This Day in Coast Guard History – October 4
1918-There was an explosion at the T.A. Gillespie Company munitions yard in Morgan, New Jersey. Coast Guardsmen from Perth Amboy responded. When fire threatened a trainload of TNT, these men repaired the track and moved the train to safety, thus preventing further disaster. Two Coast Guardsmen were killed in this effort. 1956-Two U.S. Air Force F-89 aircraft crashed in rugged mountain terrain about four miles from Mount Olympus, Washington. For seven days, the Coast Guard directed a highly coordinated search for the lost plane and crews. Finally, aircraft and helicopters from the CG Air Station, Port Angeles, Washington, assisted by aircraft and ground search elements from other services, located and evacuated the two crew members on 5 October.
This Day in Coast Guard History – Nov. 19
1943-CG Air Station at Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, New York, was designated as helicopter training base. 1984- The Coast Guard accepted the new HH-65A Dolphin helicopter for service. (Source: USCG Historian’s Office)
CG Air Station Crews Honored
The Coast Guard Unit Commendation will be awarded to the men and women of Air Station New Orleans at a ceremony on Thursday at the Naval Air Station in Belle Chasse. Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans will receive the award for exceptionally meritorious service from July 5, 2000 to February 28, 2002 for the execution of numerous search and rescue, Homeland Security, Marine Environmental Protection, and Presidential support missions throughout the Eighth District. Within the time frame cited air station crews have prosecuted 600 search and rescue missions, saving 160 lives, assisting 162 others, and preserving $3.3 million in property. Since the inception of the air station in 1955, air station helicopter crews have saved over 3500 lives.
