This Day in Coast Guard – July 20

1917- An Executive Order extended the jurisdiction of the Lighthouse Service to the non-contiguous territory of the American Virgin Islands.

1942-The Herald-Tribune of July 20, 1942, carried the following story: "A new Coast Guard regiment, made up of tough, hand-picked men, all heavily armed and with the headquarters company mounting machine guns in speedy jeep cars, has been organized for extra protection of the Port of New York, it was announced yesterday.  Regimental offices of the commando-like outfit, led by Captain Francis V. Lowden, will be in the Barge Office at the Battery.  There will be five battalion headquarters -- one each in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island and New Jersey, and a floating one set up a harbor patrol craft.  The new contingent for sabotage precaution will be known as the Port Security Regiment . . . The selected men recruited for the Port Security Regiment are being trained in a variety of rough and rigorous combat tactics to fit them for meeting surprise actions.  Captain Lowden, on leave from his post as Mayor of Roselle, N.J., has had twenty years of experience in organizing protective services for the port properties of Standard Oil of New Jersey."

2007- The Coast Guard commissioned the newly organized Deployable Operations Group (DOG) at Fort McNair, Washington, D.C., under the command of RADM Thomas F. Atkin.

(Source: USCG Historian’s Office)