United States Coast Guard Air Stations Explained

A Coast Guard Air Station (abbreviated as CGAS or AirSta) provides aviation support for the United States Coast Guard. The Coast Guard operates approximately 210 aircraft from 24 Coast Guard Air Stations in the United States. Fixed-wing aircraft, such as the HC-130 Hercules, are built for long range missions and operate from air stations. The air stations and facilities are also home to locally based MH-65D Dolphin and Sikorsky HH-60 Jayhawk helicopters and support rotor craft assigned to flight deck equipped cutters.

Unlike Coast Guard Boat Stations, which are subordinate to Sector Commanders, the commanding officer of a Coast Guard Air Station reports to the appropriate District Commander. Air stations are typically commanded by an officer with the rank of captain.

Air station planning and overall aviation policies are under the oversight of the Office of Aviation Forces (CG-711), which in turn reports to the Assistant Commandant for Capability.

First District

Station	Location	Opened	Closed	Notes	Ref.
Coast Guard Air Station Brooklyn	Brooklyn, New York	1936	1998		[1]
CGAS Cape Cod	Sandwich, Massachusetts	1970	Active	Located on the Otis Air National Guard Base. Flies the HH-60J Jayhawk helicopters, and HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft and provide coverage from the Canada–US border to Long Island, New York.	[2]
CGAS Salem	Salem, Massachusetts	1935	1970		[3]
CGAS Ten Pound Island	Gloucester, Massachusetts	1925	1935	First permanent Coast Guard Air Station established as a seaplane base. Station Gloucester current occupies the former Ten Pound Island location.	[4] [5]

Fifth District

Station	Location	Opened	Closed	Notes	Ref.
CGAS Atlantic City	Atlantic City, New Jersey	1998	Active	Located at Atlantic City International Airport in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey and provides aircrews and aircraft to the Washington, D.C. area as part of Operation Noble Eagle, a Department of Defense (NORAD) mission to protect the air space around the nation's capital.	[6] [7]
CGAS Elizabeth City	Elizabeth City, North Carolina	1940	Active	Enlisted Coast Guardsmen in aviation ratings receive their initial aviation training at the Aviation Technical Training Center (ATTC), which is co-located with the AirSta in Elizabeth City, NC. These two commands (AirSta and ATTC) are separate entities.	[8]
Coast Guard Air Facility Norfolk	Norfolk, Virginia	1987	1989		[9]
CGAS Washington	Arlington, Virginia	1952	Active	As the closest Air Station to CG Headquarters, Washington provides executive transportation for the Commandant and the Secretary of Homeland Security, and is also tasked with the mission of intercepting violators to the ADIZ. Located at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, it is staffed by rotating crews from AirSta Atlantic City.	[10] [11]
CGAS Morehead City	Morehead City, North Carolina	1920	1922	Established in 1920 with surplus Curtiss HS and Aeromarine 40 flying boats loaned from the U.S. Navy; lost appropriation in 1922.	[12] [13]

Seventh District

Station	Location	Opened	Closed	Notes	Ref.
CGAS Clearwater	Clearwater, Florida	1934	Active	Located at the St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport, Clearwater is the largest Air Station in the Coast Guard and home to nearly 700 USCG aviation and support personnel.	[14]
CGAS Miami	Opa-locka, Florida	1964	Active	Located at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, formerly Naval Air Station Miami.	[15]
CGAS St. Augustine	St. Augustine, Florida	1989	1990	Located at the Northeast Florida Regional Airport, formerly St. Augustine Airport.	[16]
CGAS Savannah	Savannah, Georgia	1963	Active	Located at Hunter Army Airfield, formerly Hunter Air Force Base.	[17]
CGAS Borinquen	Aguadilla, Puerto Rico	1971	Active	Located at the Rafael Hernandez International Airport, formerly Ramey Air Force Base.	[18]

Eighth District

Station	Location	Opened	Closed	Notes	Ref.
CGAS Houston	Houston, Texas	1963	Active	Located at the Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base	[19]
CGAS Corpus Christi	Corpus Christi, Texas	1950	Active	Located at the Corpus Christi International Airport	[20]
CGAS New Orleans	Belle Chasse, Louisiana	1955	Active	Located at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans	[21]
Coast Guard Aviation Training Center	Mobile, Alabama	1966	Active	Located at the Mobile Regional Airport, all USCG pilots initially train at ATC, gain certifications for USCG airframes, and return to maintain qualifications.	[22]
CGAS Biloxi	Biloxi, Mississippi	1935	1966	Located at the Biloxi Municipal Airport	[23]
Air Patrol Detachment El Paso	El Paso, Texas	1937	1939	Located at Fort Sam Houston

Ninth District

Station	Location	Opened	Closed	Notes	Ref.
CGAS Chicago	Glenview, Illinois	1969	1995	Located on Naval Air Station Glenview (now closed)
CGAS Detroit	Mt. Clemens, Michigan	1966	Active	Located at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base	[24]
CGAS Traverse City	Traverse City, Michigan	1946	Active	Located at the Cherry Capital Airport	[25]
Air Facility Muskegon	Muskegon, Michigan	N/A	Active	Detachment of Air Station Detroit
Air Facility Waukegan	Waukegan, Illinois	N/A	Active	Detachment of Air Station Traverse City

Eleventh District

Station	Location	Opened	Closed	Notes	Ref.
CGAS Humboldt Bay	Humboldt Bay, California	1977	Active	Located at Arcata-Eureka Airport.	[26]
CGAS Sacramento	North Highlands, CA	1978	Active	Located at Sacramento McClellan Airport, formerly McClellan Air Force Base	[27]
CGAS San Francisco	San Francisco, California	1941	Active	Colocated at San Francisco International Airport	[28]
CGAS Ventura	Ventura County, CA	2024	Active	Located at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Ventura commenced operations in 2024 as the first new Air Station in 25 years, with Commander Amanda Sardone as its first CO. The 4 bay hangar facility supports an all MH-60T helicopter squadron, covering an AOR stretching 350 nautical miles and from Dana Point to Morro Bay.	[29] [30] [31] [32]
CGAS Los Angeles	Los Angeles, CA	1962	2016	This air station closed in September 2016 when it lost its lease on its facility at the Los Angeles International Airport to an expansion project. Administratively, its component units were relocated to Naval Air Station Point Mugu in Point Mugu, California and merged with/became a FOB of AIRSTA San Francisco until the completion of Air Station Ventura.	[33] [34]
CGAS San Diego	San Diego, California	1937	Active	Located adjacent to San Diego International Airport, this air station previously operated both rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft, with access for the latter to the airport's 9,400 foot runway. Although fixed-wing aircraft are no longer based at this air station, access to the runway remains.	[35] [36]

Thirteenth District

Station	Location	Opened	Closed	Notes	Ref.
CGAS Astoria	Warrenton, Oregon	1964	Active	Established at Tongue Point in 1964 and moved to current location in 1966.	[37]
CGAS North Bend	North Bend, Oregon	1974	Active		[38]
CGAS Port Angeles	Port Angeles, Washington	1935	Active	Supports three MH-65D Dolphin helicopters, which have been operating at the station since 1984.

Fourteenth District

Station	Location	Opened	Closed	Notes	Ref.
CGAS Barbers Point	Kapolei, Hawaii	1949	Active	Operations transferred from Kaneohe in 1949. Located at Kalaeloa Airport, formerly Naval Air Station Barbers Point.	[39] [40]
Air Detachment Sangley Point	Cavite City, Cavite	1946	1971	Colocated with Naval Station Sangley Point. Provided aerial support for LORAN stations in the Philippine islands.	[41]
SAR Wake
SAR Midway
Air Detachment Kaneohe	Hawaii	1945	1949
Air Detachment Guam	Agana, Guam	1947	1972	Established at Naval Air Station Agana to provide LORAN support for western Pacific stations.

Seventeenth District

Station	Location	Opened	Closed	Notes	Reference
CGAS Kodiak	Kodiak, Alaska	1947	Active	Largest Air Station in USCG PACAREA. Located at the Kodiak Airport, formerly Naval Air Station Kodiak.	[42]
CGAS Sitka	Sitka, Alaska	1977	Active	Area encompasses Southeast Alaska to Alaskan-Canadian border and the central Gulf of Alaska	[43]
Air Support Facility Cordova	Cordova, Alaska	1980	Seasonal	ASF Cordova serves as a seasonal forward operating base reporting to Air Station Kodiak to better support increased maritime activity during the summer fishing season. Other locations utilized by CGAS Kodiak have included Kotzebue and Cold Bay, AK.	[44] [45] [46]
Air Support Facility Kotzebue	Kotzebue, Alaska	2016	Seasonal	Located 33 miles above the Arctic Circle and 700 miles from Kodiak, CGAS Kodiak maintains a seasonal forward location along with other USCG assets in Kotzebue as greater traffic transits through the Northwest Passage during the summer season.	[47] [48]

Others

• Air Detachment Naples (Naples, Campania, Italy) (disestablished 1972)
• Air Detachment Argentia (Argentia, Newfoundland, Canada) (disestablished 1966)

See also

• List of United States military bases
• United States Coast Guard History and Heritage Sites

References

42. https://cgaviationhistory.org/1969-coast-guard-air-station-chicago-established/

External links

• Coast Guard Historian's Office: Air Stations
• "Coast Guard Grows Wings to Save Lives" Popular Mechanics, April 1936 list of USCG air stations in 1936

Notes and References

1. Web site: Air Station Brooklyn, New York. United States Coast Guard. 20 November 2012. 1 October 2012.
2. Web site: Air Station Cape Cod. United States Coast Guard. 20 November 2012. 3 October 2012.
3. Web site: Air Station Salem, Massachusetts. United States Coast Guard. 20 November 2012. 2 October 2012.
4. Web site: Air Station Ten Pound Island, Massachusetts. United States Coast Guard. 20 November 2012. 3 October 2012. 14 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161214103156/http://www.uscg.mil/history/stations/airsta_tenpoundisland.asp. dead.
5. Web site: 1926: The First Permanent Coast Guard Air Stations Established . Coast Guard Aviation History . 19 October 2020.
6. Web site: Air Station Atlantic City, New Jersey. United States Coast Guard. 18 June 2014. 4 April 2014.
7. News: How U.S. Coast Guard's agile Blackjack unit intercepts threats in D.C. sky . CBS News . CBS Interactive Inc. . 15 February 2019.
8. Web site: Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina. United States Coast Guard. 18 June 2014. 20 March 2014.
9. Web site: Air Station St. Augustine, Florida. United States Coast Guard. 18 June 2014. 2 October 2012.
10. Web site: Air Station Washington. United States Coast Guard. 18 June 2014. 19 September 2013.
11. Web site: Washington D.C., Flight Restriction Zone/"DC-3" Airports . AOPA.org . 24 August 2024.
12. Web site: Air Station Morehead City. United States Coast Guard. 20 June 2018. 20 June 2018.
13. Web site: 1920: The First Coast Guard Air Station, Morehead City, NC . Coast Guard Aviation History . 19 October 2020.
14. Web site: USCG Air Station Clearwater, Florida. www.uscg.mil. 2017-01-23.
15. Web site: Historic Coast Guard Air Stations. www.uscg.mil. 2017-01-23.
16. Web site: Significant Dates in Coast Guard Aviation. media.defense.gov. 25 June 2017. 17 May 2022.
17. Web site: USCG Air Station Savannah, GA. www.uscg.mil. 2017-01-23.
18. Web site: USCG Air Station Borinquen, Puerto Rico. www.uscg.mil. 2017-01-23.
19. Web site: USCG Air Station Houston, Texas. www.uscg.mil. 2017-01-23.
20. Web site: USCG: Sector Corpus Christi. www.uscg.mil. 2017-01-23.
21. Web site: USCG Air Station New Orleans, LA. www.uscg.mil. 2017-01-23.
22. Web site: USCG Aviation Training Center, Mobile Alabama. www.uscg.mil. 2017-01-23.
23. Web site: A Short History of Operations at U.S. Coast Guard Air Station, Biloxi, Mississippi . Morris, Ted Allan . Ted A. Morris . 19 October 2020.
24. Web site: USCG Air Station Detroit, Michigan. www.uscg.mil. 2017-01-23.
25. Web site: USCG Air Station Traverse City, MI. www.uscg.mil. 2017-01-23.
26. Web site: Sector / Air Station Humboldt Bay . United States Coast Guard . 19 October 2020.
27. Web site: Air Station Sacramento . United States Coast Guard . 19 October 2020.
28. Web site: Air Station San Francisco: History and Mission . United States Coast Guard . 19 October 2020.
29. Web site: Drew Verbis/USNavy . 2022-04-05 . Navy tours Coast Guard Air Station Construction onboard Point Mugu . 2023-06-26 . DVIDS . en.
30. News: Huggins . J.J. . Coast Guard Air Station Ventura . PADET Los Angeles . U.S. Coast Guard District 11 . DVIDS . 17 June 2024.
31. News: Uranga . Richard . Coast Guard to hold ribbon-cutting/commissioning ceremony for new Air Station Ventura . U.S. Coast Guard District Eleven . 17 June 2024.
32. News: Coast Guard Holds Ribbon-Cutting/Commissioning Ceremony for New Air Station Ventura . U.S. Coast Guard District Eleven . 13 November 2024.
33. News: Local Coast Guard station to shrink after Air Station Los Angeles at LAX shuts in 2016. Daily Breeze. January 23, 2015. Nick. Green.
34. News: Orozco . Lance . Coast Guard Permanently Moving Air Station From Los Angeles To Ventura County . KCLU . 9 September 2016.
35. Web site: Coast Guard Air Station San Diego . Historic California Posts, Camps, Stations and Airfields . 19 October 2020.
36. Web site: Air Station San Diego 50th Anniversary.
37. Web site: Group / Air Station Astoria . United States Coast Guard . 19 October 2020.
38. Web site: Group / Air Station North Bend . United States Coast Guard . 19 October 2020.
39. Web site: Air Station Barbers Point History . United States Coast Guard . 19 October 2020.
40. Web site: 1949: Coast Guard Air Detachment Barbers Point Established . Coast Guard Aviation History . 19 October 2020.
41. Web site: 1946: Pacific LORAN and Post War Aviation Support; CG Air Detachments Sangley Point and Guam Established . Coast Guard Aviation History . 19 October 2020.
42. Web site: Air Station Kodiak . U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area, Seventeenth District . 8 May 2020.
43. Web site: Air Station Sitka . U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area, Seventeenth District . 8 May 2020.
44. Web site: USCG: District 17 Units. www.uscg.mil. 2017-01-23.
45. Web site: US Coast Guard names two new Coast Guard Cities in Alaska, Washington [press release] ]. U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters . 8 May 2020 . Para. 3 . 3 December 2019.
46. News: Coast Guard Opens Seasonal Aviation Support Facility in Cordova, Alaska . Homeland Security Today . Government Technology & Services Coalition . 6 May 2021.
47. News: Andrews . Laurel . Coast Guard launches seasonal home base in Kotzebue . Anchorage Daily News . 26 June 2016.
48. News: Rosen . Yereth . US Coast Guard starts its seasonal Arctic operations from Kotzebue base . Arctic Business Journal . Arctic Today . 5 July 2021.