This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History - April 18
1820-Landing parties from the cutters Louisiana and Alabama destroyed a pirate base on Breton Island.
1908- Congress authorized the creation of the Office of Captain-Commandant and Engineer in Chief. Additionally, commanding officers of vessels were authorized to administer oaths of allegiance and other oaths for service requirements in Alaska.
1944-The Coast Guard-manned destroyer escort USS Joyce, along with her sister ship USSPeterson and a Navy DE sank the German submarine U-550 off New York after the U-boat torpedoed a tanker that was part of a convoy the warships were escorting to England.
1947-The French-owned Liberty ship Grandcamp exploded while loading ammonium nitrate at Texas City, Texas in one of the worst peace-time accidents ever to occur in a U.S. port. Over 500 died and thousands were injured.
(Source: USCG Historian’s Office)
