadeau, Eighth Coast Guard District commander, presided over the ceremony, along with Lt. Michael Salerno, Coast Guard Cutter Harold Miller’s commanding officer.
Harold Miller, the cutter’s namesake, was a Coast Guard boatswain’s mate 2nd class and a Silver Star recipient for his heroic actions that led to the victory at Tulagi Island during World War II.
On Aug. 7, 1942, while stationed aboard the U.S.S. McKean, Miller piloted the first wave of landing craft on Tulagi Island in the Pacific Theater against a Japanese force on Guadalcanal Island. Miller then made repeated trips in spite of heavy enemy fire to affect the landing of his embarked troops, equipment ammunition, and supplies.
The Coast Guard Cutter Harold Miller’s patrol area will encompass 900 miles of coastline for the Coast Guard’s Eighth District, from Carrabelle, Florida, to Brownsville, Texas. Fast response cutters are named after Coast Guard enlisted heroes and will replace the service’s 110-foot patrol boats. These vessels feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance equipment.
