SAN FRANCISCO — Coast Guard Sector San Francisco personnel held a change of command ceremony on Yerba Buena Island, Tuesday.
Capt. Ceraolo’s previous assignment was as the commodore of Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA) in Manama, Bahrain. He has also served as deputy chief for Coast Guard Atlantic Area Resource Management Branch; military aide and assistant to the secretary of transportation for policy; chief of the command center and response department, Coast Guard Sector New York; director for maritime security and director for arctic region policy on the national security council staff at the White House; deputy sector commander of Coast Guard Sector Northern New England; military assistant to Admiral James M. Loy, chief of staff of the Coast Guard and Coast Guard liaison and celestial navigation instructor for the U.S. Naval Academy. Capt. Ceraolo commanded the Coast Guard Cutters Point Camden and Neah Bay and began his career on the Coast Guard Cutter Sorrel in 1993.
Capt. Ceraolo holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Government with honors from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies with distinction from the U.S. Naval War College. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval War College’s College of Naval Command and Staff in Newport, Rhode Island and the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia.
Capt. Stump’s next assignment is the deputy director of reserve and military personnel at Coast Guard Headquarters.
Sector San Francisco is made up of more than 790 active, reserve and civilian personnel operating four cutters, seven search and rescue stations, an aids to navigation team, a vessel traffic service, and a marine safety detachment. The sector's area of responsibility spans from the Oregon border south to San Luis Obispo and includes more than 2,500 miles of shoreline.
The change of command ceremony is a time-honored event preserved by the rich heritage of naval tradition. It is a custom that is formal and follows military protocol and is designed to strengthen the respect for the continuity of command that is vital to military organization. The culmination of the ceremony is reached when both officers read their orders, face one another, salute and transfer responsibility for the command. This provides the entire command with the knowledge that the officer, directed by proper authority, is taking command and provides an opportunity to witness this transfer of responsibility.