***PHOTO RELEASE*** Coast Guard buoy tender in Newport gets new skipper

[The Patriot]

The Coast Guard Cutter Ida Lewis, a buoy tender homeported in Newport, R.I., held a change of command ceremony June 26, 2015. Chief Warrant Officer James W. Allen II (right) was relieved by Chief Warrant Officer Patrick Morkis (left). (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ross Ruddell)

BOSTON — The Coast Guard Cutter Ida Lewis crew held a change of command ceremony Friday in Newport, Rhode Island.

Chief Warrant Officer Patrick Morkis relieved Chief Warrant Officer James Allen as the commanding officer of the Ida Lewis.

"I'm humbled, honored, and very excited," said Morkis as he assumed command of the cutter. He said he is looking forward to the challenge ahead and continuing the excellent track record of the Ida Lewis.

Rear Adm. Linda Fagan, commander of the 1st Coast Guard District, who presided over the ceremony said, "Command at sea is the pinnacle of a sea-going officer's career. It is a job of immense personal satisfaction and unrelenting pressure and responsibility."

The change of command ceremony is a time-honored military tradition. It is a formal ritual conducted before the assembled company of the command. It conveys to officers and enlisted personnel of the cutter that although the authority of command is relinquished by one person and assumed by another, it is still maintained without interruption.

Coast Guard Cutter Ida Lewis is a 175-foot Coastal Buoy Tender homeported in Newport. The primary mission of Cutter Ida Lewis and her crew is servicing aids to navigation. They are also capable of handling and assisting a variety of other missions such as security, marine environmental protection, and search and rescue.




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