The volunteer arm of the United States Coast Guard came to the Outer Banks of North Carolina as a result of the chartering of Flotilla 1607 on 27 April 1975. The flotilla quickly became and remains an important part of Team Coast Guard serving the people of the “Banks”.
By April 1975 when the Flotilla charter was granted by the Coast Guard, the membership had already grown to 21.
Today we number almost 50 shipmates.
At the time of the establishment of 1607, there were four Coast Guard units serving the Outer Banks: Station Oregon Inlet (SOI), the nearest to Colington Harbor, Station Hatteras Inlet (SHI), 65 miles to the south, Station Ocracoke on Ocracoke Island 80 miles to the south including a ferry ride across Hatteras Inlet and Group Cape Hatteras located in Buxton on Hatteras Island. The personnel at SOI provided strong support for the fledgling Flotilla by providing on-the-water training for operations, use of the Station facilities for training meetings and support for the Flotilla’s vessel examining and public education activities.
As the flotilla evolved a partnership with the Coast Guard leadership developed and soon some very different missions were being tried and then fully implemented augmenting the primary mission of enhancing boating safety. To support these missions the Coast Guard equipped and assigned a 27-foot Boston Whaler Utility Life Boat to Flotilla 1607 in 2006.
The Flotilla maintains a balance of on the water activities and community outreach to promote boating safety through the safety check program, public education in schools and at events on the Outer Banks.
