Introduction to Coast Guard, United States
Coast Guard, United States, an armed force responsible for law enforcement, marine safety, aid to vessels and aircraft in distress, pollution control, and other duties in coastal waters and navigable rivers. It operates within the Department of Homeland Security. This branch of armed services works to protect the public, the environment, United States economic interests, and national security in maritime regions. The Coast Guard emblem was adopted in 1927. The Coast Guard's readiness to meet any emergency and its many duties are indicated by its motto, Semper Paratus, meaning "Always Ready." "Semper Paratus" is also the Coast Guard's famous marching song. Its operating regions include U.S. coasts, ports, and inland waters, and international waters. In time of national emergency, however, control passes to the Navy.
Since 1790, it has seen enormous growth. From a fleet of merely 10 small sailing vessels, it is now a force of modern ships and aircraft. Its members have a proud history of having fought every major war of the United States. The Coast Guard has about 36,000 officers and enlisted personnel. In addition it is equipped with 8,000 reserve members and a 34,000-member, all-volunteer Coast Guard Auxiliary. It also maintains a civilian work force of more than 5,000. Officers are schooled at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Connecticut. A requirement for these applicants is that they must be at least high school graduates; less than 22 years of age. They must be unmarried. They must meet rigid physical standards. It is essential for the applicants to be of good moral character. Cadets are appointed yearly on the basis of a nationwide competition.
The eight weeks of basic training for a recruit begins at "boot camp" at Cape May, New Jersey. The training comprises courses in communications, firefighting, first aid, gunnery, military drill, physical education, and seamanship. These courses are conducted by specially trained petty officers. The course encourages them to specialize in a selected field. The Coast Guard tries to place men and women in positions for which they are identified to be best suited.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary is a nonmilitary voluntary organization of several thousand volunteers who help promote safety and efficiency in the operation of small boats. It checks boats for safety equipment, helps with rescues, and conducts classes on boating safety.
Coast Guard headquarters are in Washington, D.C., where the commandant's office is located. The service is headed by commandant of the Coast Guard—an admiral, and is assisted by a vice commandant, a planning and control staff, and various Coast Guard departments. The United States and its possessions are broken up into nine Coast Guard districts; each district being headed by a district commander.
The “active-duty Coast Guard” consists of officers and enlisted men and women who have opted for the Coast Guard as a full time career. This makes up the core of the service. The group members forming the Coast Guard Reserve may be called to active duty anytime during emergency. Their training resembles that of the regulars and includes port security and other wartime missions.
Women in the Coast Guard can serve in any occupational specialty. Women made their first entry to the Coast Guard in 1942 as a reserve group called the SPARS. The name SPAR is derived from the first letters of the Coast Guard motto, Semper Paratus. At that time the SPARS typically filled administrative jobs to relieve Coast Guard men for sea duty during World War II. At the end of the war in 1945, the SPARS consisted of 10,000 enlisted women and 1,000 officers, all of them being discharged or placed on inactive duty by June 1946. The group was finally dissolved. Shortly before the Korean War this group was reactivated in November 1949. But again in 1974, when women became a part of the Regular Coast Guard, the group was disbanded.
Duties
The Coast Guard is responsible for safety and federal law enforcement and treaties along the coasts, high seas and in navigable waters of the United States. Coast Guards laws include five areas: (1) criminal laws (2) inspection laws (3) pollution laws (4) revenue and (5) navigation laws, and nautical rules of the road. Coast Guard activities are directed toward five main purposes: (1) safety, (2) national defense, (3) maritime security, (4) mobility, and (5) protection of the environment. It maintains aids to navigation such as lighthouses, buoys, and bells, and electronic devices such as "loran" (long-range aid to navigation). The Coast Guard removes wrecks and other dangers to navigation, undertakes search and rescue operations, and aids ships and aircraft in distress.
Safety is the principal purpose of the Coast Guard. It works worldwide to control deaths, injuries, and property damage arising due to maritime transportation, fishing, and recreational boating. It plays a crucial role in enforcing and helping establish safety regulations governing the construction and operation of merchant ships, as well as passenger ships. Safety rules for passengers, and testing and giving licenses to crew members are also its key responsibilities. It also establishes safety standards for yachts, motorboats, and other noncommercial vessels. The Coast Guard operates a safety program for small craft, participates in oceanographic research, and maintains ocean weather stations.
Maritime commerce is eased to a great extent by the Coast Guard which removes interruptions and obstacles. Coast Guard ships known as cutters, patrol oceans and inland waterways. Icebreakers, the special Coast Guard cutters clear icebound harbors on the North Atlantic Coast, on the Great Lakes, and on inland rivers. The Coast Guard operates search-and-rescue stations along the coasts of the United States and its territories, and in the Great Lakes. In the event of occurrence of accidents, rescue boats and aircraft immediately go into action. These boats and aircrafts rescue people who have been involved in boating accidents, shipwrecks, airplane crashes, and hurricanes. Along with providing emergency medical aid to crews of all vessels at sea, the Coast Guard also facilitates treatment of injured or critically ill crew members of all vessels at sea by taking them to shore bases for treatment.
Ships at sea thus heavily depend on Coast Guard aids to navigation helping reduce dangers of navigation. Such guides include beacons, buoys, fog signals, lighthouses, and radio. The ships are helped by the Loran stations and the Global Positioning System of the Coast Guard to determine their exact positions at sea. Coast Guard units also, provide weather information to the U.S. National Weather Service. This data obtained by them is used for forecasting.
The Coast Guard enforces the laws that protect certain species from excessive hunting or fishing, especially in the North Pacific Ocean. The Coast Guard works with other law enforcement agencies in the suppression of smuggling and the illegal drug trade. It prevents the transport of illegal drugs, immigrants, and contraband into the United States through sea routes by patrolling regularly. The Navy, in turn helps the Coast Guard in preventing the smuggling of illegal drugs. The Coast Guard also prevents illegal fishing in an attempt to preserve valuable fish stocks. Its port security program keeps waterfronts safe by managing traffic and regulating shipment of dangerous cargoes.
As the operating agency of the International Ice Patrol, the Coast Guard tracks the movement of icebergs in North Atlantic waters and warns the ships about them. In addition to aircraft and surface ships, it uses weather satellites, radar, and other scientific equipment in this work.
An important part of the Coast Guard's work is the inspection of merchant ships for sound construction, adequate supply of lifeboats, and sufficient space for crew and passengers. The Coast Guard also sees to it that crews are properly qualified and that vessels are not overloaded. After examining their qualifications, it issues licenses to officers and pilots, and certificates to seamen.
Serving as one of the five armed services, the Coast Guard plays a major role in defending the United States. During both peacetime as well as wartime, it works together along with the United States Navy. During wartime, the Coast Guard serves as part of the Navy as well as participates in military exercises with the Navy and with forces of countries that are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It also provides escorts for merchant ships and helps guard ports and shipping lanes for the United States and its allies. Additionally, it provides air-sea rescue services too.
Equipment
The Coast Guard operates a large fleet of vessels, which are generally referred to as cutters. Coast Guard vessels include icebreakers, patrol craft, buoy tenders, cargo ships, riverboats, and a variety of tugboats. In addition, the Coast Guard has an aviation division that operates planes and helicopters.
The Coast Guard boats of a fleet of several hundred ships and boats. These can effectively perform various assignments. These vessels include buoy tenders, cutters, icebreakers, lifeboats, surfboats, and tugboats. The service operates about 70 offices dedicated to marine safety, port security, and shipping-inspection duties. In addition to the fleet of ships, the Coast Guard also maintains light towers, navigational aids, and about 190 law enforcement and search-and-rescue stations.
Aircraft are singularly important in Coast Guard operations. Cargo planes, jets, and helicopters for patrol, law enforcement, and search-and-rescue missions are used by the Coast Guard. Helicopters assist in bringing rescue operations of flood victims, and disaster victims in inland areas that could not otherwise be reached. Hence they are particularly important to the Coast Guard in air-sea rescues. During World War II (1939-1945), the enemy submarines were bombed by the Coast Guard. Aircraft also has the history of rescuing many survivors of torpedoed ships.
All Coast Guard vessels have at least small arms. These include weapons used by the Coast Guard ranging from 9-millimeter pistols, M-16 rifles, and machine guns on small patrol vessels to 76-millimeter cannons on large cutters. The crews of larger Coast Guard vessels undergo training with the Navy regularly.
History
Alexander Hamilton, first secretary of the treasury, is looked upon as the founder of the U.S. Coast Guard. In 1790 he asked Congress to provide a fleet of ten boats, or cutters, to prevent smuggling and piracy, and to assure collection of import duties from vessels entering United States waters. With this recommendation the Coast Guard began its history as the Revenue Cutter Service. Revenue Cutter Service officers were permitted to board all vessels that entered United States waters. Also, they were allowed to check their cargoes. From 1790 until 1798, during the reorganization of the Navy, the Revenue Cutter Service had the distinction of serving as the nation's only naval force.
From 1798 to 1800 when it cooperated with the Navy in fighting French privateers, the service experienced its first wartime activity. The new service, known as the Revenue Marine, began operating in 1791 as part of the Treasury Department. The service also fought during the War of 1812. Traditionally, for many years, private organizations, such as the Massachusetts Humane Society, operated the only lifesaving services on the Atlantic Coast. This saw a change in 1831, with the Revenue Cutter Service beginning its first winter cruising to aid seafarers and ships in distress. However, this activity of aiding may have continued for just one season. Later in 1837, Congress gave its approval for the use of public vessels to cruise the coast in rough weather and help mariners in distress. In 1848, the Congress provided funds for the construction of life-saving stations to be staffed by volunteers. In 1863, it was renamed the Revenue Cutter Service. In 1871, these life-saving stations were taken in control by the government. The U.S. Life-Saving Service was formed, which was operated by the Revenue Cutter Service. The year of 1878 saw another significant transition, with the Life-Saving Service becoming an independent bureau of the Department of the Treasury.
In 1912 the British liner Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank with heavy loss of life. The following year, the Service began to patrol for icebergs and was soon responsible for maintaining the International Ice Patrol. In 1915, the Revenue Cutter Service and the Life Saving Service, which made sea rescues from shore bases, were combined, and the name Coast Guard was adopted.
April 6, 1917 the United States declared war on Germany. After this, more than 200 officers and 5,000 enlisted men of the Coast Guard were ordered into action with the Navy. During this war period, the Coast Guard served in the thick of the action, escorting cargo ships and screening transports from the enemy.
September 26, 1918 witnessed a great sea tragedy. Having escorted a group of cargo ships from Gibraltar to England, on its way back, the cutter Tampa, disappeared with a loud explosion. This tragedy had led to the loss of the entire crew of 111 Coast Guard and 4 Navy men. It was believed that a German U-boat (submarine) torpedoed the cutter.
During Prohibition the Coast Guard was responsible for preventing the smuggling of alcohol into the country by sea. The Federal Lighthouse Service became part of the Coast Guard in 1939, and three years later the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation was transferred to the Coast Guard from the Department of Commerce. The Federal Lighthouse Service became a part of the Coast Guard in 1939.
The Coast Guard has taken part in every United States war since the War of 1812. It reached its peak strength in World War II, with more than 170,000 members. The United States Coast Guard served as a specialized branch of the Navy during World War II. They did the service of handling and stowing explosives and other dangerous cargo, and for protecting vessels and port facilities from fire, negligence, or damage. In addition to this, the Coast Guard also furnished weather reports, provided cutters for convoy (escort) duty, and staffed many Army and Navy vessels. It participated in every Pacific and European landing operation. During the war, the members of the Coast Guard offered their boats and their services without pay. They had uniforms and served under military discipline while on active duty. In 1941, The Coast Guard Reserve was established. About 7,100 reserve officers and about 135,000 enlisted men were on active duty in the Coast Guard during the war time. The Woman's Reserve of the U.S. Coast Guard, whose members were called SPARS, was organized in 1942 to release men for duty at sea. The same year the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation was transferred from the Department of Commerce to the Coast Guard. In 1957, three cutters, Storis, Bramble, and Spar, were the first U.S. ships to sail through the deepwater passage across the top of North America, the Northwest Passage.
Between 1965 and 1972, during the Vietnam War, Coast Guard squadrons patrolled the coastal waters of South Vietnam. During this time, 56 cutters were given the responsibility of preventing the flow of Communist troops and equipment from North Vietnam to South Vietnam.
In 1967 the Coast Guard was transferred from the Treasury Department to the newly formed Department of Transportation. In 1972, the Ports and Waterways Safety Act was passed by the Congress. This legislation asked the Coast Guard to create regulations governing the construction of oil tankers and other ships that would carry polluting substances in United States waters. It further empowered the Coast Guard to develop vessel traffic control systems for the prevention of accidents in crowded harbors and waterways. Women were admitted into the Coast Guard as regulars for the first time in 1974.
In 1989, the Coast Guard led the cleanup of nearly 11 million gallons (42 million liters) of crude oil that spilled into Prince William Sound in southeastern Alaska. This oil spill tragedy is the largest in North American history. It took place after the U.S. tanker Exxon Valdez struck a reef in the sound. Around 100,000 migrants fleeing Cuba and Haiti were prevented from entering the United States illegally by the Coast Guard from 1992 to 1994. Also, The Coast Guard rendered its services during the Persian Gulf War of 1991 and the Iraq War, which began in 2003.
In 2003, there was another change observed. This year the Coast Guard was transferred from the Department of Transportation to the newly created Department of Homeland Security. The focus for the Department of Homeland security was on protecting the country against terrorism.