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Captain's Biography

Commanding Officer
USCGC Mellon (WHEC 717)

Photo of Captain Klipp

CAPTAIN DAVID S. KLIPP

U.S. Coast Guard

Captain Klipp is a 1985 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. His first assignment was to USCGC RESOLUTE (WMEC 620) in Astoria, OR.
From 1985-1987, he served as Communications Officer and conducted general maritime and fisheries enforcement in the Eastern Pacific. He reported as Navigator on the USS FANNING (FF 1076) in 1987. He earned the Navy Surface Warfare qualification in 1988 and deployed to the Arabian Gulf to escort oil tankers during Operation EARNEST WILL.
Captain Klipp completed post-graduate studies in 1991 and was assigned as a project engineer in the Ocean Engineering Branch at Coast Guard Headquarters. There he provided engineering support for the National Strike Force and District oil pollution response teams.
From 1994-1996, Captain Klipp was the Operations Officer on USCGC HAMILTON (WHEC-715), homeported in San Pedro, California. HAMILTON conducted alien migrant interdiction operations (AMIO) near Haiti, Chinese AMIO off the West Coast of Mexico, and conducted fisheries enforcement in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska.
Captain Klipp was Chief, Planning Section at the Civil Engineering Unit in Oakland, CA, from 1996 to 1998, and subsequently served as the CEU Executive Officer from 1998-2000.
As Executive Officer of USCGC SHERMAN (WHEC-720), he completed a 6-month deployment to the Arabian Gulf in January 2001. SHERMAN operated with the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN Battle Group to enforce U.N sanctions against Iraq. SHERMAN’s deployment was only the second non-polar circumnavigation of the globe by a Coast Guard cutter.
In 2002, Captain Klipp reported to Training Center Cape May as the Facilities Engineer where he provided civil engineering and public works support for extensive new construction and renovation of base facilities. Captain Klipp assumed command of USCGC DEPENDABLE (WMEC-626), Cape May, NJ on June 30, 2005.
DEPENDABLE patrolled from Maine to Texas during his two-year assignment and was the first 210 WMEC to complete the Mission Effectiveness Project.
He served as Chief, Incident Management Branch, Thirteenth Coast Guard District from July 2007 to Feb 2009 and then as District 13’s Response Division Chief from March to August 2009.

EDUCATION:

1985 Bachelor of Science Ocean Engineering, U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
1991 Master of Science degrees in Ocean Engineering and Mechanical Engineering,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:

Meritorious Service Medal (4)
Coast Guard Commendation Medal (3)
Coast Guard Achievement Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal (2)
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (2)

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Last Modified 1/26/2012