Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles

34°07′13″N 119°07′16″W / 34.12028°N 119.12111°W / 34.12028; -119.12111Coordinates: 34°07′13″N 119°07′16″W / 34.12028°N 119.12111°W / 34.12028; -119.12111

Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles
Unit Patch U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles
Active 1962–2016
Country  United States
Branch  United States Navy
Type Air Station
Role Patrol the Southern California Coast from Dana Point to Morro Bay.
Garrison/HQ Naval Air Station Point Mugu
Aircraft flown
Helicopter 2 HH-65 Dolphin

Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles (CGAS Los Angeles) was a United States Coast Guard air station located at Naval Air Station Point Mugu in Point Mugu, California.

Missions

CGAS Los Angeles missions included search and rescue, homeland security, and environmental protection. About 200 search and rescue missions were flown from CGAS Los Angeles each year.

Homeland security was also an important mission of CGAS Los Angeles. Helicopters from the base patrolled the west coast of the United States from Dana Point, California to Morro Bay, California. The Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach also lied within the station's patrol area. CGAS Los Angeles also patrolled the over water approach and departure corridors for the Los Angeles International Airport.

Crews from CGAS Los Angeles and Baywatch Cabrillo demonstrate search and rescue techniques in San Pedro, California

History

CGAS Los Angeles was founded in August 1962 through the combined efforts of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Senator Thomas Kuchel, and U.S. Representative James Roosevelt. An air detachment with one Sikorsky HO4S helicopter was transferred from Coast Guard Air Station San Diego. The Air Station was officially commissioned on November 15, 1962 with two HO4S helicopters, nine officers and 20 enlisted personnel.

Sikorsky HH-52A Seaguard of USCG Los Angeles over LAX in 1973

In May 1963, the unit switched to three HH-52A "Sea Guard" helicopters. These helicopters were flown for 24 years. In July 1984, these helicopters were used during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The complement of HH-52 helicopters nearly doubled at U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles during the Olympic Games.

In the 1972 TV drama series Emergency!, an episode titled "Trainee" saw a man fell off a cliff in Palos Verdes. A CG 1375 helicopter medicvaced the injured man to Rampart General Hospital.

The Sea Guard helicopters were replaced in November 1987 with four MH-65C.

In November 2012, CGAS Los Angeles celebrated its fiftieth golden anniversary of service by inviting elected officials, including the Mayor of Los Angeles, members of U.S. Congress representing the State of California and representatives from L.A. City & County Fire Departments.

In September 2016, CGAS Los Angeles was relocated to Naval Base Ventura County from its former location at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) when the lease on the existing facility ended. Administratively, it was merged with/became a satellite of the Coast Guard Air Station in San Francisco.[1][2] This allowed LAX to accommodate the planned improvements for LAX's midfield, including the Midfield Satellite Concourse North (MSC North) terminal.[1][3]

A former patch of CGAS Los Angeles

References

  1. 1 2 Green, Nick (January 23, 2015). "Local Coast Guard station to shrink after Air Station Los Angeles at LAX shuts in 2016". Daily Breeze.
  2. ↑ Orozco, Lance (September 9, 2016). "Coast Guard Permanently Moving Air Station From Los Angeles To Ventura County". KCLU.
  3. ↑ Burgess, Richard (February 2, 2015). "Coast Guard to Move Air Station from Los Angeles". Seapower. Archived from the original on June 28, 2015.
  • "Home Of Hollywood's Real Heroes". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  • "Air Station Los Angeles, California". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  • "EIR LAX Midfield, Description of Project" (PDF). Los Angeles World Airports. Retrieved 2014-12-22.
  • "American Heroes Air Show Officlal Web Site". Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  • "Torrance, California Armed Forces Day Parade". Retrieved 2009-08-13.
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