Feb. 23, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Coast Guard’s distinguished aviation amphibian Arcturus

In the early 1930s, Coast Guard Commandant Frederick Billard decided to acquire state-of-the-art flying boats capable of performing rescues by landing on the open sea. The first aircraft designed from the start for Coast Guard use, these new amphibians became known as the Coast Guard’s “FLBs” or Flying Life Boats. The Coast Guard awarded a $360,000

Feb. 23, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Elmer Stone – innovator and aviator

Coast Guard aviators have always been in the forefront of technological change and put themselves in harm’s way to complete the mission. Coast Guardsmen have risked their lives to pioneer the development of the helicopter, and the rescue swimmer program; while others have served as astronauts in the Space Shuttle Program. Service personnel have

Feb. 23, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Cutter Vigilant and Master John Cahoone

 I revere that long line of expert seamen who by their devotion to duty and sacrifice of self have made it possible for me to be a member of a service honored and respected, in peace and in war, throughout the world.Creed of the United States Coast GuardsmanThe passage above taken from the Coast Guardsman’s Creed reflects the sort of actions taken

Feb. 23, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Native Americans and their Service in the Coast Guard

Minority men and women have served in the U.S. Coast Guard since the service’s beginning in 1790. Native Americans from a variety of tribes and locations participated in the Coast Guard’s predecessor services since the early 19th century, representing the second earliest minority group to serve in the Coast Guard.Photograph of the U.S. Life-Saving

Feb. 23, 2022

The Long Blue Line: The Wampanoags at Gay Head Light

Native Americans have participated in the Coast Guard and its predecessor services since the early 19th century, representing the second earliest minority group to serve in the Coast Guard.The first Native Americans known to serve in the Coast Guard were the Wampanoag in Massachusetts. In the early 1800s, Ebenezer Skiff, the lighthouse keeper at

Feb. 23, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Master Lee and the Fight for Eagle III

During the War of 1812, the Treasury Department required revenue cutters, such as the Connecticut-based Eagle, to enforce tariffs and trade laws, and protect American maritime commerce. Connecticut native Frederick Lee, one of the most noted revenue cutter captains at the time, commanded Eagle out of her homeport of New Haven. Born in 1766, Lee was

Feb. 23, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Keeper Haines and the hurricane that obliterated Galveston Lifesaving Station

In late August 1900, a tropical depression emerged in the Atlantic and formed into a tropical storm before it crossed the Gulf of Mexico and grew into a Category 4 hurricane.In the morning of Saturday, September 8, 1900, the hurricane’s winds and storm surge began to bear down on the unsuspecting city of Galveston, Texas. At that time, the U.S.

Feb. 23, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Coast Guard Lighthouses and the history of the Flying Santa

Throughout the history of the U.S. Coast Guard’s aviation branch, the service’s aircraft have come to the aid of the American public in emergencies and in time of need. However, the holiday season provides a unique opportunity for private citizens to show their appreciation.Portrait photograph of William Wincapaw, originator of the Flying Santa

Feb. 23, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Coast Guardsman Seymour Wittek, S.S. El Estero

A 2008 photo of Seymour Wittek, member of the Explosives Loading Detail who responded to the El Estero. U.S. Coast Guard photo." data-image-description="A 2008 photo of Seymour Wittek, member of the Explosives Loading Detail who responded to the El Estero. U.S. Coast Guard photo."

Feb. 17, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Gunboat Cutter E.A. Stevens—the Revenue Cutter Service’s experiment in modern naval technology (Part 1 of 2)

The U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, one of the Coast Guard’s predecessor services, played a unique role in the 19th century technological transition from wood and sail to iron and steam.During the late 18th and early 19th centuries all forms of mechanized technology saw a change in motive power and construction materials. Medieval forms of maritime