Flotilla 16-08 of the 9th Central Region is located in St. Ignace Michigan and was chartered in September 1972 by Division 16 Captain Duane McCasey,  and assisted by Flotilla 16-06 Commander Charles King, from Sault Saint Marie Michigan.

Robert (Doc) Holle was appointed as the first Flotilla Commander and Don Frankovich as Vice Flotilla Commander.

Our flotilla's first assist was a two masted sailboat that had lost its rudder off Mackinaw City.  The captain of the sailboat was happy to see our Auxiliary facility and was most grateful for the assistance rendered.

We are located in Saint Ignace on the north side of the Straits of Mackinac, where we support/augment the operational activities of Coast Guard Station Saint Ignace.  Our qualified and trained operational members have assumed the motto as the "Guardians of the Straits of Mackinac."  We are actively involved with on the water Safety Patrols and can be called at other times for assistance either for on the water support or at the station.

Along with participating with the spring Blessing of the Fleet, we can also be seen at the Lilac Festival, Hessel Boat Show, and the Labor Day Mackinac Bridge walk to mention a few.

Our membership has remained consistent for years but we are always looking for new members  to fill the shoes of those who are getting less physical.  In our 36 years of existence, we have maintained a staff of Flotilla Staff Officers (FSO's) to cover every aspect of boating safety, either on or off the water.  Some of these are Operations (OP) Public Education (PE) Vessel Examiner (VE) and a Marine Dealer Program Visitor (PV).  The FSO/PV furnishes local marine dealerships, Mackinac Bridge Visitor Centers and other locations with  various boating safety literature for the public's consumption.  

We sincerely miss our members who have passed over the Bar, but appreciate the memories and heritage they left with us.

These memory’s are mostly shared through Robert (DOC) Holle and we'd like to extend our thanks to him and his wife Janis for their time and thoughts, and to other past members who have contributed to this article.