Today in Coast Guard History – December 19th

1881-The keeper and six men of his crew were absent from Station No 4, Second District (Gurnet Point MA). They were for drilling and mailing official letters. The surfman who remained in charge at the station saw a schooner standing inside of Brown’s Island Shoals and knowing that unless warned, she would get ashore, he put off to her in a small boat and piloted her clear. She proved to be the schooner Milton and had mistaken the channel entrance to Plymouth Harbor.