The U.S. Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi held a change-of-command ceremony June 18, where Capt. Hans Govertsen relieved Capt. Edward Gaynor as commander of the sector.

Capt. Govertsen will now oversee South Texas waterways from the Port of Brownsville to Port Lavaca. Govertsen transferred to Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi from the Eighth Coast Guard District in New Orleans, where he held the position of resource division chief.

The change-of-command ceremony marks a transfer of total responsibility and authority from one individual to another. It is a time-honored tradition, conducted before the assembled crew, honored guests and dignitaries, to formally demonstrate the continuity of the authority within a command.

Gaynor served as the commanding officer of Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi since May 2018 and oversaw the protection of the maritime transportation system during a growth period that included the opening of a liquefied gas export terminal, major channel deepening projects and the revival of the nation’s crude oil exporting capability. He oversaw 3,500 foreign vessel exams, 349 facility inspections and 208 offshore security boardings. In search and rescue, he managed 674 cases, saving 338 lives and $12.5 million in property.

Capt. Edward Gaynor, right, transfers command of Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi to Capt. Hans Govertsen, left, June 18, 2021, in Corpus Christi, Texas, as Rear Adm. John P. Nadeau, middle, commander of the Eighth Coast Guard District, presides over a change-of-command ceremony. (Photo Courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard)