March 7, 2022

Black History Month: Honoring the service of African American Guardians

As part of the Coast Guard Compass’ ongoing celebration of Black History Month, we bring you the following article by Coast Guard Atlantic Area Historian William H. Thiesen. Mr. Thiesen’s piece on the history of African American service is a reminder not only of how far we’ve come as a nation, but also of the role Guardians played in breaking racial barriers for the betterment of the service and the country we serve. For some, this piece will serve as an introduction to the Guardians of Pea Island. Check back with the Compass next week for a more in-depth look at the 70-year history of the all-black crew of Pea Island Life-Saving Station. Finally, we want to recognize that history continues to be made every day. As this piece was being developed, the Commandant of the Coast Guard and Secretary of Homeland Security announced the nomination of Rear Admiral Manson K. Brown to be elevated to the rank of Vice Admiral. Upon Senate confirmation, Brown will be the first African American three-star admiral in Coast Guard History.

March 4, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Dauntless and the origins of drug interdiction

On the evening of March 8, 1973, Coast Guard cutter Dauntless made the Coast Guard’s first seizure of a marijuana smuggler when it stopped the sport fisherman Big L at the western edge of the Bahamas.The case had begun two months earlier as a controlled-delivery operation of the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, forerunner of today’s Drug

Feb. 23, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Juan del Castillo – Coast Guard officer and humanitarian

Lt. j.g. Juan del Castillo sitting for formal service photograph. Photo courtesy of the del Castillo family." data-image-description="Lt. j.g. Juan del Castillo sitting for formal service photograph. Photo courtesy of the del Castillo family."

Feb. 23, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Capt. Campbell and cutter Eagle in Quasi War, Part One

This painting held by the U.S. Coast Guard Academy shows Eagle re-capturing prize ships Nancy and Mehitable in May 1799. Coast Guard Academy Library." data-image-description="This painting held by the U.S. Coast Guard Academy shows Eagle re-capturing prize ships Nancy and Mehitable in May 1799. Coast Guard Academy Library."

Feb. 23, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Samuel Travis, Cutter Surveyor and the Battle of Gloucester Point

“I am at a loss which to admire most, the previous arrangement on board the Surveyor or the determined manner in which her deck was disputed inch-by-inch.” – Lt. John Crerie of the Royal Navy described his admiration for Master Samuel Travis’s defense of the Revenue Cutter Surveyor in the Battle of Gloucester Point.A Customs flintlock pistol from

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