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Coast Guard CO fired; misconduct alleged

The commander of Coast Guard Sector Anchorage, Alaska, has been fired amid allegations of misconduct, the service announced.

Rear Adm. Arthur Brooks, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District, temporarily removed Capt. Mark Hamilton from command May 11. A Coast Guard news release cited alleged misconduct and a loss of confidence in Hamilton’s ability to command as the reasons for Brooks’ action.

Lt. Richard Eggen, 17th District spokesman, said an investigation is ongoing.

He would not comment on the specifics of the allegations, and said he did not know how long the investigation would take.

Brooks told the Anchorage Daily News that a month-long investigation had produced enough evidence of misconduct for Hamilton to be relieved.

“I still don’t know the full extent of it, or the degree of this, and so decisions on what to do and where it will ultimately go still pend,” Brooks told the newspaper. “But I’ve reached a point where I needed to relieve him.”

Hamilton was reassigned to the district staff to do administrative work for the chief of staff, Eggen said. The service’s commandant will decide if the relief is permanent or if Hamilton will be reinstated, he said.

Hamilton took command of Coast Guard operations for Anchorage in July. He previously was deputy commander at Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach, Calif.

Capt. John Kenyon, who has been the 17th District chief of prevention, has temporarily taken over command of the Anchorage sector.

The Coast Guard’s Anchorage operation includes verifying compliance of fishing vessels and tour boats, inspecting vessels transporting freight and passengers between the lower 48 states and western Alaska, and inspecting waterfront facilities, tank ships and barges associated with the oil industry.