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06/29/2023 07:51 AMA Change of Command at U.S. Coast Guard Long Island Sound Sector
It was a momentous occasion on a beautiful day on Long Island Sound Wednesday when Captain Eva J. Van Camp of Madison turned over the duties of Commander, Sector Long Island Sound, to Captain Elisa M. Garrity of New Haven.
Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz, in her address to well over a hundred people in attendance at the Change of Command ceremony, congratulated both Van Camp and Garrity, “two strong and courageous women who have excelled...” She noted that Van Camp made history in July 2020 when she became the first woman to take over command of Sector Long Island Sound. “She has exemplified what it means to be a leader,” she says, praising Van Camp’s grit and perseverance while protecting national security, the public, along with the environment and the waterways.
The commander of Sector Long Island Sound oversees Coast Guard operations for Long Island Sound, including coastal Connecticut, the north shore of Long Island, and the south shore of Long Island out to 200 nautical miles. Responsibilities include search and rescue, port safety and security, maritime law enforcement, domestic ice breaking, aids to navigation, marine environment protection, marine inspection, and casualty investigation. The command staff, based just over the East Haven town line at 120 Woodward Avenue in New Haven, is aided by 14 field units in Connecticut and Long Island Sound and includes 550 active duty military and civilians, 180 uniformed reservists, and more than 1,500 volunteer auxiliary members.
Bysiewicz had equally high praise for Garrity, noting that Garrity, like Van Camp, has received multiple awards and accolades for her work with the Coast Guard. Garrity recently was the deputy sector commander and alternate captain of the port at Sector Boston, helping to oversee operations from the Massachusetts/New Hampshire state border south to Plymouth, Massachusetts, extending 200 nautical miles offshore.
“She has big shoes to fill, and we are confident Captain Garrity is up to the task,” Bysiewicz said.
Rear Admiral John W. Mauger, Commander, First Coast Guard District, was scheduled to attend but was not able to due to his participation in a search for a missing submersible near the wreck of the Titanic, which at the time of the ceremony on Wednesday was concentrated in a remote area of the North Atlantic.
“Our thoughts are with the families” of those involved in that incident, said USCG Captain Lexia Littlejohn, First District Chief of Staff.
She added that she was pleased to be asked to fill in for Mauger because she’s known Van Camp for 26 years, ever since they attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy together, graduating in 1997.
“In true Eva fashion, she told me to keep it short,” Littlejohn said, adding that Van Camp’s request would not keep her from detailing Van Camp’s many accomplishments. She noted that Van Camp oversaw more than 17,000 missions, including many during the COVID pandemic, which created additional complexities in an already exceedingly complex job.
Van Camp’s missions included keeping the Thames River and its tributaries safe following a crash on the Gold Star Bridge involving a truck carrying more than 2,000 gallons of home heating oil. She also worked with other agencies to set up active shooter and active threat responses. Those teams and protocols were called into action when the Bridgeport and Port Jefferson ferries had to be evacuated after a bomb threat in September 2022. Littlejohn also praised Van Camp’s many efforts to connect with the surrounding community and its schools.
Van Camp, in her address to the audience, said, “it can be lonely at the top, but it wasn’t,” due to the support she received from so many. “We have the best crew in the Coast Guard,” she said. “My awards reflect your professionalism,” adding that she was proud to have served alongside such a dedicated workforce. She thanked many of those who worked with her, including Commander Steven A. Koch, Jr., also of Madison, who served alongside her “in good times and bad.” She also singled out for praise her administrative assistant.
Van Camp also gave special thanks to her extended family, including her husband, retired Coast Guard Captain Timothy Schang, and her two children, Madison and Blair, for their support. Van Camp will be transferring to the Coast Guard Academy in New London, where she will serve as the assistant superintendent.
Captain Garrity said she was looking forward to taking command of Sector Long Island Sound with its team that is “running well” with “high morale.” She says she, too, noted to Van Camp that she, Garrity, felt like she had big shoes to fill. Garrity says Van Camp told her not to worry.
Garrity said this was Van Camp’s response: “Not really. I only wear a size seven.”