Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles (CGAS Los Angeles) was a

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

air station located at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. CGAS Los Angeles was activated in 1962, and was deactivated in 2016.

Missions

CGAS Los Angeles missions included search and rescue, homeland security, and environmental protection. Homeland security was also an important mission of CGAS Los Angeles. Helicopters from the base patrolled the west coast of the United States from

Dana Point Dana Point () is a city located in southern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 33,107 at the 2020 census. It has one of the few harbors along the Orange County coast, and with ready access via State Route 1, it is a po ...

Morro Bay Morro Bay (''Morro'', Spanish for "Hill") is a seaside city in San Luis Obispo County, California. Located on the Central Coast of California, the city population was 10,757 as of the 2020 census, up from 10,234 at the 2010 census. The town ...

. The Port of Los Angeles and the

Port of Long Beach The Port of Long Beach, also known as the Harbor Department of the City of Long Beach, is a container port in the United States, which adjoins Port of Los Angeles. Acting as a major gateway for US–Asian trade, the port occupies of land with ...

also lied within the station's patrol area.

History

CGAS Los Angeles was founded in August 1962 through the combined efforts of the

Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce is Southern California's largest not-for-profit business federation, representing the interests of more than 235,000 businesses in L.A. County, more than 1,400 member companies and more than 722,430 employ ...

, U.S. Senator

Thomas Kuchel Thomas Henry Kuchel ( ; August 15, 1910 – November 21, 1994) was an American politician. A moderate Republican, he served as a US Senator from California from 1953 to 1969 and was the minority whip in the Senate, where he was the co-ma ...

, and U.S. Representative

James Roosevelt James Roosevelt II (December 23, 1907 – August 13, 1991) was an American businessman, Marine, activist, and Democratic Party politician. The eldest son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, he served as an official Secr ...

In May 1963, the unit switched to three HH-52A Seaguard helicopters. These helicopters were flown for 24 years. In September 2016, CGAS Los Angeles was closed when the lease on the existing facility at Los Angeles International Airport ended. Administratively, its component units were relocated to

Naval Air Station Point Mugu Naval Air Station Point Mugu was a United States naval air station near Oxnard, California, which operated as an independent base from 1941 to 2000, when it merged with nearby Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme to form Naval Base ...

and merged with/became a satellite of the

Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco is a United States Coast Guard Air Station located 13 miles south of downtown San Francisco, California at the San Francisco International Airport in an unincorporated area of San Mateo County. The air sta ...

. This allowed LAX to accommodate the planned improvements for LAX's midfield, including the Midfield Satellite Concourse North (MSC North) terminal. USCGLosAngelespatch

References

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External links

Official Coast Guard Air Station−CGAS Los Angeles website

HH-65 Air Stations
{{Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport United States Coast Guard Air Stations Military facilities in Greater Los Angeles 1962 establishments in California 2016 disestablishments in California