PROSPECTIVE COMMANDING OFFICER
USCGC BAINBRIDGE ISLAND (WPB-1343)

ERIC J. MATTHIES
LIEUTENANT, U.S. COAST GUARD

Raised in Hampton Roads, VA, LT Matthies is a 1992 graduate from Floyd E. Kellam High School. In 1998, he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, and with a professional background in computer aided drafting entered the Coast Guard through the officer candidate program.

Upon graduation from Officer Candidate School in 2000, he served as a Deck Watch Officer, Weapons Officer, and First Lieutenant on board the USCGC LEGARE, a 270-foot Medium Endurance Cutter homeported in Portsmouth, VA. In 2002, he was selected as Executive Officer to serve on board USCGC SANIBEL where he was the primary law enforcement boarding officer. He later supervised engineering work items during the eight-month Bridging Strategy Project to repair hull and structural deterioration, and in 2003 received the Captain David H. Jarvis Award for Inspiration Leadership.

From 2004 through 2007 he worked as a Search and Rescue Controller and Command Duty Officer at the Atlantic Area and Fifth District Command Center. There he developed search action plans and coordinated surface and air forces in support of CG missions. In 2006, he was selected as the Assistant Command Center Chief and developed guidance for the Coast Guard's newest law enforcement mission of safeguarding the airspace around the National Capital Region.

His personal awards include two Coast Guard Commendation Medals and the Coast Guard Achievement Medal. He lives in Sandy Hook, NJ with his wife Jessica and their 5-year old twin daughters, Abigail and Isabelle.