USCG 14th District

USCG 14th District

Covering some 18 million square miles surrounding Hawaii, the 14th Coast Guard District maintains several offices throughout the region. In addition to the Coast Guard's well-known search-and-rescue mission, district vessels and aircraft also provide a wide range of other services including the enforcement of the Fisheries Conservation and Management Act, which establishes a controlled fishing area within 200 miles of United States shores. In the Pacific Basin, Coast Guard vessels and aircraft patrol not only the waters around the Hawaiian Islands, but also Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, American Samoa, and other U.S. territories in the Pacific. Two Honolulu-based high endurance cutters also patrol the rich fishing grounds off the coast of Alaska. The Coast Guard is also the leading federal agency charged with the prevention of oil pollution of our waters. If an oil spill should occur, the Coast Guard coordinates cleanup efforts to minimize damage to the marine environment.

As marine safety is a continuing Coast Guard concern, a Marine Safety Office (MSO) is maintained in Honolulu which is responsible for port security, pollution investigation and the inspection and licensing of merchant vessels and port operations. The prevention of potential marine disasters is achieved by the thorough investigation of incidents such as groundings, explosions and collisions. Permanent marine inspection detachments are located in Singapore, American Samoa and Saipan. Marine safety personnel also inspect American-flag vessels in foreign shipyards - a job that takes them to Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, India, and other Asian countries. In addition to the many tasks listed above, the MSO also carries out duties of the Captain of the Port (COTP) as well.

The District Office is located in the Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Federal Building which overlooks Honolulu Harbor. Across from this location, on man-made Sand Island, is ISC Honolulu, with approximately 200 Coast Guard and civilian personnel, and Station Honolulu, which operates small boats in Oahu waters. Two section offices, the Marianas Section (MARSEC) office in Guam, and the Far East Activities/Marine Inspection Office East Asia (FESEC) office at Yokota Air Base, Japan, maintain operational control, logistics and administrative support for units assigned to the southwestern Pacific and the Orient.

This coin honors and salutes the Coast Guard's 14th District, and all personnel who have served there. Minted in a brass alloy, this coin is given an antique brass finish, and embued with enamel in the bold colors of the insignia of the 14th district. This coin comes packaged in a polybag with a detailed header card.