Flotilla and Auxiliary Foundations

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary was originally founded as the Coast Guard Reserve on June 23, 1939. We were created in our present form in 1941 by the U.S. Congress as the "Auxiliary", an unarmed, non-military extension of the United States Coast Guard.

The "flotilla" is the basic unit of the Auxiliary. The two chief officers in a given flotilla are the Flotilla Commander (FC) and Vice Flotilla Commander (VFC), and are elected by the flotilla membership. They, along with the Flotilla Staff Officers (FSOs, who are appointed by the Flotilla Commander) administer the flotilla activities.

The Silicon Valley Flotilla (113-04-09) was chartered on September 18, 1999 and is an active Auxiliary flotilla in the 11th Coast Guard District, Northern Region (D11N), which includes northern California, northern Nevada, and northern Utah.

Recreational Boating Safety, as well as Operations and Marine Safety, are our primary missions. Member Services are of extreme importance in order to support these missions. Fellowship (socializing) is the glue that holds these missions and the Auxiliary membership together. While fellowship is an Auxiliary cornerstone, it is not our primary purpose. Collectively, these are known as the "Four Cornerstones" and have served the Auxiliary and the U.S. Coast Guard well.