District 13 is a

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

district, based at the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building, in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

. It covers the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

and its Area of Responsibility encompasses four states; Washington,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

, and

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

. District 13 is divided into two Sectors –

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...

and

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

. The District has more than 3,000 active duty and reserve members, civilian employees, and

auxiliaries Auxiliaries are combat support, support personnel that assist the military or police but are organised differently from regular army, regular forces. Auxiliary may be military volunteers undertaking support functions or performing certain duties ...

and operates twenty-one

cutters Cutter may refer to: Tools * Bolt cutter * Box cutter * Cigar cutter * Cookie cutter * Cutter (hydraulic rescue tool) * Glass cutter * Meat cutter * Milling cutter * Paper cutter * Pizza cutter * Side cutter People * Cutter (surname) * ...

, 132 boats and eleven aircraft.

Command and duties

District 13's assets carry out an array of daily operations including

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

, coastal patrols to enforce safety and fisheries regulations, conduct safety and compliance inspections, examine commercial vessels and waterfront facilities, and protect strategic defense and critical infrastructure. The District also contains the United States largest domestic ferry system, as well as the third largest domestic port, the third largest cruise ship port, and the largest grain export gateway in the country. District 13 also provides support and ports to various

Coast Guard Pacific Area Coast Guard Pacific Area & Defense Forces West (PACAREA) is an Area Command of the United States Coast Guard, a regional command element and force provider tasked with maritime safety, security, and stewardship throughout the Pacific. The comma ...

assets, including two

high endurance cutter The designation of high endurance cutter (WHEC) was created in 1965 when the United States Coast Guard adopted its own designation system. High endurance cutters encompass the largest cutters previously designated by the United States Navy as g ...

s, three

medium endurance cutter The Medium Endurance Cutter or WMEC is a type of United States Coast Guard Cutter mainly consisting of the Famous- and ''Reliance''-class cutters. These larger cutters are under control of Area Commands (Atlantic Area or Pacific Area). These cut ...

s, two icebreakers, a

Port Security Unit The U.S. Coast Guard's Port Security Units are Deployable Specialized Forces organized for sustained expeditionary security and anti-terrorism. They perform Anti-Terrorism Force Protection (ATFP) missions, which include harbor and port defen ...

Maritime Safety and Security Team A Maritime Safety and Security Team, or MSST, is a counter-terrorism team of the United States Coast Guard established to protect local Marine (ocean), maritime assets. It is also a harbor and inshore patrol and security team that includes Anti ...

, and Base Seattle. District 13 is commanded by

RADM Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is u ...

Charles E. Fosse.

District 13 Units

;District 13 *Thirteenth Coast Guard District HQ, Jackson Federal Building,

* USCGC ''Elm'' WLB-204, Base Tongue Point,

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a Port, port city in and the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the ...

Naval Station Everett Naval Station Everett (NAVSTA Everett) is a military installation located in the city of Everett, Washington, north of Seattle. The naval station, located on the city's waterfront on the northeastern end of Puget Sound, was designed as a homepo ...

Everett, Washington Everett (; ) is the county seat and most populous city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the Seattle metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett ...

;Sector Puget Sound *USCG Station Seattle, Seattle, Washington **Sector Puget Sound HQ **

Aids to Navigation A navigational aid (NAVAID), also known as aid to navigation (ATON), is any sort of signal, markers or guidance equipment which aids the traveler in navigation, usually nautical or aviation travel. Common types of such aids include lighthouses, ...

Team Puget Sound **Puget Sound Vessel Traffic Service ** Marine Safety Office Puget Sound *USCG Station Quillayute River,

La Push, Washington La Push is a small unincorporated community situated at the mouth of the Quillayute River in the Western Olympic Peninsula. It is the de facto capital and main population center of the Quileute Indian Reservation, which is home to the federally ...

*USCG Station Port Angeles,

Port Angeles, Washington Port Angeles ( ) is a city and county seat of Clallam County, Washington, Clallam County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 19,960 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most populous city in t ...

**Sector Field Office (SFO) Port Angeles **USCGC ''Adelie'' (WPB-87333) **USCGC ''Swordfish'' (WPB-87358) **USCGC ''Wahoo'' (WPB-87345) *USCG Station Bellingham,

Bellingham, Washington Bellingham ( ) is the county seat of Whatcom County, Washington, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It lies south of the Canada–United States border, U.S.–Canada border, between Vancouver, British Columbia, ...

**USCGC ''Sea Lion'' (WPB-87352) **USCGC ''Terrapin'' (WPB-87366) *USCG Station Neah Bay, Neah Bay, Washington *USCGC ''Blueshark'' (WPB-87360), Naval Station Everett, Everett, Washington *USCGC ''Osprey'' (WPB-87307),

Port Townsend, Washington Port Townsend is a city on the Quimper Peninsula in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,148 at the 2020 United States Census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County. In addition ...

Maritime Force Protection Unit A Maritime Force Protection Unit (MFPU) is a U.S. Coast Guard special unit tasked with the protection of U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) while surfaced and transiting U.S. territorial waters to and from their patrol stations. Mariti ...

Bangor,

Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor Naval Base Kitsap is a U.S. Navy base located on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington state, created in 2004 by merging the former Naval Station Bremerton with Naval Submarine Base Bangor. It is the home base for the Navy’s fleet throughout W ...

Silverdale, Washington Silverdale is an unincorporated community in Kitsap County, Washington, in the United States. Despite many attempts at incorporation, Silverdale has not become a city. The population was 20,733 at the 2020 census. For statistical purposes, the Un ...

** ** ;Sector Columbia River *Sector Columbia River HQ,

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

* USCG Station Cape Disappointment,

Ilwaco, Washington Ilwaco ( ) is a city in Pacific County, Washington, Pacific County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 1,087 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Founded in 1890, the city was home to the Ilwaco Railway an ...

**National Motor Lifeboat School *USCG Station Grays Harbor,

Westport, Washington Westport is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. It had a population of 2,213 at the 2020 census. Westport is located on the Point Chehalis Peninsula, right on the entrance to Grays Harbor from the Pacific Ocean. The publ ...

*USCG Station Portland,

**Marine Safety Office/Group Portland ** *USCG Station Tillamook Bay,

Garibaldi, Oregon Garibaldi ( ) is a city in Tillamook County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The population was 830 at the 2020 census. History The indigenous Tillamook people have lived along the Oregon coast –including the Tillamook Bay– for about 12,000 y ...

*Aids to Navigation Team Astoria, Astoria, OR *Aids to Navigation Team Kennewick,

Kennewick, Washington Kennewick () is a city in Benton County, Washington, Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It is located along the southwest bank of the Columbia River, just southeast of the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima ...

*Sector North Bend HQ,

North Bend, Oregon North Bend is a city in Coos County, Oregon, Coos County, Oregon, United States with a population of 9,695 as of the 2010 census.Harbor, Oregon Harbor ( Tolowa: chit ) is an unincorporated community in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It is located across the Chetco River from the city of Brookings. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Harbor as a ...

*USCG Station Coos Bay,

Charleston, Oregon Charleston () is an unincorporated community in Coos County, Oregon, United States. Charleston is the least populated (Pop. 795 017 community in Oregon's Bay Area and is Home to a large commercial fishing fleet, it is adjacent to the ocean ent ...

**Aids to Navigation Team Coos Bay **USCGC ''Orcas'' (WPB-1327) *USCG Station Depoe Bay,

Newport, Oregon Newport is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It was incorporated in 1882, though the name dates back to the establishment of a post office in 1868. Newport was named for Newport, Rhode Island. As of the 2010 ...

*USCG Station Siuslaw River,

Florence, Oregon Florence is a coastal city in Lane County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It lies at the mouth of the Siuslaw River on the Pacific Ocean and about midway between Newport to the north and Coos Bay to the south along U.S. Route 101. As of August ...

*USCG Station Umpqua River,

Winchester Bay, Oregon Winchester Bay, formerly Umpqua City, is an unincorporated community in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Winchester Bay as a census-designated place (CDP). The census de ...

*USCG Station Yaquina Bay, Newport, Oregon ; PACAREA Units *USCG Base Seattle, Seattle, Washington *

(MSST) 91101, Seattle *

313,

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

*, Seattle *, Seattle (Out of service since 2010, and now provides spare parts for ''Polar Star''.) *, Seattle *, Seattle *, Seattle *, Port Angeles, Washington *, Warrenton, Oregon *, Warrenton ;HQ Units *Facilities Design & Construction Center, Seattle, Washington *Investigation Services Northwest, Seattle *USCG Recruiting Offices **

Tukwila, Washington Tukwila ( ) is a suburban city in King County, Washington, United States, located immediately to the south of Seattle. The population was 21,798 at the 2020 census. A large commercial center draws workers and consumers to the city daily; ind ...

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver ( ) is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Founded in 1825 and incorporated in 1857, Vancouver had a population of 190, ...

Boise, Idaho Boise ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Idaho, most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Loca ...

*Regional Exam Centers **Seattle, Washington **Portland, Oregon

Training

Not only does the 13th deal with the nation's largest amount of recreational traffic, but it is also home to one of only two Maritime Force Protection Units, which are responsible for escorting America's Trident ballistic-missile submarines to and from their home port. It is also the home of the National Motor Lifeboat School near Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco, Washington. The Advanced Helicopter Rescue School across the Columbia River teaches extreme rescue scenarios at the Tongue Point and Air Station in Astoria, Oregon.

References

{{United States Coast Guard United States Coast Guard districts