This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History – January 4

1897- Assistance to lost persons near Oak Island, New York.  At 8:30 p.m. the keeper received word  by telephone that a gentleman and two ladies, who had left the station at 4 p.m. In a small boat making for the mainland, they had not yet reached their home. As the weather was foggy and with the bay full of floating ice, it was feared they were lost. He at once set out to their assistance with one of his crew in a rowboat and carrying a shotgun.  With frequent gunfire the bewildered party was located and assisted in reaching their destination.

1980-Coast Guard forces narrowly averted an environmental disaster when the 300-foot barge Michelle F, with more than 2.8 million gallons of No. Six industrial fuel aboard, grounded one-half mile offshore from the Brigantine Wildlife Refuge.  Much of her cargo was offloaded before she was successfully refloated.

(Source: USCG Historian’s Office)