DETROIT — Lt. Cmdr. John Henry assumed the duties and responsibilities of commanding officer of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bristol Bay from Lt. Cmdr. Romualdus M. ten Berge Jr. in a ceremony held at Coast Guard Sector Detroit, Friday.
Rear Adm. Michael Parks, commander of the 9th Coast Guard District, presided over the ceremony.
“It has been a highlight of my career, serving with such a dedicated and hardworking crew,” said ten Berge. “Bristol Bay is one of the most capable platforms on the Great Lakes, and we do great things for the American public”
CGC Bristol Bay is a 140-foot ice-breaking tug combined with a 120-foot aids-to-navigation barge. The crew’s primary duties include icebreaking throughout the Great Lakes and ATON maintenance.
Attendees at ceremony, held across the Detroit River from Windsor, Ontario, included representatives from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Canadian Coast Guard.
ten Berge will report to the 9th Coast Guard District Headquarters in Cleveland, where he will serve in the Department of Waterways Management.
Henry takes command of CGC Bristol Bay after serving in the Office of Requirements & Analysis at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The change-of-command ceremony is a time-honored naval tradition which formally acknowledges the transfer of responsibility, authority and accountability from one individual to another.
