Story and photos by Petty Officer Lauren Downs
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| Considine makes his final speech as the officer in charge of Coast Guard Station Chatham during the ceremony. (Coast Guard photo/Lauren Downs) |
About 150 family, friends and colleagues crowded inside the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post Friday, March 21 to witness the maritime tradition that marks the transfer of command at a unit from one person to another.
During the ceremony, Considine, originally from New Castle, N.H., handed over the responsibility for the station and its crew to his replacement, Senior Chief Petty Officer David Jonason.
Besides the transfer of authority, Considine, who has become well known and respected throughout the Chatham community during his three years at the station, was also saying goodbye to shipmates
"Senior Chief Considine has been the steady hand at the helm of this station," said Captain Ray Perry, commander of Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England, and he described the treacherous weather and shallow breaking bar that station personnel must navigate daily.
The Coast Guard's history in Chatham can be traced back to the Massachusetts Humane Society in 1786 and the founding of the U.S. Life Saving Service. Some of the most famous rescues in the Coast Guard's history were performed by lifesavers from Station Chatham.
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Coast Guard Auxiliary member Reverend Warren Washburn (left), Senior Chief David Jonason (center) and Senior Chief David Considine (right) listen to speeches during the ceremony at the Chatham Veterans of Foreign Wars Post Friday, March 21, 2008. (Coast Guard photo/Lauren Downs) |
Station Chatham is one of only two Coast Guard surf stations in the Northeast, and has a unique collection of boats in its fleet. The station crew operates the Coast Guard's last 44-foot motor lifeboat, which entered service in 1962, and the only 32-foot and 42-foot near-shore lifeboats custom designed to enable rescue crews to transit the shallow waters of the Chatham Bar.
"What Chatham does is keep you on your toes," said Considine during the ceremony. "You leave here as a better coxswain, a better crewman and a better person. I know I am."During his tour as the officer in charge of Station Chatham, Considine, 40, focused on maintaining a strong relationship between the Coast Guard crew and the fishing community.
"The local fishing fleet was usually squared away with impeccable gear," said Considine, and that the good rapport made his job easier. "They rarely had violations during boardings."
The sense of community resonated at the change of command ceremony when Perry asked all the members of the local maritime community, including Coast Guardsmen, policemen, firemen, harbormasters, fishermen and all others present to stand up and be recognized.
"This is Station Chatham, but more so, it's Chatham's station," Perry said.
He added that with Jonason in command, the station would remain in good hands.
As the new officer in charge of the station, Jonason, 39, brings 21 years of Coast Guard experience with him to his new assignment. He previously served as an instructor at the Coast Guard's National Motor Lifeboat School in Ilwaco, Wash., where he taught Coast Guardsmen how to safely operate the service's designated su |
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Considine (left) and Chief William Hollandsworth (center right) watch as Jonason (right) salutes Perry during the ceremony. (Coast Guard photo/Lauren Downs) |
Jonason said he would not let Considine's accomplishments leave with him and says he plans to continue building and improving relationships in the community.
The Tacoma, Wash., native explained that he was always looking for an opportunity to go to Chatham, so when that chance came, he didn't hesitate to take it.
Considine will head to Boston where he will work at the Coast Guard First District Field Intelligence Support Team, assisting with law-enforcement operations.
He admits that leaving the Cape will be difficult.
"My family and I will always hold Chatham in a warm place in our hearts," he said.
Lauren Downs is a Petty Officer assigned to the First Coast Guard District's Public Affairs staff in Boston.
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