COAST GUARD CUTTER MAUI
26.2285° N, 50.5860° E
The cutter Maui, originally homeported in Miami, Fla., is one of six U.S.
Coast Guard patrol boats assigned to Patrol Forces Southwest Asia in
Bahrain as part of Combined Task Force 150.
Coast Guard patrol boats assigned to Patrol Forces Southwest Asia in
Bahrain as part of Combined Task Force 150.
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The crew of the CGC Maui approached me to update their unit emblem recently. I took into account the cutter's history and present operations. At the core of the seal is the most basic of authority shapes, the shield. While CGC MAUI does much more than Law Enforcement (as does all of the Coast Guard), the basic shape of the shield is a familiar one.
The nautical star sits top and center as a secondary focal point in the emblem while characteristics of water sits at the base. Palm elements are placed on the sides to commemorate the Cutter’s namesake of Maui, Hawaii.
The tridents are powerful symbolic imagery, they’re placed here to represent the three main missions that the CGC MAUI engages in; SAR, Counter Drug Ops, & Migrant Interdiction Ops.
Bahrain is the MAUI’s current home port. While that may not be true forever, it’s a part of her history that will never be changed. So adding a small nod to the country’s flag atop the shield commemorates the missions and hard work that her and her crew have put in while part of PATFORSWA.
CGC MAUI has been around since 1986, since then, the shark has come to be a familiar symbol. Paying homage to her past without alienating the future, a new, more modern shark plays lead as the focal point of the new unit emblem.
The MAUI’s name and call number is placed on a ribbon overlapping the shield to add depth and creating a visual balance between elements of the seal.
