The U.S. Coast Guard Base Kodiak held a change of command ceremony for the fast response cutter Frederick Mann on July 22. During the ceremony, Lieutenant Abigail Valadez accepted the role of commanding officer of the vessel from Lieutenant Jakob Daubert.
The Frederick Mann is the latest of three 154-foot fast response cutters to come to Kodiak. Construction on the vessel was completed in 2025, and the Coast Guard commissioned it on Base Kodiak in February of this year. According to KMXT’s previous reporting, the vessel will eventually be homeported in Seward.
Coast Guard Arctic District Public Affairs Specialist Rylan Singleton wrote in an email that incoming commanding officer Valadez previously served as the operations officer on the Coast Guard cutter Willow, which is based in South Carolina.
Valadez won the Coast Guard’s LATINA Style Distinguished Military Service Award as a first class cadet in 2021 for her efforts to diversify and expand the Coast Guard Academy’s recruitment.
Outgoing commanding officer Daubert received a Coast Guard Commendation medal during the change of command ceremony for his service on the Frederick Mann. According to a Coast Guard announcement, Daubert has served on the Frederick Mann since the Coast Guard accepted delivery of the vessel in June 2025. Singleton said that Daubert will be relocating to Juneau to work with the Southeast Alaska District Logistics Department.
Commanding officers of fast response cutters typically serve for two years, according to Singleton.
