I hope that I didn't trivialize the skills of a cook (too far). I recognize that they have an incredible job with a wide range of responsibilities and are responsible in part for the health and morale of the entire ship's crew.

The skills for being the only chef on a 24 person cutter compared to a ship with a hundred or several hundred and an entire staff (and longer deployments https://youtu.be/d2_wBfXBM1Q ) places additional demands on that skill set (or even up to the several thousand with an aircraft carrier, though that's not coast guard - https://youtu.be/w5th1yNwatQ ).

It's not like the crew can decide to go to a different restaurant when out at sea.