Coast Guard Sector San Francisco to receive new commander

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard 11th District Pacific Southwest Contact: 11th District Public Affairs Office: (510) 437-3325 After Hours: (510) 772-8865 11th District online newsroom

Coast Guard Sector San Francisco to receive new commander

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WHO: Coast Guard Sector San Francisco commanders

WHAT: Capt. Marie Byrd is scheduled to replace Capt. Tony Ceraolo as the commander of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco during a change-of-command ceremony

WHEN: Thursday at 10:00 a.m.

WHERE: Sector San Francisco at 1 Yerba Buena Island, San Francisco, CA 94130.

SAN FRANCISCO — Capt. Marie Byrd is scheduled to replace Capt. Tony Ceraolo as the commander of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco, Thursday, during a change-of-command ceremony on Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco.

Rear Adm. Peter Gautier, the 11th Coast Guard District commander, is scheduled to preside over the event.

Ceraolo is scheduled to transfer to the Department of Homeland Security, where he will serve as senior counselor to the secretary.

Byrd most recently served as the deputy commander of Sector San Francisco.

The Sector San Francisco commander is responsible for maritime security, safety and stewardship from the Oregon Border to the San Luis Obispo County Line and includes more than 2,500 miles of shoreline within the San Francisco Bay and its tributaries.

Sector San Francisco is made up of more than 850 active-duty and reserve members, 43 civilian employees and more than 1100 auxiliarists. The sector has seven small boat stations, four 87-foot Coastal Patrol Boats and one aids to navigation team.

In the past year, sector has conducted 1,275 search and rescue cases saving 196 lives and assisting 1,530 people. In the fourth largest port in the country, sector teams have conducted 518 domestic vessel exams, 304 foreign vessel exams, 344 facility inspections and 1,214 container inspections. As stewards of the environment, pollution teams responded to more than 400 pollution incidents and managed $262,000 in federal response funding.

The change-of-command ceremony is a time-honored tradition. It represents a total transfer of responsibility, authority and accountability from one individual to another. The event ensures the continuity of leadership and operations within the sector's area of responsibility. 

-USCG-