CHARLESTON, S.C. – A change-of-command ceremony is scheduled for the 225-foot Coast Guard Cutter Oak at 10 a.m. Friday located at 1050 Register Street in North Charleston, S.C.
Commander Michael Glander will relinquish command to Lt. Cmdr. Peter Niles, a native of Fayetteville, N.C., during the time-honored military tradition.
A military unit’s change of command is a transfer of total responsibility, authority and accountability from one individual to another
Niles’ military service began in the Army from 1984 until 1986 when he enlisted in the Coast Guard. Niles began his Coast Guard career as a seaman and advanced to the rank of petty officer first class before attending Officer Candidate School in 1996. Niles has served aboard eight cutters and accrued more than 13 years of sea service.
Glander, a native of Staten Island, N.Y., has served as Oak’s commanding officer since 2007. He is scheduled to report to Coast Guard Headquarters where he will serve as chief of the performance integration division.
“I couldn’t be more proud to have worked with such a great crew these past three years. The last six months have been especially opportunity-filled, since the Oak crew played a role in two of the Coast Guard’s major responses this year. I’m confident the crew will continue to excel in its ongoing oil cleanup mission in the Gulf of Mexico – the ship couldn’t be in better hands with Lieutenant Commander Niles at the helm,” said Glander.
Oak’s 50-member crew works primarily throughout the southeast United States and Caribbean region where they maintain more than 250 federal aids-to-navigation. In addition, Oak’s missions include maritime law enforcement, alien migrant interdiction, search-and-rescue and marine environment protection.
The crew recently returned from a two-month patrol in the Gulf of Mexico in support of the BP Horizon oil spill response where they conducted oil-skimming operations off the Alabama and Florida coasts. Oak also played a significant role in helping to restore port operations, deliver humanitarian relief and provide medical care to earthquake victims in Haiti.
