U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District
United States Coast Guard district for the Pacific Northwest
U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District is based at the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building, in Seattle, Washington. It covers the Pacific Northwest and its area of responsibility encompasses four states; Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Northwest District is divided into two Sectors – Puget Sound and Columbia River. The district has more than 3,000 active duty and reserve members, civilian employees, and auxiliaries and operates twenty-one cutters, 132 boats and eleven aircraft.
Command and duties
Northwest District's assets carry out an array of daily operations including search and rescue, coastal patrols to enforce safety and fisheries regulations, conduct safety and compliance inspections, examine commercial vessels and waterfront facilities, and protect strategic defense and critical infrastructure. The District also contains the United States largest domestic ferry system, as well as the third largest domestic port, the third largest cruise ship port, and the largest grain export gateway in the country. Northwest District also provides support and ports to various Coast Guard Pacific Area assets, including two high endurance cutters, three medium endurance cutters, two icebreakers, a Port Security Unit, Maritime Safety and Security Team, and Base Seattle.
Northwest District is commanded by RADM Charles E. Fosse.
Northwest District units
Northwest District
Coast Guard Northwest District HQ, Jackson Federal Building, Seattle, Washington
USCGC Elm WLB-204, Base Tongue Point, Astoria, Oregon
USCGC Henry Blake (WLM-563), Naval Station Everett, Everett, Washington
Sector Puget Sound
USCG Station Seattle, Seattle, Washington
Sector Puget Sound HQ
Aids to Navigation Team Puget Sound
Puget Sound Vessel Traffic Service
Marine Safety Office Puget Sound
USCG Station Quillayute River, La Push, Washington
USCG Station Port Angeles, Port Angeles, Washington
Sector Field Office (SFO) Port Angeles
USCGC Adelie (WPB-87333)
USCGC Swordfish (WPB-87358)
USCGC Wahoo (WPB-87345)
USCG Station Bellingham, Bellingham, Washington
USCGC Sea Lion (WPB-87352)
USCGC Terrapin (WPB-87366)
USCG Station Neah Bay, Neah Bay, Washington
USCGC Blueshark (WPB-87360), Naval Station Everett, Everett, Washington
USCGC Osprey (WPB-87307), Port Townsend, Washington
Maritime Force Protection Unit Bangor, Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Silverdale, Washington
USCGC Sea Devil (WPB-87368)
USCGC Sea Fox (WPB-87374)
Sector Columbia River
Sector Columbia River HQ, Portland, Oregon
USCG Station Cape Disappointment, Ilwaco, Washington
National Motor Lifeboat School
USCG Station Grays Harbor, Westport, Washington
USCG Station Portland, Portland, Oregon
Marine Safety Office/Group Portland
USCGC Bluebell (WLI-313)
USCG Station Tillamook Bay, Garibaldi, Oregon
Aids to Navigation Team Astoria, Astoria, OR
Aids to Navigation Team Kennewick, Kennewick, Washington
Sector North Bend HQ, North Bend, Oregon
USCG Station Chetco River, Harbor, Oregon
USCG Station Coos Bay, Charleston, Oregon
Aids to Navigation Team Coos Bay
USCGC Orcas (WPB-1327)
USCG Station Depoe Bay, Newport, Oregon
USCG Station Siuslaw River, Florence, Oregon
USCG Station Umpqua River, Winchester Bay, Oregon
USCG Station Yaquina Bay, Newport, Oregon
PACAREA Units
USCG Base Seattle, Seattle, Washington
Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) 91101, Seattle
Port Security Unit 313, Tacoma, Washington
USCGC Healy (WAGB-20), Seattle
USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB-11), Seattle (Out of service since 2010, and now provides spare parts for Polar Star.)
USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10), Seattle
USCGC Mellon (WHEC-717), Seattle
USCGC Midgett (WHEC-726), Seattle
USCGC Active (WMEC-618), Port Angeles, Washington
USCGC Alert (WMEC-630), Warrenton, Oregon
USCGC Steadfast (WMEC-623), Warrenton
HQ Units
Facilities Design & Construction Center, Seattle, Washington
Investigation Services Northwest, Seattle
USCG Recruiting Offices
Tukwila, Washington
Vancouver, Washington
Boise, Idaho
Regional Exam Centers
Seattle, Washington
Portland, Oregon
Training and other responsibilities
In addition to handling the nation's largest amount of recreational traffic, the Northwest District is home to one of two Maritime Force Protection Units, which are responsible for escorting America's Trident ballistic-missile submarines to and from their home port. It is also the home of the National Motor Lifeboat School near Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco, Washington.
The public source identifies “U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District” as united States Coast Guard district for the Pacific Northwest. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Coast, Guard and Northwest.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District”, the useful work is to connect “united States Coast Guard district for the Pacific Northwest” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5138144. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1327 and 2010.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District primary sources, U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District archive and Coast research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.