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Since 1790, the men and women of the US Coast Guard have stood ready to save lives at sea. That tradition remains alive today, as members of the US Coast Guard, US Coast Guard Reserve, and US Coast Guard Auxiliary continue to stand watch and answer the call of mariners in distress. Flotilla 59 retains a number of qualified crew, remaining at the ready for Search-and-Rescue operations.

Upon request from local EMS (via the US Coast Guard), Auxiliary Flotilla 59's personnel mobilize to assist local emergency services and other authorities in the interest of preserving the life and property of the local community. We remain at the ready 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even scrambling crews in response to the inevitable "3 a.m. call".

Search and Rescue Competition Team

Each year, the US Coast Guard sponsors a Search-and-Rescue Competition within each Auxiliary District (Flotilla 59's district includes Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina). Known as "DSAR", the contest takes the top 4-6 crews from the region and pits them against one another in a weekend-long competition testing a variety of Search-and-Rescue skill sets. Similar to a decathlon, teams are awarded points in each event based on their performance, and the Championship team is determined by cumulative point total at the end of the competition. Events focus on the following skills: