Jan. 14, 2022

The Long Blue Line: “Men against the Sea”—anatomy of a Coast Guard cutter lost at sea

[This essay is adapted from the non-fiction book chapter “Men against the Sea,” Sea, Surf and Hell: The U.S. Coast Guard in World War II (New York: Prentice-Hall, 1945), 72-78.]The Coast Guard patrol craft Wilcox was lost off the Mid-Atlantic coast Sept. 30, 1943. The following account is taken from the statement made by its commanding officer, Lt.

Dec. 3, 2021

The Long Blue Line: The attack on Pearl Harbor—“a date that will live in infamy”—80 years ago

In his war declaration speech, President Franklin Roosevelt labeled Dec. 7, 1941, as a “date that will live in infamy.” On that day, without forewarning or a declaration of war, forces of Imperial Japan attacked the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In the battle, Coast Guard units served alongside the Navy firing anti-aircraft barrages

March 26, 2021

The Long Blue Line: Barbara Mabrity—Long-time Lighthouse Keeper and Hurricane Heroine

Barbara Mabrity, or someone from her family, kept the Key West Light for 82 of its 89 years of manned operation. And, for most of the Mabrity years, a female family member oversaw operation of the light.

March 5, 2021

The Long Blue Line: Japanese “Good Luck” Flag captured in the Battle of Eniwetok 

Most Good Luck Flags date from before or during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II from 1937 to 1945.

Feb. 11, 2021

The Long Blue Line: Lt. j.g. Joseph Jenkins—first African American commissioned officer in the 20th century

Celebrating African American Heritage Month - the Coast Guard's first African American commissioned officer

Jan. 1, 2015

The Long Blue Line: Barbara Mabrity—Long-time Lighthouse Keeper and Hurricane Heroine

Barbara Mabrity, or someone from her family, kept the Key West Light for 82 of its 89 years of manned operation. And, for most of the Mabrity years, a female family member oversaw operation of the light.