Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay

Coordinates: 40°58′36″N 124°06′40″W / 40.97667°N 124.11111°W / 40.97667; -124.11111

Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay
Unit Unit Patch CGAS Humboldt Bay
Active	1977-Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Coast Guard
Type	Air Station
Role	To patrol coastline from the Mendocino - Sonoma County line north to the California - Oregon border.
Aircraft flown
Helicopter	3 HH-65 Dolphin

Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay is a United States Coast Guard Air Station located at Arcata-Eureka Airport in McKinleyville, California is one of five air stations in the Eleventh Coast Guard District.^[1]

Operations and missions

Air Station Humboldt Bay, California, USA

Air Station Humboldt Bay consists of 3 MH-65C helicopters and the primary mission is search and rescue (SAR). Most cases are dramatic and lifesaving in nature due to the rough seas and generally poor weather conditions prevalent on the northern California coast. The Air Station also provides MEDEVAC support for injured personnel in the mountains surrounding the Group area. Secondary missions include aerial support for Aids to Navigation, Maritime Law enforcement, and Marine Environmental Protection along 250 miles of rugged coastline from the Mendocino - Sonoma County line north to the California - Oregon border.

The Command Center located at CGAS Humboldt Bay monitors for distress 24 hours a day and directs Coast Guard boats and aircraft to respond to any maritime emergency in the region; along the coast, well offshore, or even inland. The Group / Air Station also works with many local, state and federal agencies as needed.

History

Coast Guard Group / Air Station Humboldt Bay was commissioned on June 24, 1977 at the Arcata-Eureka Airport in McKinleyville, California

This completed a multi-year initiative by local residents to gain a year-round aviation search and rescue (SAR) facility for Northern California. Prior to 1977, an aviation detachment from Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco provided air coverage during the summer season, but the response time of over two hours was not fast enough for victims to survive in the 40-50 degree water commonly found along the north coast.

Originally named Air Station Arcata, the Group / Air Station was re-designated to its current name in May 1982. The new $3.5 million facility also relocated boat station support offices from nearby Samoa to establish centralized command and control over all Coast Guard assets in the area.^[2]

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ http://www.uscg.mil/d11/grpHumboldtBay/aboutus.asp

External links

• States Coast Guard official site
• CGAS Humboldt Bay official site
• Coast Guard District official site
• HH-65 Air Stations