Coast Guard Sector Virginia holds change of command ceremony in Portsmouth, Virginia

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 06/17/2020 07:50 PM EDT

united states coast guard 

Photo Release  

U.S. Coast Guard 5th District Mid-Atlantic
Contact: 5th District Public Affairs
Office: (757) 398-6272
After Hours: (757) 295-8435
5th District online newsroom

Coast Guard Sector Virginia holds change of command ceremony in Portsmouth, Virginia

Coast Guard Capt. Samson Stevens delivers a speech during Coast Guard Sector Virginia’s change-of-command ceremony in Portsmouth, Virginia, June 17, 2020. Stevens relieved Capt. Kevin Carroll as commander of Coast Guard Sector Virginia, while Carroll retired from the Coast Guard after 26 years of honorable service. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Auxiliarist Trey Clifton)   

Lt. Cmdr. Richard Malmstrom, Chaplain of the Fifth Coast Guard District, speaks during the change-of-command ceremony for Coast Guard Sector Virginia, June 17, 2020, in Portsmouth, Virginia. Coast Guard Capt. Samson Stevens relieved Capt. Kevin Carroll as commander of Coast Guard Sector Virginia, which is comprised of nearly 480 active duty and civilian personnel, 130 reservists, and 1,300 auxiliary members. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Katlin Kilroy)   Coast Guard Capt. Kevin Carroll delivers a speech during Coast Guard Sector Virginia’s change-of-command ceremony in Portsmouth, Virginia, June 17, 2020. Carroll retired from the Coast Guard after 26 years of honorable service, and Coast Guard Capt. Samson Stevens assumed the role and responsibilities of commander of Coast Guard Sector Virginia. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Seaman Katlin Kilroy)   Capt. Kevin Carroll, departing commander of Coast Guard Sector Virginia, and Capt. Samson Stevens, incoming commander of Coast Guard Sector Virginia, salute each other during a time-honored change-of-command ceremony at Coast Guard Base Portsmouth, Virginia, June 17, 2020. Rear Adm. Keith Smith, commander of the Fifth Coast Guard District, presided over the ceremony. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Seaman Katlin Kilroy)

Editors Note: Click on images to download high resolution version.

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Coast Guard Capt. Samson Stevens relieved Capt. Kevin Carroll as commander of Coast Guard Sector Virginia during a change of command ceremony at Coast Guard Base Portsmouth, Wednesday.

Rear Adm. Keith Smith, commander of the Fifth Coast Guard District, presided over the ceremony. Carroll is scheduled to retire after 26 years of service in the Coast Guard.

Stevens has served as the deputy commander of Coast Guard Sector Virginia since June 2018. Prior to that, he served as the special assistant to the 25th Commandant of the Coast Guard.

He graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, in 1995, with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering. He has served in a broad array of operational, intelligence, joint, and staff assignments throughout his career.

Sector Virginia is comprised of nearly 480 active duty and civilian personnel, 130 reservists, and 1,300 auxiliary members. The sector’s sub-units include six multi-mission boat stations, five 87-foot patrol boats, three aids to navigation teams, and one sector field office.

Its area of responsibility encompasses the Atlantic coast along the entire state of Virginia and all navigable waters including the Chesapeake Bay; the Elizabeth, James, and Rappahannock Rivers; the Intracoastal Waterway; and several inland lakes. It also encompasses the Port of Virginia, which is the gateway to all vessels entering Baltimore and Washington D.C.

-USCG-