BOSTON — A ceremony commemorating the establishment of a new Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla in Martha’s Vineyard is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, November 19 at Coast Guard Station Menemsha.
The new flotilla, named Auxiliary Flotilla 11-9, will be the first located on Martha’s Vineyard since World War II.
Previously, Martha’s Vineyard has fallen under Flotilla 11-2 Woods Hole. However, with increased interest and recruitment of Martha’s Vineyard residents in recent years, authorization for a subunit and eventually a new separate unit was granted.
The decision to name the new flotilla 11-9 was not arbitrary according to Peter Boardman, a Coast Guard Auxiliary affairs specialist.
“During World War II there was a Flotilla 6-9, which moved to Swansea and Franklin before being merged with Flotilla 6-18,” said Boardman.
Boardman recommended the designation 11-9 as a link to the Auxiliary’s historic roots on the island.
The U.S Coast Guard Auxiliary has 32,000 members. There are 6,080 Auxiliary members in the Coast Guard First District, which includes the waters from Sandy Hook, New Jersey to Maine, which is largest contingent in the Coast Guard.
Media interested in attending the ceremony should contact Lt. Peter Hackett at (401) 225-3649 by 3 p.m. Wednesday.