McKINLEYVILLE, Calif. — Capt. Arthur Snyder assumed command of Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay from Capt. Salvatore Palmeri during a change of command ceremony Friday.
As commander of the Sector, Snyder will oversee Coast Guard operations for 250 miles of coastline from the Mendocino-Sonoma County line north to the California-Oregon border. He will also direct Coast Guard boats and aircraft to respond to any maritime emergency in the region; along the coast, well offshore, or even inland.
Palmeri served as the Sector’s commander since June 2011 and will be reporting to Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., to serve as head of Coast Guard Aviation Engineering. He received the Meritorious Service award at the ceremony for his service as Sector Humboldt Bay Commander.
Snyder was previously assigned as the chief of the Coast Guard 11th District Incident Management Branch. He is a member of the Project Management Institute and holds a Professional Project Management certification.
The change of command ceremony is a time-honored tradition, which formally restates that the continuity of command will be maintained. It is a formal ritual conducted before the assembled company of the command. It conveys to the officers, enlisted personnel, civilian employees, and auxiliary members of the Coast Guard that although the authority of command is relinquished by one person and is assumed by another, it is still maintained without interruption.