The Birth of the Modern Coast Guard and the Loss of the Cutter Blackthorn
January 28th is a historic and tragic day in the history of the United States Coast Guard.
On January 28, 1915, President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the “Act to Create the Coast Guard,” an act passed by Congress on January 20, 1915 that combined the Life-Saving Service and Revenue Cutter Service to form the Coast Guard (38 Stat. L., 800). The Coast Guard, however, still considers the...
Standing the watch over the Graveyard of the Atlantic
By Petty Officer 3rd Class Joshua L. Canup
Beneath the roiling waters of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, thousands of ships rest in a salty graveyard. For hundreds of years, mariners have nicknamed the area the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” based on the history of ships lost in its waters. Even for experienced Coast Guard members, traversing the area can prove a difficult task.
“It’s...
Coast Guard announces names for its Sentinel Class of Fast Response Cutters
Cutter Bernard C. Webber (WPC-1101) was the first of the United States Coast Guard’s Fast Response Cutters. File photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Patrick Kelley.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard has announced the names for its Sentinel Class of Fast Response Cutters, each vessel being named for a deceased leader, trailblazer or hero of the Coast Guard and its predecessor services of the U.S....
Revenue Cutter Naugatuck: The Coast Guard’s Ironclad and the Battle of Drewry’s Bluff
An illustration of Union ironclads during the Battle of Hampton Roads. (Re-upload of an image from the U.S. Coast Guard historical website.)
May 15, 1862
The roar of cannon fire fills the air as a pall of gun smoke drifts across the James River, eight miles south of Richmond, Virginia. Three Union ironclads, including the Revenue Cutter Naugatuck, are fighting in a battle with Confederate-manned Fort...
Coast Guard Cutter Healy travels new waters of discovery
SEWARD, Alaska — The name “Healy” carries a lot of history in Alaska and the Arctic. It was Capt. Michael “Roaring Mike” Healy who spent 20 years as judge, doctor and policeman to Alaskan natives as a member of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service in the 19th century and traveled with renowned naturalist John Muir as part of an ambitious scientific program to introduce reindeer from Siberia into...
Coast Guard to support War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemoration events in Buffalo
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Coast Guard is scheduled to participate in events celebrating the commemoration of the bicentennial of the War of 1812 at various venues in Buffalo, Sept. 11- 17.
Buffalo is the sixth and final U.S. port in the Great Lakes region to host War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemoration events through August and September.
The commemoration in Buffalo will include Coast Guard cutter tours,...
293-year-old Boston Harbor Light cannon recognized as oldest Coast Guard artifact
BOSTON — In conjunction with the official start of the Boston Harbor Light tourist season, Boston Harbor Light’s keeper received a citation recognizing its fog signal cannon as the oldest artifact in the Coast Guard, Friday.
During the ceremony, Keeper Sally Snowman received the citation from Rear Adm. Dan Abel, the 1st Coast Guard District’s new commander, as the island’s first...
