Corrects first paragraph to show retirement took place on Wednesday instead of Thursday
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen retired on Wednesday from his military position but will remain incident commander overseeing the government's response to the BP Plc oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Allen, 61, was tapped to head the Obama administration's efforts and serve as the primary public voice responding to the massive spill days after the oil began gushing from the seabed. He stepped down as Coast Guard commandant on May 25.
He spent almost 40 years in the Coast Guard and is no stranger to major disasters, serving as the principal federal official for responding to and directing recovery efforts after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.
(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky, editing by Alan Elsner)
