On August 4th, 2020 the United States Coast Guard turns 230 years old. As a grateful nation, we salute and celebrate them always, but especially on this day.
Established as the Revenue Cutter Service in 1790 by the nation’s first leader, President George Washington, they are the nation’s oldest armed force on the sea. Some could even argue the oldest armed force in the nation, since the Continental Army and Marine Corps were disbanded for years following the Revolutionary War.
Originally created to prevent smuggling, enforce federal tax and trade laws – they’ve come a long way.
As our young nation continued to grow, so did this vital service and its responsibilities. In 1915, the Revenue Cutter Service merged with the U.S. Life-Saving Service and received its final new name: the United States Coast Guard. Today it still remains the only maritime service committed to both enforcing the law and life-saving.
The Coast Guard continued to serve and added other roles. In 1939, the Lighthouse Service was transferred – making the Coast Guard the head of maritime navigation. Not long after that in 1946, Maritime Inspection and Navigation was on their to-do list as well. Although her responsibilities are vast, the Coast Guard also has another lesser talked about role that is vital to the security of the country.
The Coast Guard is a military force.
Thousands of coasties have died defending this country. Many who willingly sacrificed their own lives in order to save another. Balancing the roles of federal law enforcer, life-saver, navigation safety facilitator, environmental protector and being an armed force is a lot. But they do it with grace befitting their ever enduring motto, Semper Paratus, which means “always ready.”
Currently serving under the Department of Homeland Security, today the Coast Guard defends and protects more than 100,000 miles of America’s coastline and waterways. She is also responsible for safeguarding over 4.5 million nautical miles of sea located within the Exclusive Economic Zone. They are an essential part of the U.S. Intelligence Community and you can find coasties serving all over the globe.
One of the notable things about the Coast Guard are their Port Security Units, which are vital for the safety of this country and its allies. PSUs have the ability to deploy within 96 hours of a crisis and then be operational within 24 hours of arrival. They’ve provided this support to the U.S. Navy for more than 100 years.
A day in the life of a coastie is pretty busy. According to their website, on an average day the U.S. Coast Guard:
- Conducts 45 search and rescue cases
- Saves on average 10 lives
- Saves over $1.2M in property
- Seizes 874 pounds of cocaine and 214 pounds of marijuana
- Conducts 57 waterborne patrols of critical maritime infrastructure
- Interdicts 17 illegal migrants
- Escorts 5 high-capacity passenger vessels
- Conducts 24 security boarding’s in and around U.S. ports
- Screens 360 merchant vessels for potential security threats prior to arrival in U.S. ports
- Conducts 14 fisheries conservation boarding’s
- Services 82 buoys and fixed aids to navigation
- Investigates 35 pollution incidents
- Completes 26 safety examinations on foreign vessels
- Conducts 105 marine inspections
- Investigates 14 marine casualties involving commercial vessels;
- Facilitates movement of $8.7B worth of goods and commodities through the Nation’s Maritime Transportation System
Despite the heavy weight of responsibility and the continual balancing of multiple hats; the Coast Guard continues to grow and flourish. The service continues to thrive thanks to the men and women who raise their right hand in a promise to defend and protect. For 230 years, the Coast Guard has remained steadfast and devoted to serving this nation. Her best years are still ahead.
Happy 230th Birthday Coast Guard!
To learn more about the history and mission of the United States Coast Guard, click here.