New London ― A commissioning ceremony for the Coast Guard Cutter Melvin Bell (WPC 1155) was held Thursday at the Coast Guard Academy in New London.

Master Chief Melvin Bell, born in Hawaii, enlisted in the Coast Guard after graduating from high school in 1938.

According to the Coast Guard, he distinguished himself many times during his active duty career. In 1944, he received a wartime advancement to chief radioman and was the first Pacific Islander to become a chief petty officer.

Following the war, Bell became an instructor at the Coast Guard’s Electronics Technician School in Groton. He advanced to the permanent rating of chief electronics technician in 1949 and at one point held the distinction of a dual rating as chief radioman and chief electronics technician.

Bell became the Coast Guard’s first minority master chief petty officer in November 1958.

Bell retired from duty with the Coast Guard in 1959, staying on as a civilian employee. He later become a quality engineer with the U.S. Department of the Navy. In 2004, he retired a second time at the age of 84, after more than six decades of service.

In September 2018, he died at the age of 98.