Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City
Encyclopedia
Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City is a United States Coast Guard Air Station
located 9 miles northwest of Atlantic City
at the Atlantic City International Airport
in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey
. It is the northernmost, largest air station within the Coast Guard Fifth District.
Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City (CGAS) located at the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) William J Hughes Technical Center at the Atlantic City International Airport
is one of two air stations in the Fifth Coast Guard District.
Air Station Atlantic City consists of 10 MH-65D helicopter
s and maintains two Dolphin helicopters in 30-minute response status. Approximately, 250 aviation personnel are staffed at the facility in addition of Coast Guard Reserves
and Auxiliary
that augments its Active Duty forces.
CGAS Atlantic City mission supports a wide range of Coast Guard operations such as search and rescue
(SAR), Maritime Law enforcement
, port security
, Aids to Navigation support
and Marine Environmental Protection
for both District One and District Five, which includes the coastlines of Connecticut
, New York
, New Jersey
, Pennsylvania
, Delaware
, Maryland
and Virginia
as well as protecting the interior bays and rivers such as the Chesapeake
, Delaware
, Hudson
and Long Island Sound
.
CGAS Atlantic City also provides aircrews and aircraft to the Washington, D.C.
area as part of Operation Noble Eagle, a Department of Defense
(NORAD) mission to protect the airspace
around the nation's capital.
Group Air Station Atlantic City provides mission support services to Atlantic coastal regions from Connecticut
to Virginia
. Air Station Brooklyn and Air Station Cape May's operational responsibilities overlapped in the region, and so the United States Coast Guard
decided that the same level of coverage would be maintained by consolidating both air stations into one facility.
The first life-saving stations
along the New Jersey
coastline were built in 1849 in response to a deadly string of shipping accidents. The term "Group" was in reference to life saving stations from Barnegat, New Jersey
to Cape May, New Jersey
. In 1969 Cape May became a Group Air Station when three helicopters were stationed there under command of Group Commander. Originally organized into two separate group offices based in Atlantic City and Cape May, these two command structures were combined in 1982.
United States Coast Guard Air Stations
A Coast Guard Air Station provides aviation support for the United States Coast Guard. The Coast Guard operates approximately 210 aircraft from 24 Coast Guard Air Stations in the United States. Fixed-wing aircraft, such as the HC 130 Hercules built for long range missions operate from air stations...
located 9 miles northwest of Atlantic City
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
at the Atlantic City International Airport
Atlantic City International Airport
Atlantic City International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located nine nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Atlantic City, in Atlantic County, New Jersey...
in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey
Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey
Egg Harbor Township is a township in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 43,323, a growth of more than 40% since the previous enumeration....
. It is the northernmost, largest air station within the Coast Guard Fifth District.
Operations and missions
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
(FAA) William J Hughes Technical Center at the Atlantic City International Airport
Atlantic City International Airport
Atlantic City International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located nine nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Atlantic City, in Atlantic County, New Jersey...
is one of two air stations in the Fifth Coast Guard District.
Air Station Atlantic City consists of 10 MH-65D helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s and maintains two Dolphin helicopters in 30-minute response status. Approximately, 250 aviation personnel are staffed at the facility in addition of Coast Guard Reserves
United States Coast Guard Reserve
The United States Coast Guard Reserve is the reserve component of the United States Coast Guard. It is organized, trained, administered, and supplied under the direction of the Commandant of the Coast Guard through the Director of Reserve and Leadership....
and Auxiliary
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard and was established on June 23, 1939 by an act of Congress as the United States Coast Guard Reserve, and was re-designated as the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary on February 19, 1941...
that augments its Active Duty forces.
CGAS Atlantic City mission supports a wide range of Coast Guard operations such as search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue 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, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
(SAR), Maritime Law enforcement
Admiralty law
Admiralty law is a distinct body of law which governs maritime questions and offenses. It is a body of both domestic law governing maritime activities, and private international law governing the relationships between private entities which operate vessels on the oceans...
, port security
Port security
Port security refers to the defense, law and treaty enforcement, and counterterrorism activities that fall within the port and maritime domain...
, Aids to Navigation support
Navigational aid
A navigational aid is any sort of marker which aids the traveler in navigation; the term is most commonly used to refer to nautical or aviation travel...
and Marine Environmental Protection
Marine Environmental Protection
Marine environmental protection is one of the eleven missions of the United States Coast Guard.Officially, there are five areas of emphasis in the marine environmental protection mission...
for both District One and District Five, which includes the coastlines of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
as well as protecting the interior bays and rivers such as the Chesapeake
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
, Delaware
Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay is a major estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is in area. The bay is bordered by the State of New Jersey and the State of Delaware...
, Hudson
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
and Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
.
CGAS Atlantic City also provides aircrews and aircraft to the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
area as part of Operation Noble Eagle, a Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
(NORAD) mission to protect the airspace
Airspace
Airspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere....
around the nation's capital.
History
CGAS Atlantic City was opened on May 18, 1998. The facility is the newest and largest single airframe unit of the Coast Guard's Air Stations and is a product of merging Air Station Brooklyn, NY and Group Air Station Cape May, NJ into one unit.Group Air Station Atlantic City provides mission support services to Atlantic coastal regions from Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
to Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Air Station Brooklyn and Air Station Cape May's operational responsibilities overlapped in the region, and so the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
decided that the same level of coverage would be maintained by consolidating both air stations into one facility.
The first life-saving stations
United States Life-Saving Service
The United States Life-Saving Service was a United States government agency that grew out of private and local humanitarian efforts to save the lives of shipwrecked mariners and passengers...
along the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
coastline were built in 1849 in response to a deadly string of shipping accidents. The term "Group" was in reference to life saving stations from Barnegat, New Jersey
Barnegat Township, New Jersey
-History:Barnegat gets its name from nearby Barnegat Bay and Barnegat Inlet. The inlet was originally "Barendegat," or "Inlet of the Breakers," and was named by Dutch settlers in 1614 for the waterway's turbulent channel.-Demographics:...
to Cape May, New Jersey
Cape May, New Jersey
Cape May is a city at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean and is one of the country's oldest vacation resort destinations. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 United States...
. In 1969 Cape May became a Group Air Station when three helicopters were stationed there under command of Group Commander. Originally organized into two separate group offices based in Atlantic City and Cape May, these two command structures were combined in 1982.
Geographic location
Atlantic City International Airport is located at 39° 27′ 27″ N, 74° 34′ 38″ WAtlantic City International Airport
Atlantic City International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located nine nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Atlantic City, in Atlantic County, New Jersey...