NAWILIWILI — Declaring July 2 as U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kittiwake Day was a final touch of appreciation the island showed the departing cutter and crew, Friday. Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. said the USCG presence on Kaua‘i is critical,
NAWILIWILI — Declaring July 2 as U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kittiwake Day was a final touch of appreciation the island showed the departing cutter and crew, Friday.
Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. said the USCG presence on Kaua‘i is critical, needed and appreciated.
“It makes me feel comfortable in my job,” Carvalho said. “And having the Coast Guard on Kaua‘i is even more meaningful after we spent some time at the Nawiliwili station getting to know the crew.”
Carvalho said the change of command and change of port ceremony marked an opportunity for the county to demonstrate appreciation for the service the USCG Cutter Kittiwake provided to the island and its residents during its decade of service she spent home-ported at Nawiliwili Harbor.
Lt. Gordon Hood, the commanding officer of the Kittiwake, was honored for his service during the transition to Lt. j.g. Sara McGuigan, who will take over the helm of the cutter as it moves to Honolulu.
In accepting the Coast Guard Commendation Medal, Hood was cited for outstanding achievement while serving as the commanding officer of the Kittiwake from July 2008 to July 2010, raising the Kittiwake to become a role model for the USCG fleet.
During that tenure, Hood is credited with leading the crew to execute more than 50 percent of all USCG sector patrol-boat tasking, including 66 U.S. Navy ballistic-missile-submarine security escorts, move than 700 homeland security patrols (many in support of arriving and departing cruise ships), 160 at-sea boardings, and more than 60 percent of all humpback whale sanctuary patrols, states his commendation certificate.
During the course of carrying out these missions, Kittiwake had to transit more than 100 miles outside its home port, oftentimes through heavy seas, to perform missions near O‘ahu.
Hood was also a humanitarian, leading his unit’s efforts at raising more than $20,000 for the Marine Corps’ annual holiday Toys for Tots program, hosting the Kaua‘i Sea Scouts and assisting to refurbish a historic home in Kalaupapa National Park on Moloka‘i.
Capt. Barry Compagnoni, commander of USCG Sector Honolulu, said it was these numerous missions taking the Kittiwake away from its home port that prompted the change of port for the cutter.
While Hood’s leadership will leave a lasting legacy of improving the lives of those who served with him, this is the type of leadership that is needed to train future leaders, Compagnoni said.
But the USCG is sensitive to the concern and needs of Kaua‘i, and a 47-foot motor patrol boat replaces Kittiwake, already transferred from Maui and dedicated earlier.
Compagnoni said the new USCG boat will operate solely in Kaua‘i waters, the presence of the Kittiwake joining it when the need dictates. These changes make the Coast Guard more agile, he said.
The USCG presence on Kaua‘i dates back to the days of the Lighthouse Service that became part of the Coast Guard in 1939.
A long-range navigation station was located at the Makahu‘ena Point in Po‘ipu from 1944 to 1979, and the USCG Cutter Cape Providence was stationed in Nawiliwili Harbor from 1959 to 1964.
The Cutter Point Harris moved from O‘ahu to Kaua‘i in 1990 and was replaced by the Cutter Point Evans after sustaining major damage during Hurricane ‘Iniki in 1992.
The Cutter Kittiwake was delivered to the Coast Guard in January, 2000, and was temporarily assigned to Group San Francisco, Calif., before being commissioned and moved to Nawiliwili.
Station Kaua‘i, having a search-and-rescue detachment, was created in 2004, and in the wake of the Cutter Kittiwake departing, now is equipped with a 47-foot motor life boat, 47313, and a 31-foot utility boat.
• Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
