New officer-in-charge at helm of Station Apra Harbor

SANTA RITA, Guam — Senior Chief Petty Officer Calvin Hernandez assumed command of U.S. Coast Guard Station Apra Harbor from Chief Warrant Officer Kyle Breen-Tapia in a change of command ceremony at Top o’the Mar in Guam at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

Capt. Jessica Worst, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam, presided over the ceremony.

During Breen-Tapia's tenure as officer-in-charge from June 2025 to June 2026, he led 51 active duty and reserve personnel through more than 500 resource sorties and 2,500 underway hours across the remote waters of Micronesia. The crew saved or assisted 106 people and preserved more than $1 million in property — evacuating 45 passengers from a vessel disabled by an engine fire, recovering a lone survivor clinging to the hull of an overturned vessel 20 nautical miles off Agat, and pulling two stranded mariners from Tarzan Cave during an extreme tidal change.

When Super Typhoon Sinlaku struck Guam in April, Breen-Tapia directed preparation, response, and recovery operations that helped reopen the strategically critical Port of Guam within two days of the storm passing. He also championed Station Apra Harbor as the test site for the Digital Seabag Pilot Program, secured more than $500,000 in critical infrastructure funding, and filled 11 critical billets to restore full watch coverage.

"Leading the men and women of Station Apra Harbor has been the privilege of my career," Breen-Tapia said. "This crew met every challenge this region threw at them, from Super Typhoon Sinlaku to search and rescue cases in some of the most unforgiving conditions in the Pacific, and never once flinched. I will carry their example with me wherever I serve."

A native of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Breen-Tapia enlisted in 2011 and previously commanded Station Indian River Inlet, Delaware. He is a graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard's Chief Petty Officer Academy. His awards include five Coast Guard commendation medals and four achievement medals. He is married to Ashley Rae Corbin, and they have a son and a daughter. Breen-Tapia will report to USCGC Stone (WMSL 758).

From Central Texas, Hernandez enlisted in 2011 and earned his permanent Surfman insignia at Station Tillamook Bay, Oregon, in 2020. He stood surfman duty at Station Grays Harbor, Washington; served as executive petty officer at Station Neah Bay, Washington, where he earned his officer-in-charge multi-mission ashore certification; and most recently served as executive petty officer of Station Yaquina Bay, Oregon. His awards include three Coast Guard commendation medals and five achievement medals. He is married to Beth Hernandez of Newport, Oregon, and they have a daughter and a son.

As Hernandez takes command, he inherits a station hardened by storm response and sharpened by a year of relentless operational tempo, positioned to continue safeguarding mariners, partners, and national interests across the remote waters of the Marianas.

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About U.S. Coast Guard Station Apra Harbor Station Apra Harbor comprises 51 members running 45-foot response boat-mediums and 29-foot response boat-smalls, conducting search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, and port security operations in Guam’s strategic harbor and the Marianas. As one of the most remote units in the U.S. Coast Guard, the station crew plays a critical role in maintaining maritime security, safety, and supporting national security objectives in the Micronesia region.