This Day in Coast Guard History – May 10

1800-Congress forbade citizens to own an interest in vessels engaged in the slave trade or to serve on such vessels.

1956-The President signed Public Law 519, which brought all previously uninspected vessels on navigable waters carrying more than six passengers for hire under inspection laws. These were chiefly party-fishing motorboats, excursion sailboats, and ferry barges. Public attention had been focused on the inadequacy of existing inspection laws by the hundreds of lives lost on uninspected vessels.

1966-CGC Point Grey was on patrol near South Vietnam's Ca Mau peninsula when she sighted a 110-foot trawler heading on various courses and speeds. Suspicions aroused, Point Grey commenced shadowing the trawler. After observing what appeared to be signal fires on the beach, the cutter hailed the vessel, but received no response. The trawler ran aground and Point Grey personnel attempted to board it. Heavy automatic weapons fire from the beach prevented the boarding and two crew and one Army passenger were wounded aboard Point Grey.  CGC Point Cypress, and U.S. Navy units came to assist.  During the encounter the trawler exploded.  U.S. Navy salvage teams recovered a substantial amount of war material from the sunken vessel.  This incident was the largest, single known infiltration attempt since the Vung Ro Bay incident of February 1965 and was the first "suspicious trawler interdicted by a Market Time unit." 

(Source: USCG Historian’s Office)