New Command at CG Yard Baltimore, Md.

Captain Richard Murphy, United States Coast Guard (USCG), recently assumed command of the U.S. Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Md. He is the 40th Commanding Officer in the 111-year history of the shipyard, the only shipbuilding and ship repair facility of the United States Coast Guard.

Captain Murphy took charge of the Coast Guard Yard from Captain John Kaplan who served as the shipyard’s Commanding Officer from May 2008 to May 2010.  Captain Kaplan retired from the U.S. Coast Guard with 28 years active duty service.  Captain Murphy assumes command of the shipyard from his assignment as the Coast Guard Headquarters Acquisition Directorate’s Fast Response Cutter and 87’ Coastal Patrol Boat Project Manager, a position he has held since 2006.

Captain Murphy graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering.  His prior assignments include Commanding Officer, Civil Engineering Unit Miami; Chief of Facilities Management, Coast Guard Yard; Civil Engineering Resource Program Manager, Civil Engineering Division, Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, D.C.; Executive Officer and Project Engineer, Civil Engineering Unit Oakland, California; Maintenance Control Officer, Coast Guard Yard,  and Deck Watch officer, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter CHILULA (WMEC 153).

Captain Murphy is a 2006 graduate of the National Defense University’s Industrial College of the Armed Forces where he earned a Masters Degree in National Strategic Strategy.  He holds a Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois and is a Department of Homeland Security Level III Certified Program Manager.

Captain Murphy’s personal decorations include the Legion of Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals, three Coast Guard Commendation Medals, and a Coast Guard Achievement Medal.  A native of Jackson, New Jersey, Captain Murphy is married to Beth Murphy of Huntingburg, Indiana.  They have three children: Richard, age 17; Grace, age 14, and Maeve, age 12.

Captain Murphy takes command of an industrially funded $101m annual gross revenue business. The current workforce of the Yard is 550 civilian employees and 65 military members. Founded in 1899, the Coast Guard Yard is a full-service shipyard.  The Yard is responsible for repair and modernization of a variety of Coast Guard cutters and for the manufacturing of Coast Guard equipment that provides critical service to the Coast Guard fleet.