Rear Admiral William F. Merlin became Commander, Eighth Coast Guard District in New Orleans May 6, 1988. Prior to arriving in New Orleans, he served as Chief, Office of Command, Control and Communications, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. His earlier Headquarters' assignments include Chief, Budget Division and Deputy Comptroller. He also served on the West Coast in 1981 as Chief, Operations Division, Twelfth Coast Guard District in San Francisco, where he later became the District's Chief of Staff.
his early service duty on: U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Androscoggin; U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Juniper; LORAN Transmitting Station, Talampulan Island; U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Courier; and the National Data Buoy Project. Following a tour as Executive Officer of the Coast Guard Icebreaker Burton Island, he commanded the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dependable, in Panama City, Florida.
Rear Admiral Merlin is a native of Tampa, Florida, and is married to the former Alice Marie Volk, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They have three children.