Lt. j.g. James Morrison III relieved Lt. Christina Sandstedt as commanding officer of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Blackfin during a change-of-command ceremony Thursday in Santa Barbara.

Morrison reports to the Blackfin from Coast Guard Cutter Kimball in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he served as a deck watch officer.

Sandstedt, who had served as Blackfin’s commanding officer since June 2021, will take on her new assignment in the Coast Guard Office of Congressional Affairs in Washington, D.C.

The change-of-command ceremony is a time-honored tradition symbolizing the transfer of total responsibility, authority and accountability from one individual to another.