CG’s Gulfport Station Chief Relieved

GULFPORT, Miss. -- U.S. Coast Guard officials told the Sun Herald the man who had been in charge of Coast Guard Station Gulfport has been temporarily removed and is under investigation.

Chief Warrant Officer Brandt Martin has been "temporarily relieved for cause" after 8th Coast Guard District Commander Rear Adm. Mary E. Landry had "lost confidence in [Martin's] ability to lead," Lt. Suzanne Kerver, District 8 public affairs officer, told the Sun Herald. Kerver said the Coast Guard would not release any specifics about what accusations against Martin it was investigating, and it's unknown how long the probe will take.

"Nothing is being released for the integrity of the investigation," Kerver said.

Martin is still a member of the Coast Guard, but he's been transferred, and she was unsure of his location. A Coast Guard official at Base Support Unit New Orleans told the Sun Herald that Martin is now working there, but Martin didn't return several messages left for him there. Several U.S. phone listings under his name have been disconnected.

Coast Guard Station Gulfport is now being led by 41-year-old Chief Warrant Officer Thomas Ponte, who said he took over July 2. Ponte said he didn't know any specifics about Martin's case, other than speculation, which he wouldn't comment on.

"I had spoken to [Martin] a few times leading up to what should have been our change of command and obviously nothing of that sort came up during those conversations," Ponte said. "Then I got a call approximately three weeks before I was due to report and take over, saying he had been temporarily removed from this position and that I would never meet him. I have never met him."

Ponte, a member of the Coast Guard since 1991, previously served on a cutter out of Pascagoula and worked on the Gulf Coast for hurricanes Ivan, Katrina and others. He said he had asked to be reassigned to the area before his latest assignment in Gulfport.

So far, Ponte hasn't noticed any ill effects from the controversy involving Martin at the Gulfport station, where 39 active-duty personnel and seven reservists work. The station averages 300 search-and-rescue missions annually, and has been busy with the BP oil spill, among other duties.

"They do a fantastic job," Ponte said. "I spent all this morning under way with one of the crews and they are still very professional. A lot of the time, when the head of an organization is removed, there are usually problems underneath, but I think here they have a solid training and operational base. They've continued on."

Coast Guard Station Gulfport was wiped out by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but in May 2009 a new $17 million, 26,000-square-foot station opened there. At the time of the opening, Martin told the Sun Herald the new building, with its foot-thick concrete walls, was strong enough to withstand a Category 4 hurricane. Ponte said he was very impressed with the new station.

"It's an incredible building," Ponte said. "They are trying to rebuild a few more Coast Guard stations that are essentially falling apart, and this building is what they're using as the template."

Ponte said he believes ultimately the results of the investigation will be made public.

"Chief Warrant Officer Martin was held in high regard by a lot of people," Ponte said. "We'll see what happens."