Changing Command; Coast Guard welcomes new unit commander

U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Blake Welborn formally became the new commanding officer of Marine Safety Unit Morgan City Friday morning during a ceremony at Morgan City High School, making his second stop in Morgan City with the Coast Guard.
Welborn relieved Capt. David McClellan as the marine safety unit’s commanding officer. McClellan, who has led the Morgan City unit since June 2013, will be transferring to District 14 Prevention Department in Hawaii.
MSU Morgan City is responsible for patrolling the area’s waterways, responding to incidents, inspecting vessels and coordinating pollution response, among other duties.
Welborn, a native of Greenville, Texas, will be the Morgan City unit’s commanding officer for the next three years. Welborn was commissioned with the Coast Guard’s Officer Candidate School in 1993.
Coast Guard members are supposed to take care of one another as members of a family, Welborn said.
He chose the first state motto, “not for oneself but for others” as the unit’s motto.
“Every day we place the welfare of others above ourselves as part of our service to the nation,” Welborn said. “I want to look for ways to expand this dedication and commitment to the betterment of others.”
From 2010-14, Welborn served as executive officer of Marine Safety Unit Morgan City, where he supervised over 110 members performing inspections, investigations, and responses in coastal Louisiana, according to his bio.
Welborn most recently served as the detachment supervisor of the Investigations National Center of Expertise where he super-vised a team of advisors to Coast Guard marine casualty investigators worldwide and supervised the investigations program directorate at Coast Guard Headquarters.
Coast Guard Sector New Orleans Commander Capt. Philip Schifflin performed the ceremonial change of command duties. The Morgan City unit will be at the forefront of ensuring safety and environmental stewardship of the nation’s waters in the coming decades with the increased demand on maritime transportation to support production of oil and gas, Schifflin said.
In his exiting speech, McClellan said, “South Louisiana is about oil, industry and getting things done. The attitudes that still exist here are what made this the greatest nation that has ever existed on the face of the earth.”
McClellan thanked all the Marine Safety Unit Morgan City personnel for all they do each day to ensure safety of the area’s waterways.