A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter roars in low above a Ventura County beach, and out to a boat that’s set of an emergency flare in the ocean near Point Mugu. A basket is being lowered for a rescue from the boat. This time, it’s just a drill.
But, in the last six months, Coast Guard helicopters have made some 560 flights from Naval Base Ventura County, in what is now their temporary air station covering much of Southern California.
Coast Guard Captain Kent Everingham is Commanding Officer of Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco, and oversees what is known as Forward Operating Base Point Mugu. The temporary facility in the base covers Los Angeles County’s coastline, as well as Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties. He says shift of the facility from LAX improves chopper response times for the Central and South Coasts.
The 560 flights from the temporary base include 65 search and rescue missions, and 38 lives saved. For now, the Point Mugu station has two helicopters which are staffed around the clock. The air units work with Coast Guard vessels based in Oxnard, and Santa Barbara, as well as civilian public safety agencies on the Central and South Coasts.
While their operations at Naval Base Ventura County are currently out of a temporary facility, the plan is to build a permanent home with more helicopters and personnel. The proposal is for four helicopters to be based in Ventura County, with a permanent staff of more than 80 people. It could take about five years to design, build, and staff the new facility.
The Coast Guard facility is responsible for covering 350 nautical miles of coastline along the California Coast.
