U.S. Coast Guard Station Islamorada’s new chief, Christopher Rantuccio, was put in throughout a change of command ceremony on Aug. 15 at Baker’s Cay Resort.
A command change on the station additionally marked the top of 30 years of service for Matt James, chief warrant officer who oversaw the station the previous 4 years.
A convention marking the switch of duty and authority from one particular person to a different, the change of command ceremony signifies the continued management with no interruption within the mission and operations.
Contained in the resort’s ballroom, the transition from James to Rantuccio was overseen by new U.S. Coast Guard Sector Key West Commander Josh Empen. Fellow members of the Coast Guard, together with those that retired from service, members of the family and dignitaries seemed on as James guided Rantuccio to examine and greet the Coast Guard Station Islamorada members.
However earlier than Rantuccio assumed command, James took time to mirror on a profession that propelled him into totally different positions and locations across the globe. He enlisted in July 1995 and graduated from Cape Might, New Jersey. In his three many years of service, James moved via the enlisted ranks from seaman apprentice to senior chief boatswain’s mate, earlier than being appointed chief warrant officer in 2012.
James’s first cutter was the Bainbridge Island. He responded to the 9/11 terror assaults in New York Metropolis as an operations petty officer with the cutter Adak. He was then deployed to the northern Arabian Gulf throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Returning dwelling, he served at Station Sandy Hook and superior to chief boatswain’s mate. He was finally assigned to the maritime safety response group for 3 years, serving as a sophisticated interdiction coxswain and the deployable group chief for a tactical supply group.
Within the late phases of his profession, James assumed command of Station Calumet Harbor in Chicago, the place he served till 2019. He then grew to become operations group chief for Sector Delaware Bay in Philadelphia and interim commanding officer of Motor Lifeboat Station Barnegat Gentle, New Jersey earlier than assuming command at Coast Guard Station Islamorada in Might 2021.
Station Islamorada got here with some distinctive challenges for James and fellow crew members. Migrant voyages had been on the rise from Cuba and Haiti to the southeast U.S. — and extra particularly the Florida Keys. Underneath James’ command, crew members responded to many vessel landings and groundings from Key Largo to Islamorada.
One of many bigger incidents occurred on March 6, 2022, when a 50-foot vessel carrying 356 Haitian migrants grounded off Ocean Reef Membership in North Key Largo. A bit of greater than 150 Haitian migrants jumped off a grounded boat, trying to swim to shore roughly 200 yards away. Practically 200 extra remained on the 50-foot boat because the U.S. Coast Guard and different companies responded to the scene.
Simply months later in August, one other bigger vessel full of Haitian migrants arrived once more close to Ocean Reef Membership. The dilapidated sailboat carrying 300 Haitian males ladies and kids grounded, resulting in greater than 110 migrants leaping off the vessel and swimming to shore. The remaining remained on the boat. A swift rescue ensued by the U.S. Coast Guard, as many migrants within the water weren’t carrying life jackets.
Then there was the harrowing November 2022 nighttime rescue of Haitian migrants who jumped into the water close to Islamorada’s Whale Harbor after the vessel they had been on grounded in a shallow, sandy patch.
Empen stated James’ management countering unlawful migration off the Florida coast was “completely important” throughout Operation Vigilant Sentry, which combatted unlawful maritime migration within the Caribbean hall of the US.
“Your in-demand coaching options and demanding plans assured the security and effectively being of your members and property, enabling the station to be an unprecedented operational command,” Empen stated.
James expressed his gratitude to the various legislation enforcement companions locally, the Coast Guard auxiliary and his household for the assist alongside the best way.
With James’ retirement, the Coast Guard’s Florida Keys group welcomed Rantuccio as new commanding officer at Station Islamorada. Like James, he was assigned to the Bainbridge Island. He was then assigned to the cutter Maui, which was deployed to the Arabian Gulf throughout Operation Enduring Freedom.
Returning to the U.S., he was assigned to Station Boston. He finally took command of the cutter Hawser at Bayonne, New Jersey, which carried out search and rescue missions on the Hudson River and the larger New York metro space.
In June 2020, Rantuccio was appointed chief warrant officer and assigned as government officer of Station South Padre Island, Texas. There, he managed 70 personnel conducting advanced legislation enforcement and interdiction operations on the nation’s southern border. In July 2023, he took command of the cutter Hawk, in Galveston.
Rantuccio stated it’s an honor to be the subsequent commanding officer of Coast Guard Station Islamorada, inheriting a crew, a mission and a repute formed by James’ regular hand.