Guard History

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History – October 28

1919-Congress passed the National Prohibition Enforcement Act, otherwise known as the Volstead Act, on this date.  The Volstead Act authorized the enforcement of the 18th Amendment, ratified on 29 January 1919.  The Act authorized the Coast Guard to prevent the maritime importation of illegal alcohol.  This led to the largest increase in the size and responsibilities of the service to that date. 1943-Choiseul, Treasury Islands landing (Coast Guard-manned LST-71 was in second echelon November 1, 1943). 1991-Thousands of Haitian migrants began fleeing their homeland after the overthrow of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, prompting one of the largest SAR operations in Coast Guard history.  Cutters and aircraft from as far north as New England converged on the Windward Passage.  In the first 30 days of the operation, Coast Guard forces rescued more than 6,300 men, women, and children who left Haiti in grossly overloaded and unseaworthy vessels.  75 Coast Guard units ultimately took part in the massive SAR operation and by the end of the year over 40,000 Haitian migrants were rescued. (Source: USCG Historian’s Office)  

Michelle Obama Christens ShipConstructor-Designed Vessel

On Friday, July 23, First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama christened the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton, a vessel that was detail designed and production engineered by Northrop Grumman using ShipConstructor CAD/CAM software. Stratton is the first Coast Guard patrol cutter to be named after a woman in more than 20 years. The ship is named in honor of Dorothy Constance Stratton, the first female commissioned officer in Coast Guard history

News: Deepwater Program Kicks Off Down South

An important milestone, and one of the first building projects in the $17 billion transformation of the U.S. Coast Guard, took place earlier this month at Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., Lockport, La., with the decommissioning of the 110-ft. Island Class Patrol Boat, USCG Matagorda. While seemingly contradictory, the vessel's decommissioning is only temporary as during the next nine months, it will undergo extensive modifications and re-emerge as a larger 123-ft

This Day in Coast Guard History - Jan. 15

1836- A General Order from the Secretary of the Treasury prescribed that "Blue cloth be substituted for the uniform dress of the officers of the Revenue Cutter Service, instead of grey. . ." thereby ending a controversy that ad brewed for years regarding the uniforms of the Service. 1947- The first helicopter flight to the base "Little America" in Antarctica took place.  The pilot was LT James A

This Day in Coast Guard History – March 11

1941-  The Lend-Lease Program was inaugurated.  All 10 of the Coast Guard's Lake-class cutters were transferred to the Royal Navy under the program.  Two were lost in action against German forces.  These 250-foot cutters had been designed by the Coast Guard and featured a slightly raked stem and a cruiser stern.  Their innovative turbine-electric drive power plant was developed by Coast Guard Captain Quincy B. Newman

This Day in Coast Guard History – August 25

1945-CGC Magnolia was rammed amidships on 25 August 1945 by the cargo ship SS Marguerite Lehand off Mobile Bay.  She sank in two minutes and one of her crew was killed.  The other 49 were rescued.  Those survivors cross-decked to the new tender CGC Salvia (WAGL-400) which then took Magnolia's place. 1950-SS Benevolence collided with SS Mary Luckenbach.  CGC Gresham and other vessels responded and rescued 407 persons.

This Day in Coast Guard History – Jan. 21

1944- Coast Guardsmen participated in the landings at Anzio-Nettuno, Italy. 1987- The Coast Guard established the Air Interdiction Facility at Norfolk Naval Air Station.  The aircrews flew two loaned Navy E-2C Hawkeye aircraft on narcotics interdiction patrols. (Source: USCG Historian’s Office)

This Day in Coast Guard History – Jan. 25

1799- Having existed essentially nameless for 8-1/2 years, Alexander Hamilton's "system of cutters" was referred to in legislation as "Revenue Cutters."  Some decades later, the name evolved to Revenue Cutter Service and Revenue Marine. 1940- The ocean station program was formally established on 25 January 1940 under orders from President Franklin Roosevelt.  The Coast Guard, in cooperation with the U. S

This Day in Coast Guard History – Feb. 22

1943- The USS Campbell, CG, under the command of CDR James A. Hirshfield and assigned to the international escort group A-3 that was escorting Convoy ON-166 through the North Atlantic, engaged numerous submarine contacts during a running battle across the sea.  Campbell's attacks damaged at least two U-boats.  The cutter also rescued 50 survivors from a torpedoed Norwegian freighter.  Then, on 22 February 1943, as the Campbell returned to the convoy after rescuing the Norwegians

This Day in Coast Guard History – March 2

1792- Congress authorized the revenue cutters to fire on merchant ships that refused to "bring to." 1799- Congress authorized that "Revenue Cutters shall, whenever the President of the United States shall so direct, cooperate with the Navy of the United States during which time they shall be under the direction of the Secretary of the Navy, and the expenses thereof shall be defrayed by the agents of the Navy Department."