CAPE MAY, N.J. ─ The crew of the 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Mako held a change-of-command ceremony Friday at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May.
During the ceremony, Master Chief Petty Officer William D. Hollandsworth relinquished command of the coastal patrol boat and crew to Master Chief Petty Officer Eric T. Lepley.
Lepley is reporting from Pensacola, Fla., where he served as the officer in charge aboard the 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Bonito.
Hollandsworth is preparing to deploy for a yearlong deployment to Bahrain, where he will serve as the command master chief at U.S. Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia.
As the command master chief, Hollandsworth will be the senior enlisted advisor to more than 300 Coast Guard personnel assigned to locations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Afghanistan, as well as six 110-foot Coast Guard cutter crews.
Hollandsworth’s family will continue to live in Cape May for the duration of his deployment.
The primary missions of the Mako’s crew include search and rescue, enforcement of laws and treaties, marine environmental protection, and maritime safety and security.
The change-of-command ceremony is a formal naval tradition, which includes the transfer of total responsibility and authority from one individual to another.