Coast Guard Island facts for kids
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 Coast Guard Island
Location in San Francisco Bay Area
Coast Guard Island
Location in California
Coast Guard Island
Location in the United States
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| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Oakland Estuary |
| Coordinates | 37°46′57″N 122°14′57″W / 37.782553°N 122.249207°W |
| Total islands | 1 |
| Area | 0.271139 km2 (0.104687 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
| State | California |
| Governing body |  United States Coast Guard |
Coast Guard Island is a special man-made island in California. It's located in the Oakland Estuary, a waterway between the cities of Oakland and Alameda. This island is a very important place for the United States Coast Guard. Many of their main offices and large ships, called 'cutters,' are based here. It's one of the biggest Coast Guard bases on the entire West Coast of the United States.
For many years, from 1942 to 1982, the island was a 'boot camp.' This is where new Coast Guard members learned how to be part of the service. Hundreds of thousands of people trained here, including many who served in World War II. The island is about 67 acres in size. That's like 50 football fields! It's located in an area now called Embarcadero Cove. Even though it's in Alameda city limits, you can only reach it by a bridge from Oakland.
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What's on the Island?
Coast Guard Island is home to many important U.S. Coast Guard groups. Base Alameda manages all the facilities on the island. More than 1,200 people work here.
Some of the main groups include:
- Pacific Area and Defense Force West: This is a major command for the Coast Guard in the Pacific region.
- Maritime Intelligence Fusion Center Pacific (MIFCPAC): This group gathers and understands information about the sea.
- Sector San Francisco (Prevention Department): Part of the San Francisco Coast Guard operations.
- Pacific Regional Fisheries Training Center: Where people learn about fishing rules and safety.
- Maritime Safety and Security Team 91105 (MSST 91105): A special team that helps with safety and security on the water.
The island is also the home for four very large ships called Legend-class cutters:
- USCGC Bertholf (WMSL-750)
- USCGC Waesche (WMSL-751)
- USCGC Stratton (WMSL-752)
- USCGC Munro (WMSL-755)
Many other Coast Guard offices also have teams or regional offices on the island. These include groups that handle investigations, legal services, human resources, and logistics (making sure supplies are available).
The island also has an industrial service center. There are places for Coast Guard members to live, a medical and dental clinic, and facilities to keep the island running smoothly.
How the Island Was Made
This island was first called Government Island. It was created in 1913. Workers used a special process called dredging. They dug out the bottom of the Oakland Estuary to make it deeper. The dirt they removed was used to build up this new island.
The Coast Guard first came to the island in 1926. They set up "Base 11" here. In 1931, an official order gave the Coast Guard 15 acres of land for a permanent base. They started building things like streets, utilities, and a bridge from Oakland. They also fixed up the docks. All this cost more than a million and a half dollars. It provided facilities for Base 11 and Coast Guard warehouses.
Growing the Base
The base grew bigger in 1939 when the Lighthouse Service joined the Coast Guard. In 1940, a training center was started. This was to help train more people for the Coast Guard.
More land was added to the island. In 1939, 35 acres were bought from the City of Alameda. In 1942, the U.S. Coast Guard bought another 17 acres. Soon, the entire 67-acre island was used for training facilities. New buildings were constructed. These included barracks (places to sleep), a mess hall (where they ate), and administration buildings. This first big building project cost over $1.6 million and was finished in June 1942. More buildings were added later, like extra barracks and a drill field.
The Recruit Training Center
The training center opened on June 1, 1942. It could train 900 new recruits at a time. At first, it only trained new Coast Guard members. Later, they added special training. This included training for firefighters, signalmen, radiomen, and cooks.
After World War II, Government Island remained a Coast Guard Training Center. Other government groups also had offices there. In the late 1960s, it was the Coast Guard's largest base on the West Coast. The Training Center graduated many new sailors every week. The Supply Center helped support Coast Guard operations in the western areas, including those in Vietnam. Large Coast Guard ships like the Taney were based here.
In 1982, the training center closed. All new recruit training moved to Cape May, New Jersey. On June 1, 1982, the island was renamed Coast Guard Island. Important Coast Guard commands, like the Coast Guard Pacific Area, moved to the island from downtown San Francisco. Today, the base is known as Base Alameda.
Important Leaders
Some of the leaders who commanded the base include:
- Rear Admiral A. J. Carpenter during World War II.
- Captain Henry P. Kniskern during the Vietnam War.
- Captain Michael L. Woolard, who was in charge from 2011 to 2015.
- Captain Jonathan P. Hickey, who was in charge from 2015 to 2018.
