Seattle Native to Head Coast Guard Station
A Seattle native will assume command of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles next week during a change-of-command ceremony.
Cmdr. Andrew Eriks, 48, grew up in Seattle and attended Ingraham High School before joining the Coast Guard in 1984.
An officer for 20 years, he has served at numerous stations across the country, including Astoria, Ore.; Washington, D.C.; and Elizabeth City, N.C.
Gov. Jay Inslee and Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, are scheduled to attend the event, according to the Coast Guard.
Rear Adm. Richard Gromlich, commander of the 13th Coast Guard District, will preside over the ceremony in Port Angeles on Wednesday.
Eriks will relieve Capt. Keith McTigue, who is originally from Shelton, Mason County.
Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles is a dual-mission unit with both operational and support activities in an area that includes the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the northwest coast of Washington around the Olympic Peninsula to the mouth of Puget Sound, according to the Coast Guard.
The change-of-command ceremony is a tradition that “formally restates that the continuity of command will be maintained,” according to a Coast Guard news release.
“The event signifies a total transfer of responsibility, authority and accountability for the command,” the release says. “All members of the unit attend the ceremony to witness the transfer of command”
Cmdr. Eriks is the son of Loann and Bob Eriks of Seattle.