Show With Years Years' of Outstanding Service ervice I In Wars and Peace Coast Guard Has Been Big Factor in Present Successful Operations The United States coast guard on August 4 celebrates the anni- anni anniversary anniversary of founding its proud ot of be- be being being ing the nations nation's first fleet and proud of its firsts and its distin- distin distinguished distinguished service on all fronts of World War II Most of the men who wear the coast guard shield on their uniform sleeves will celebrate the services service's birthday overseas for the coast guard cre- cre created created primarily to prevent smug smug- smugglers smugglers from reaching the coast ranges far from home in time ot of war to fight alongside the army navy and marine corps The coast guards guard's story really be- be begins begins gins in 1787 when Alexander Alexand r Hamil- Hamil Hamilton Hamilton ton first secretarY of the treasury while urging adoption ot of the then pending constitution wrote of the need for a sea going service which would prevent material infractions upon the rights ot of the revenue A Afew Afew few armed vessels he wrote judiciously judi judiciously stationed at the entrance to our ports might at small expense be made useful sentinels of the laws With the constitution adopted the first congress elected under it in inthe inthe the spring ot of 1790 approved Hamil- Hamil Hamiltons Hamilton's Hamiltons Hamilton's tons ton's idea for a marine law en- en enforcement agency and on August 4 1790 the services service's birthday appropriated appropriated money to build 10 cutters and pay salaries to their officers and men For six years the small cutters were the only armed nned vessels under the United States flag The navy was created in 1794 by act of con con- congress congress gress but its ships were not in service service ice until 1797 Given Naval Rank The possible defense value ot of the cutters was recognized early I In suggesting establishment of the service Hamilton asked that officers officers cers of the cutters be given military or naval rank which he said will not only induce fit men to e en- en engage gage but attach them to their duties with a nicer sense of honor In 1797 congress passed a temporary act to increase the strength of the cutters and cause said revenue revenue- cutters to be employed to defend the sea coast and repel any hostility hos- hos hostility to their vessels and commerce within their jurisdiction having due regard to the duties of said cutters In the production of the revenue In 1798 during the undeclared unde naval war with France the President with a view ot of producing a concert of action of the naval forces of the United states placed the revenue ves- ves vessels vessels sels at the disposition of the secretary of the navy In the next year congress passed an act providing that the cutters were to operate co-operate with the navy whenever the President should so direct direct-a precedent since fol- fol followed followed lowed in every war The cutter Taney went through Pearl Harbor unscathed and the next day left the stricken Pacific base on antis antisubmarine patrol The foot Icarus received credit for sinking inking the first German submarine In United States waters when she blasted a boat U-boat and took 33 pris- pris ners mers oft off the Carolina coast A destroyer escort with th several navy ships was in at atthe the kill on the last boat U-boat sunk in inthe inthe the Atlantic by American forces Many Ships Lost A tragic first of the coast guard was the loss of the cutter Hamil- Hamil Hamilton ton torpedoed off Iceland i in Janu- Janu January January ary 1942 the first American war war- thip lost to a submarine after the tart dart of the war and unfortunately the first of a line of coastguard coastguard- r a 1 Si R. R 4 4 f i A seaman is ill requiring immediate medical attention Coast guard vessel transfers doctor on a boatswains boatswain's chair to the merchant ship An example of the work done by the coast guard in their years of service manned ships lost as the war pro pro- the gressed-the Acaccia the get the the Escanaba the Leopold and the To many in peacetime the coast guard was known as the Mercy lercy Fleet and there Is a along along long tradition behind its reputation reputation tion for the saving of life liCe and property at sea Back In 1833 some of the cutters were as- as assigned assigned signed to aid distressed vessels and save lives a duty they had 9 1 d Y qi i rt Adm Russell R. R CO cons cons- maud mandant ant of the U. U S. S coast guard with his third inch hall stripe which designates him as a full admiral performed Incidentally from time to time Congress made this a regular duty by enact enact- enactment enactment ment in 1837 The combination strengthened the services service's devotion to the saving ot of life and property property-a devotion amply demonstrated during this war In the Normandy invasion a fleet of foot 83 coast guard vessels con con- considered considered small craft now but more than twice the length suggested by Hamilton in his recommendation for forthe forthe the first cutters which had been on antisubmarine duty in the Atlantic was designated as as' Rescue Flotilla 1 and in the first days of the invasion pulled more than men to safety yf are among amon the he first to drop their ramps at after American forces had driven the Japs from the from channel waters The coast coast- assault transport Bay Bay- Bayfield Bayfield field flagship for Utah beach cared for more than casualties during the three thre weeks it was an- an anchored anchored oft off the beachhead Also Serve in Air Outstanding also has been the coast guards guard's initiative in the experiments experiments ments with airplane ute parachute and helicopter rescue groups Adm Adin Rus Rus- Russell sell R. R R first full admiral to head the coast guard also sits with the Joint Sea Air Rescue commit commit- committee tee set up by all of the armed servI services services I ices to investigate and experiment I with rescue techniques From the life saving stations the coast guard acquired person person- personnel personnel nel well versed In the knack of handling small boats In battling surf wind and tide The nation has drawn heavily on these men mento mento to participate In every invasion of the war and to train others in amphibious landings Many were among the personnel of the boat 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 formerly the passenger ship African Meteor the technique of loading small landing barges at the rail fail was first used in the invasion of Sicily on July 10 1913 The technique was decided upon after the vessels vessel's earlier experience in the African inva- inva invasion sion In November 1942 19 and speeded up such operations hy by many precious minutes The coast guard also has been called uA A sea going handyman and andin m in war or peace the service has be- be become become come used to having new duties and functions added to its work After the Titanic disaster nations of the world formed the International Ice Patrol and the duty of patrolling was delegated to the coast guard |