U.S. Coast Guard Station Islamorada’s new leader, Christopher Rantuccio, was installed during a change of command ceremony on Aug. 15 at Baker’s Cay Resort.
A command change at the station also marked the end of 30 years of service for Matt James, chief warrant officer who oversaw the station the past four years.
A tradition marking the transfer of responsibility and authority from one individual to another, the change of command ceremony signifies the continued leadership with no interruption in the mission and operations.
Inside the resort’s ballroom, the transition from James to Rantuccio was overseen by new U.S. Coast Guard Sector Key West Commander Josh Empen. Fellow members of the Coast Guard, including those who retired from service, family members and dignitaries looked on as James guided Rantuccio to inspect and greet the Coast Guard Station Islamorada members.
But before Rantuccio assumed command, James took time to reflect on a career that propelled him into different positions and places around the globe. He enlisted in July 1995 and graduated from Cape May, New Jersey. In his three decades of service, James moved through the enlisted ranks from seaman apprentice to senior chief boatswain’s mate, before being appointed chief warrant officer in 2012.
James’s first cutter was the Bainbridge Island. He responded to the 9/11 terror attacks in New York City as an operations petty officer with the cutter Adak. He was then deployed to the northern Arabian Gulf during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Returning home, he served at Station Sandy Hook and advanced to chief boatswain’s mate. He was eventually assigned to the maritime security response team for three years, serving as an advanced interdiction coxswain and the deployable team leader for a tactical delivery group.
In the late stages of his career, James assumed command of Station Calumet Harbor in Chicago, where he served until 2019. He then became operations team leader for Sector Delaware Bay in Philadelphia and interim commanding officer of Motor Lifeboat Station Barnegat Light, New Jersey before assuming command at Coast Guard Station Islamorada in May 2021.
Station Islamorada came with some unique challenges for James and fellow crew members. Migrant voyages were on the rise from Cuba and Haiti to the southeast U.S. — and more specifically the Florida Keys. Under James’ command, crew members responded to many vessel landings and groundings from Key Largo to Islamorada.
One of the larger incidents occurred on March 6, 2022, when a 50-foot vessel carrying 356 Haitian migrants grounded off Ocean Reef Club in North Key Largo. A little more than 150 Haitian migrants jumped off a grounded boat, attempting to swim to shore roughly 200 yards away. Nearly 200 more remained on the 50-foot boat as the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies responded to the scene.
Just months later in August, another larger vessel packed with Haitian migrants arrived again near Ocean Reef Club. The dilapidated sailboat carrying 300 Haitian men women and children grounded, leading to more than 110 migrants jumping off the vessel and swimming to shore. The rest remained on the boat. A swift rescue ensued by the U.S. Coast Guard, as many migrants in the water weren’t wearing life jackets.
Then there was the harrowing November 2022 nighttime rescue of Haitian migrants who jumped into the water near Islamorada’s Whale Harbor after the vessel they were on grounded in a shallow, sandy patch.
Empen said James’ leadership countering illegal migration off the Florida coast was “absolutely essential” during Operation Vigilant Sentry, which combatted illegal maritime migration in the Caribbean corridor of the United States.
“Your in-demand training solutions and demanding plans assured the safety and well being of your members and assets, enabling the station to be an unprecedented operational command,” Empen said.
James expressed his gratitude to the many law enforcement partners in the community, the Coast Guard auxiliary and his family for the support along the way.
With James’ retirement, the Coast Guard’s Florida Keys team welcomed Rantuccio as new commanding officer at Station Islamorada. Like James, he was assigned to the Bainbridge Island. He was then assigned to the cutter Maui, which was deployed to the Arabian Gulf during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Returning to the U.S., he was assigned to Station Boston. He eventually took command of the cutter Hawser at Bayonne, New Jersey, which conducted search and rescue missions on the Hudson River and the greater New York metro area.
In June 2020, Rantuccio was appointed chief warrant officer and assigned as executive officer of Station South Padre Island, Texas. There, he managed 70 personnel conducting complex law enforcement and interdiction operations on the nation’s southern border. In July 2023, he took command of the cutter Hawk, in Galveston.
Rantuccio said it’s an honor to be the next commanding officer of Coast Guard Station Islamorada, inheriting a crew, a mission and a reputation shaped by James’ steady hand.
