In 1930, Representative James Mott introduced a bill to authorize the treasury to establish a Coast Guard station in Depoe Bay. The station was to be an auxiliary to the Yaquina Bay Lifeboat Station. The station was established in 1940, as an auxiliary to Yaquina Station in Newport. In 1949, the volume of work done to aid fishing craft and other coast-wise traffic was rapidly increasing, and authorization was received giving new staff and equipment to Officer-in-Charge Francis J. Greenbrook. The station name was officially changed to Coast Guard Moorings, Depoe Bay. Also in 1949, Depoe Bay’s motor life-boat “Yaquina Bay” went to Newport for repairs; when it was returned, “Yaquina Bay” had been painted over with “Depoe Bay”, bringing smiles all around at the station. In 1995, proposed cuts to Coast Guard funding would have reduced the 24 assigned personnel to only 10. President Clinton stepped in and signed a bill prohibiting the closure of small boat search and rescue stations in Oregon, ensuring the station would have sufficient personnel to continue its involvement with rescuing fishing boats and people in trouble on the water.
The station’s current area of responsibility extends from Cape Kiwanda to Spencer Creek. Their primary mission is to provide search and rescue to commercial mariners, recreational boaters, and surfers. The station also supports numerous other missions including marine environmental protection, fisheries conservation enforcement, towing, and enforcing boating safety regulations. The station averages 100 search and rescue cases per year, and currently has 31 active-duty personnel, two 47-foot motor lifeboats, and one 25-foot RB-S. The Coast Guard’s continued presence ensures that our commercial, charter, and sport fishermen can operate with safety and protection.