The Coast Guard
Auxiliary Ninth District, Central Region, Division Eight, has an area of responsibility (AOR)
encompassing Northern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin including much of Western Lake Superior along Minnesota's
scenic and historically rich North Shore.
This area of operation (AOR) include five flotillas located in:
The
Apostle Island's Flotilla 8-1, Bayfield, WI
The
Twin Ports Flotilla 8-4 of Duluth, MN & Superior, WI
The
Flotilla 8-2 of Saxon Harbor, WI
The Ash River
Flotilla 8-7 at Orr, MN and near International Falls,
MN
The Northwest Minnesota Lakes Flotilla
8-5 operating in both Warroad, MN and Walker, MN.
These flotillas offer a variety of services to the boating public in their areas of operation
including: public boating safety classes, vessel safety checks (VSCs) offered as
a courtesy to the boating public, liaison visits with marine dealers
& recreational programs, surface operations including safety & regatta patrols, and support
to active duty personnel
where needed, along with other missions as directed by the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.
ABOUT THE COAST GUARD
The Coast Guard is an armed maritime
service with military, law enforcement, marine environmental protection, preventative safety and
search-and-rescue (SAR) missions.
Formed as the Revenue Cutter Service
in 1790 by Alexander Hamilton to collect taxes and deter piracy, the Coast Guard is the oldest armed,
uniformed service in continual operation since 1790. In 1915, the federal lighthouse and lifesaving
services were merged with the Revenue Cutter Service and renamed the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard was nominally under the administration of the Department of the Treasury (except
during times of war, when it was under the Navy Department) until the 1960s, when it was transferred
to the authority of the Department of Transportation. In March, 2003, the Coast Guard was transferred
to the Department of Homeland Security.
ABOUT THE
COAST GUARD AUXILIARY
Formed in 1939 as the
Coast Guard Reserve, the Coast Guard Auxiliary was given its present name. The outbreak of
World War II necessitated the formation of a military reserve and the original reserve was renamed
the auxiliary in 1941. The Auxiliary is comprised of some 36,000 uniformed, civilian volunteers —
veterans, professionals and spirited citizens — who serve side-by-side with active and reserve
duty personnel, assisting the Coast Guard in every mission area except direct military action and
law enforcement, and as directed by the Commandant of the Coast Guard. In an average day, Auxiliarist
s save one life, assist 56 people in distress, save $719,000 in property, educate 936 people
about boating safety, perform 615 Vessel Safety Checks (VSC), conduct 19 search and rescue (SAR) missions,
complete 100 safety patrols afloat, and participate in 120 operational support missions for the
Coast Guard. Dubbed “America’s Volunteer Lifesavers,” they comprise about one-third
of the Coast Guard's total manpower.
