This Day in Coast Guard History – Feb. 19
1845- Lighthouse establishment transferred to Revenue Marine Bureau. Metal buoys were first put into service. They were riveted iron barrels that replaced the older wooden stave construction.
1862- Congress authorized cutters to enforce the law forbidding importation of Chinese "coolie" labor.
1941- Coast Guard Reserve established when Congress passed the Auxiliary & Reserve Act. Auxiliary was created from former Reserve. The legislation was introduced by Representative Gordon Canfield of New Jersey.
1945- The invasion of Iwo Jima commenced. Coast Guard units that participated in this bloody campaign included the Coast Guard-manned USS Bayfield, Callaway, 14 LSTs and the PC-469. Three of the LSTs were struck by enemy shore fire: LST-792, LST-758, and LST-760.
1988- The largest drug bust in Hawaiian waters to date took place with seizure of the Panamanian-flagged freighter Christina M 800 miles southeast of Hawaii. The units involved were the Navy fast frigate USS Ouellet with a Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment from the CGC Jarvis embarked, the CGC Mallow, and an AIRSTA Barbers Point HC-130.
(Source: USCG Historian’s Office)