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I r With Years of Outstanding ing Service In Wars and Peace Coast Guard Has Been Y l Big Factor in Present Successful Operations 1 The United States coast guard on i August 4 celebrates the anni annl anniversary anniversary of ot Its Us founding proud of ot be be- being bel l lug ing the nations nation's first fleet neet and tt proud of ot its firsts and Its distin distin- distinguished distinguished lIt service on all fronts of of's 1 s 's World War II Most of ot the t men who wear the coast guard r shield on their uniform sleeves will celebrate the services service's birthday overseas o for the coast guard gun Id I'd ere cre- created sted primarily to prevent smug smug- smugglers smugglers smugglers from reaching the coast ranges far from home In time of war var to fight alongside the army navy and marine corps The coast guards guard's story really be begins begins gins Ins In 1787 1707 17 7 when Alexander Hamil Hamilton ton first secretary of the treasury while urging adoption of 0 the then thon pending constitution wrote of 0 the need neld for a 1 seagoing sea service which t would prevent material Infractions upon the rights of the revenue A Afew Afew few tew armed vessels he wrote Judi Jud Judiciously Judiciously stationed at the entrance to toa I a our ports might at small expense i be made useful sentinels of the laws With the constitution adopted the fi first congress elected eJected under It In Inthe Inthe ina a the spring of 0 1790 1700 approved Hamil Hamil- Hamilton's Hamiltons Hamiltons Hamilton's tons ton's Idea for a marine law en en- enforcement enforcement agency and on August 4 1780 1790 the services service's birthday r money to build 10 cutters and pay salaries to their officers and andI I men me For six years the small cutters were the only armed vessels under the United States flag nag The navy was created In 1794 1704 by act of con- con congress congress gress gross but Its ships were not In servo service servIce ice until 1707 1797 Given Glnn Naval Na Rank I I The possible defense value of 0 the cutters was recognized early Tn In suggesting establishment of the ther r service Hamilton asked that om ofil- officers tJ cers eelS of the cutters be he given military or naval rank ranle which he said will wU not only induce fit men to en n engage engage gage but attach them to their duties with a nicer sense e of ot honor In 1797 congress passed a B temporary act to increase the strength of the cutters and cause said sold revenue revenue- cutters to be employed to defend de the seacoast sea and repel any hos hostility hostility to their vessels and commerce within their Jurisdiction having due regard to the duties of said cutters tn to the production of the revenue In 1798 during during- the undo oracle elated dared naval navallar war lar with France the President with shit 1 a view of producing a concert of notion action of the naval na forces of the th United States Stales placed the tho revenue r ves vest t Sole acts at the disposition of the th f secretary of 0 the navy In the r next passed year congress an nn act providing that the th cutlers i were wre to operate co-operate with the navy y whenever er the tho President should so 80 direct direct direct-a n precedent nt since fol fol- followed followed ol- ol lowed towed in every e Cr war lar larThe The cutter Tancy Taney Tane went through Pearl Harbor nar or unscathed ed and the next day left the stricken Pa fic base ba e on antisubmarine patrol The foot lr 1 cr fUit for tor sinking the gist first German submarine in United States Slates waters when she blasted a boat U-boat and took 33 pris pris- prisoners prisoners off oft the Carolina a coast coa A A destroyer escort with several navy ships was In at lit atthe atthe the kill on the last boat U-boat sunk in inthe the be Ati by American forces Many ny Sh q 11 Lost A tragic first of 0 the coast guard was the loss of ot the cutter Hamil Hamil- Hamilton ton tan torpedoed off oil Iceland in January Janu January ary 1942 19 the first American war wan wanship warship ship lost to a submarine after the thet t start of the to war and unfortunately un t the first of a II line of coastguard coastguard- u 4 r F t y b w 4 b I IA A seaman Maman Is I III requiring Immediate medical attention Coast guard vessel transfers doctor on n a boatswains boatswain's chair to the merchant ship An n example of the work done by the roast coast oa t guard In their years of service service- manned ships lost as the war pro pro- progressed gressed the gressed-the the Acaccia the l get the the Escanaba the Leopold and the To many In peacetime the II coast coa t guard was teas known as the Mercy l Fleet and there Is a along along long behind Its reputation tiara tion for or e sitting saving of life and property at sea ca ca Hack In 1813 sonic some of the lie cutters were as as' signed to la aid alt distressed vessels c r j W fi I I II mw I II I Adm Russell It It com coin commandant commandant mandant of the U. U U S S. S coast t guard with his third inch half stripe which designates him as a full lull admiral and save sa lives 5 a duty dut they Rind performed 1 incidentally from front tinge time to time The combination strengthened the services service's devotion to the saving of at life lite and property properly n a devotion d amply demonstrated during this Ulis war In the thc Not Normandy Invasion a fleet of 0 foot 83 coast guard vessels con con- considered con considered small craft now but more than twice twile the length suggested by Hamilton In his recommendation for forthe forthe forthe the first cutlers which had been on antisubmarine duty In the Atlantic was designated as Rescue Hescue Flotilla 1 and in the th first days of the invasion pulled more mOle than men to safety from channel waters The coast coast- i I I i 5 sr e 3 4 ld are arc among the first to drop their ramps at Manila J after American forces had lD the Japs from the Philippine t i capital assault transport Bay nay Bayfield Bayfield r field flagship for Utah beach cared clued for more than COO casualties during the three weeks It was an an- anchored chorea off the beachhead Also Serve Servo In Air All Outstanding also has been the coast guards guard's Initiative In the experiments experiments ments with wilh airplane parachute and helicopter rescue groups Adm Russell Rus Russell sell n n. first Cull full admiral to toI head the coast guard also sits with I the Joint Sea Air-Sea Rescue commit commit- committee tee set up by all of 0 the armed servo services servIces ices to Investigate and experiment with rescue techniques From Fromn the life saving stations station the coast guard acquired person personnel nel well ell versed In hr the knack of 0 handling small boats In III battling surf wind and tide The nation has drawn heavily on these men mento mento to participate p In every Invasion of 0 the war and to train others othen In amphibious landings Many were among the personnel of ot the boat boa t pool set up under Coast Guard Dwight H. H Dexter at Guadalcanal and Tul- Tul agi In August 1942 the Allies Allies' first successful amphibious operation Aboard the assault transport Samuel Chase has formerly the passenger ship African Meteor the ha th e ter of 0 loading small landing barges at the rail was first used In the tho Invasion of 0 Sicily on July 10 10 1913 The technique was decided upon after alter the vessels vessel's earlier experience In the African inva Inva- invasion sion In November 1912 and speeded up lip such operations by many litany precious minutes The coast guard also has hns been called A sea going handyman hand man and andIn andin In war or peace pence the service has be be- become become come used to having new duties and functions added to Its work worle After the Titanic disaster nations of the world formed the International Ice Patrol and the duty of patrolling was us delegated to the const coast guard |
