April 8, 2003 — Known to her friends and family as "Cathy", U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Catherine Prince was born in St Croix and graduated from St. Joseph High School in 1976.
Since the events of September 11th significantly changed the nation's homeland security posture and terrorism became a clear danger, the Coast Guard shifted its mission activity to reflect its role as a team player in U.S. Maritime Homeland Security, said a release from the U.S. Coast Guard.
As a result, Prince was called to active duty and assigned to the Coast Guard Resident Inspection Office in Christiansted, St. Croix, in October 2001. Her office handles inspections of vessels entering the ports of St. Croix. She directs seven enlisted personnel and coordinates the added missions as a result of Homeland Security initiatives.
Her supervisor, Lt. Robert Campbell, said, "We have been quite busy with Homeland Security initiatives and community relations. In addition to domestic vessel inspections, we have coordinated the delivery of over 170 excess computer systems to the local schools," he added. The transfers, part of the Outreach & Partnership in Education efforts on the Island of St. Croix, have benefited St. Mary's, Manor School, and Evelyn Williams Elementary schools.
Prince has been instrumental in presenting Coast Guard opportunities through printed, audio and video media, as well as individual/ personal counseling to students, especially those with a desire to join the armed forces.
In 1978, Prince joined the U.S. Navy and attended boot in Orlando, Fla. She was stationed at Naval Air Facility Midway Island, and the Naval Communication Station, Rota Spain. While in Spain, she was assigned to a team that was responsible for radio communications with Cape Canaveral during the first four Space Shuttle missions.
In 1983, she joined the Navy Reserves and drilled and worked at the Naval Base Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico. In her civilian capacity, she worked at the Underwater Tracking Range for the Navy Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Facility. Her primary duties included the maintenance of a radar site, communications receivers, transmitters, and microwave equipment. As a result of the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo, she transferred to the site at Sprat Hall in 1989, where she worked as an acoustic analyst. The range dealt with U.S. Navy and foreign defense forces in the waters of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
In 1991, Prince joined the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and attended a course at the Reserve Officer Candidate Indoctrination School, at Yorktown, Va. Upon graduation she received her commissioning as an Ensign, making her the first U.S. Virgin Islands native woman to be commissioned in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves.
Prior to her military career, she attended the College of the Virgin Islands (now the University of the Virgin Islands), and Old Dominion University, where she received a bachelor's degree in sports medicine. While pursuing her degree, she was assigned to the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Hampton Roads, Va. In 1997, she returned to St. Croix and worked as an exercise physiologist at the Rehabilitation Center, Beeston Hill. She is a qualified Emergency Medical Technician and volunteers with local ambulance crews.
Her personal and military awards include: Department of Transportation Award for Outstanding Achievement, Coast Guard Special Operations Ribbon, Navy Good Conduct Award, Humanitarian Service Medal, Coast Guard Unit Commendation and Meritorious Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Award Letter of Appreciation for Operation Sail 2000 and Certificate for Space Shuttle Maintenance Support Team.
Prince is the third of six children of Otis and Catherine Prince of Frederiksted, St. Croix.

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