Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer Derek Campbell relieves Master Chief Petty Officer Lawrence Dean as the officer-in-charge of the Coast Guard Cutter Chinook during a change-of-command ceremony at the Coast Guard Harbor Facility in Corpus Christi, Texas, July 2, 2020.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer Derek Campbell relieved Master Chief Petty Officer Lawrence Dean as the officer-in-charge of the Coast Guard Cutter Chinook during a change-of-command ceremony at the Coast Guard Harbor Facility in Corpus Christi, Texas, Thursday.
Capt. Edward Gaynor, commander of Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi, presided over the ceremony.
Dean will report to Tybee Island, Ga., where he will serve as officer-in-charge of the Coast Guard Cutter Pompano, an 87-foot coastal patrol boat.
Campbell is reporting from Baltimore, Md., where he served as the officer-in-charge of the Coast Guard Cutter Chock, a 65-foot harbor tug.
The Chinook is a multi-mission vessel capable of conducting search and rescue, law enforcement, security, and environmental protection operations. The Chinook plays a critical role in preventing threatened fish stocks from being poached by unregulated foreign fishing vessels along the U.S./Mexico maritime boundary line. As the Coast Guard continues to modernize its fleet, the ability of the command and crew to perform a range of domestic and military operations is increasingly essential.
The change-of-command ceremony is a time-honored tradition and deeply rooted in Coast Guard and Naval history. The event signifies a total transfer of responsibility, authority, and accountability of the command.
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