DETROIT - On March 31, 2005, Captain B. A. Watson, Commander, Coast Guard Group/ Marine Safety Office Detroit transferred command to Capt Patrick W. Brennan as Commander of Sector Detroit during a Change of Command Ceremony at Coast Guard Air Station Detroit.

During this ceremony Captain Brennan was designated the Command of Sector Detroit. Coast Guard Sector Detroit merged the two commands Group and Marine Safety Office Detroit and was one of eleven sectors in the country to have made these organizational changes.

The goal of Sectors is to unify Coast Guard operational command and control functions into Sector commands, placing the full range of our missions under a single, local operational commander within a reasonably sized area of operations resulting in increased interaction and coordination of Coast Guard missions. This single organization will provide better service the public and improve our ability to cooperate with our federal, state and local partners.

Rear Admiral R. J. Papp, Commander, Ninth Coast Guard District was the presiding official for this Change of Command ceremony.  Captain Patrick W. Brennan arrives in Detroit after a tour as Executive Officer, Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans, La.

Captain B. A. Watson's hometown is Mobile, Alabama, where both of his parents reside. He received his commission as an Ensign from the U.S. Coast Guard Officer Candidate School in Yorktown, Virginia in December 1977.  He has since served in a variety of operational positions, including operations officer aboard the former CGC BASSWOOD homeported in Agana, Guam; as surface operations officer at Group North Bend, Oregon; and Deputy Group Commander, Mobile, Alabama.  He served as a staff officer at three Coast Guard District offices, Coast Guard Headquarters, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense in a variety of program areas including intelligence, law enforcement, and defense readiness and operations.  From 2000 to 2002, Captain Watson served as the Coast Guard Advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and on the Joint Staff in the Pentagon.  He was on duty in the National Military Command Center in the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 and directed several Joint Staff crisis action teams in the months following the terrorist attacks.  Captain Watson assumed command of Coast Guard Group and Base Detroit during the summer of 2002 and in July 2004, he took on additional responsibilities as Commanding Officer, Marine Safety Office Detroit.  Captain Watson attended the U.S. Naval War College where he earned a Master of Arts Degree in National Strategy and Strategic Studies in 1993.

The Change of Command Ceremony is a time-honored tradition of the naval services. The passing of command between officers is a strong representation of the honor, respect and the devotion to their duties. During the ceremony, the officers faced each other, read their official orders and rendered proper salutes.  This classic ceremony signifies the transference of authority.