09/13/2026
Ship 502 had a Change of Watch ceremony on Sat., Sept. 12.
Andrew Houghton was skipper of the Sea Scout unit for 19 years. He handed off the position to Cynthia Swenceski, who was the ship’s first Quartermaster in 2001.
Houghton was a mate for eight years, joining the ship when his son -- James -- signed up for Ship 502 in 2002.
His son became the first national boatswain from the ship under previous skipper Mike Walker.
As skipper, Houghton saw four additional national boatswains from Ship 502 — Monica Traylor, Eva Hogan, Jewell Norris and Lily Escobar.
A daughter, Kim, was boatswain for the 2012 William I. Koch International Sea Scout Cup, at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., which is a former race held among Sea Scout youth.
He was involved with the ship in 2002 when it was named National Flagship, and was skipper in 2024 when Ship 502 won National Flagship for a second time.
Ship 502 youth have had exceptional opportunities under him, like sailing on the U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle — a summer youth program with six Sea Scouts who qualify each year — and were members of the National Sea Scout Quarterdeck.
Sam Houston Area Council commodore Neal Farmer gave Houghton a Commodore’s Award for his service to local Sea Scouts, known as a Farmie. Houghton helped train SHAC youth who became Sea Scout leaders, and he assisted in regional competitions as well as Council sailing events.
