When the Revenue Cutter Lawrence sailed into Honolulu Harbor in 1849, it marked the beginning of a Coast Guard presence in the Pacific. Today, more than 1,150 active duty, 150 reserve, 80 civilian and 350 volunteer men and women work in the Coast Guard's largest area of responsibility - the Fourteenth Coast Guard District.

Encompassing more than 12.2 million square miles of land and sea, with units on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, the Big Island and in American Samoa, Saipan, Guam, Singapore and Japan, the Fourteenth Coast Guard District's boundaries of responsibility stretch from the Hawaiian Islands and across most of the Central and Western Pacific.

The district commander oversees 29 operational units ashore and afloat throughout the Pacific, which regularly perform missions in maritime safety, protection of natural resources, maritime security, homeland security, and national defense.

The Coast Guard ensures the safety and full economic availability of Hawaii's ports and regulates access to vessels and waterfront facilities, enforces laws governing the security of ports and anchorages and supervises the handling of dangerous cargo.

The Coast Guard's preventive programs for commercial vessel safety minimizes loss of life, property damage, and personal injuries sustained in commercial, scientific, or exploratory activity in the marine environment.

The Coast Guard also enforces federal laws on the high seas and navigable waters of the U.S. and its possessions, including illegal alien and drug interdiction, and the protection of living marine resources. It maintains aids to navigation such as buoys and harbor entrance day boards.

It manages a maritime environmental protection program aimed at preventing, detecting, and controlling pollution on Hawaii's navigable waters and also administers a boating safety program (through the direction of the Coast Guard Auxiliary) aimed at making the operation of small craft pleasurable and safe. Additionally, the Coast Guard Auxiliary assists the district in many missions and provides extensive boating safety educational courses for the boating public.

Search and rescue

Every day, the Coast Guard works with Honolulu, Maui, Big Island and Kauai fire and police departments and ocean safety divisions on cases within three nautical miles of shore. In addition, the Coast Guard handles dozens of cases a month off shore - often partnering with Department of Defense units, good Samaritans and commercial vessels.

Search and rescue operations in and around the Hawaiian Islands are coordinated by the Sector Honolulu Operations Center at Sand Island. Personnel with the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in the Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Federal Building downtown respond to calls for assistance from all around the Pacific.

Vessel inspections/investigations

The marine safety personnel of the Coast Guard in Hawaii inspect merchant vessels, port facilities and investigates marine casualties and license vessel operators. Marine safety detachments on Maui and the Big Island (and in American Samoa and Saipan) inspect vessels and respond and work to prevent oil spills and other hazards to the marine environment. A marine inspection office in Japan, and its detachment in Singapore, inspect American flag vessels operating in Asia and the Indian subcontinent as far east as Diego Garcia.