The station's primary missions are search and rescue and maritime law enforcement on over 3,500 square nautical miles and four counties on the eastern half of Lake Michigan.

Unit personnel and resources are highly involved in the planning and execution of operations during the annual Coast Guard Festival, a week-long celebration that brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to this summer vacation destination.

[2] The history of the Coast Guard in Grand Haven dates back to at least 1876 when the Eleventh District of the U.S. Life Saving Service (USLSS) established its headquarters in town.

With the reorganization of 1939, Cleveland succeeded Grand haven as headquarters of the Ninth Coast Guard District, but Grand Haven remained an important location with a Coast Guard station, a lighthouse, and USCGC Escanaba, which exploded and sank on June 13, 1943, while on convoy duty in the North Atlantic.

The third, and present day station, is located on the south side of the Grand River along Government Road.