Feb. 17, 2022

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

Today we continue the story of the Coast Guard’s semi-submersible gunboat, E.A. Stevens. To read what happened first, read Part One.Located eight miles south of Richmond with an elevation of approximately 100 feet above the James River, Drewry’s Bluff is one of the highest promontories on the river’s shores. It overlooks the James at a sharp river

Feb. 17, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Lt. Winslow and his heroic rescues aboard Cutter Argo (Part 1)

When terrorists attacked the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, motor vessel Sightseer XII, a New York tour boat, came to the rescue. The vessel helped ferry thousands of evacuees from lower Manhattan across the Hudson River to New Jersey. Due to the Sightseer and the selfless efforts of its captain and crew, the U.S. Coast Guard recognized

Feb. 17, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Lt. Winslow and his heroic rescues aboard Cutter Argo (Part 2)

Last week we featured part 1 of the heroic actions of Lt. Charles Winslow and Coast Guard Cutter Argo. We left off  with Navy patrol gunboat USS St. Augustine colliding with American tanker Camas Meadows off Cape May, New Jersey.Miles away from the scene of the disaster, Argo’s officer-of-the-day, OOD, asked his radarman if he still had St.

Feb. 17, 2022

The Long Blue Line: African-Americans in the U.S. Coast Guard (Part 1)

The history of African-American participation in the Coast Guard and its predecessor services dates back to the very founding of the service in 1790. In over 225 years of Coast Guard history, African-Americans have been the first minority group to serve, first to fight and the first to sacrifice. In fact, the first known service death in the line

Feb. 17, 2022

The Long Blue Line: African-Americans in the U.S. Coast Guard (Part 2)

Feb. 17, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Bobby Wilks, Aviator and Minority Trailblazer

Cmdr. Bobby Wilks at the controls of a Coast Guard rotary-wing aircraft. U.S. Coast Guard Collection." data-image-description="Cmdr. Bobby Wilks at the controls of a Coast Guard rotary-wing aircraft. U.S. Coast Guard Collection."

Feb. 17, 2022

You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life, and the procedure, the process, is its own reward. – Pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart Official Coast Guard photograph of Vice Commandant Vivien S. Crea in dress blue uniform. U.S. Coast Guard Collection. Official Co

A pre-war photograph of civil engineer Joseph Jenkins on the job for the Michigan State Highway Department. U.S. Coast Guard photo." data-image-description="A pre-war photograph of civil engineer Joseph Jenkins on the job for the Michigan State Highway Department. U.S. Coast Guard photo."

Feb. 17, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Vivien Crea—aviator, leader and trailblazer for women in the military

You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life, and the procedure, the process, is its own reward. – Pioneering aviator Amelia EarhartOfficial Coast Guard photograph of Vice Commandant Vivien S. Crea in dress blue uniform. U.S. Coast Guard Collection." data-image-description="Official Coast Guard photograph of

Feb. 17, 2022

The Long Blue Line: A brief history of women’s service in the Coast Guard

Lighthouse Keeper Ida Lewis, titled “The Bravest Woman in America,” for all the water rescues she accomplished while serving as keeper. All photos from U.S. Coast Guard Collection." data-image-description="Lighthouse Keeper Ida Lewis, titled “The Bravest Woman in America,” for all the water rescues she accomplished while serving as keeper. All

Feb. 17, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Ida Lewis “The Bravest Woman in America”

A commemorative painting from the Coast Guard Collection depicting Ida Lewis’s 1881 Gold Lifesaving Medal rescue. Coast Guard Collection." data-image-description="A commemorative painting from the Coast Guard Collection depicting Ida Lewis’s 1881 Gold Lifesaving Medal rescue. Coast Guard Collection."