THE LONG BLUE LINE

The "Heritage Class" of Offshore Patrol Cutters will meet the evolving challenges of today, while recalling the original vision of the Coast Guard founder, and founding father Alexander Hamilton.

Jul 21 2021

The Long Blue Line: America’s “First Fleet”

The "Heritage Class" of Offshore Patrol Cutters will meet the evolving challenges of today, while recalling the original vision of the Coast Guard founder, and founding father Alexander Hamilton.
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Coast Guard SPARS marching in formation as part of Honolulu’s V-J (Victory over Japan) Day Parade. (Photo: Courtesy of family) At least six women from Oklahoma’s tribal nations served in the U.S. Coast Guard Women’s Reserves (“SPARS”) during World War II, bringing honor to their Nation and their Tribes.

Oct 29 2021

The Long Blue Line: “Sooner Squadron”

Coast Guard SPARS marching in formation as part of Honolulu’s V-J (Victory over Japan) Day Parade. (Photo: Courtesy of family) At least six women from Oklahoma’s tribal nations served in the U.S. Coast Guard Women’s Reserves (“SPARS”) during World...
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The Original Joker, Cesar Romer, was a star in Hollywood, but just a regular guy in the Coast Guard.

Sep 24 2021

The Long Blue Line: The Original Joker, Cesar...

The Original Joker, Cesar Romer, was a star in Hollywood, but just a regular guy in the Coast Guard.
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The GITMO Lighthouse: Standing the watch for 120 years, and still Semper Paratus! (Photo) Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Kristin Antonides of Port Security Unit 309 paints the quarters building in her spare time.

Oct 05 2021

The Long Blue Line: GITMO Lighthouse

The GITMO Lighthouse: Standing the watch for 120 years, and still Semper Paratus! (Photo) Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Kristin Antonides of Port Security Unit 309 paints the quarters building in her spare time.
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Through recent digitization efforts at the National Archives by NOAA, muster rolls documenting service of African American sailors, including US Revenue Cutterman, are available online for all with internet access.

Jun 14 2021

TLBL: Glimpses through a mustered...

Through recent digitization efforts at the National Archives by NOAA, muster rolls documenting service of African American sailors, including US Revenue Cutterman, are available online for all with internet access.
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Prohibition was a hard unremitting war with few rewards. But the Coast Guard lead by RADM Fredrick Billard (Commandant 1924 -32 and pictured left) leveraged new technology to meet the challenge.

Nov 19 2021

The Long Blue Line: Prohibition Tech

Prohibition was a hard unremitting war with few rewards. But the Coast Guard lead by RADM Frederick Billard (Commandant 1924 -32 and pictured left) leveraged new technology to meet the challenge.
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A young Marvin Perrett in his dress blue uniform during his World War II service in the Coast Guard. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

Oct. 14, 2022

The Long Blue Line: The life and times of Marvin Perrett—Portrait of a World War II coxswain and FRC namesake

[Editor’s note: This article was first published in 2005 and has been modified to meet MyCG style. Marvin Perrett passed away in 2007. In recognition of his World War II service, he received numerous ribbons for naval campaigns in the European and Pacific theatres, as well as induction into the French Legion of Honor with rank of Chevalier. Perrett

After World War I, the Navy returned the Coast Guard Cutter Manning to the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard, which stationed it in Norfolk, Virginia. The cutter was assigned to annual “winter cruising” from December through March each year. (digitalcommonwealth.org)

Oct. 7, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Saving Sunbeam—a deadly human trafficking case over 100 years ago

Chinese non-citizens rescued from the icy waters after the ship they were aboard sank into the sea at the beginning of the 20th century.

Coast Guard Cutter Adak of PATFORSWA provides escort for aircraft carrier USS Nimitz through the Strait of Hormuz. (U.S. Coast Guard)

Sept. 30, 2022

The Long Blue Line: LANTAREA’s PATFORSWA Managers—over 15 years of leadership!

The present-day Contingency Operations Branch (LANT-39) formed out of the need to provide contingency support to a few cutters deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Initially viewed as a contingency operational need to support those cutters, a solicitation for a handful of Coast Guard reservists was made in 2005. Those reservists would

An official Coast Guard photograph of Pharmacist’s Mate Third Class Christine Valdez in dress uniform. (U.S. Coast Guard

Sept. 23, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Latina SPARs—Minority trailblazers of World War II

Women all over the country volunteered to serve during World War II. Here are a few Latina SPARs who answered the call.

A signed photo of Lt. Clarence Samuels commanding a Coast Guard vessel near the end of World War II. (U.S. Coast Guard Collection)

Sept. 16, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Clarence Samuels—the U.S. military’s Afro-Latino color barrier buster!

Panamanian born, here the story of Clarence Lorenzo Samuels, the first minority to command a federal ship.

Painting of Alexander Fraser showing his home town of New York and the cutter Harriet Lane in the background. (U.S. Coast Guard Collection)

Sept. 2, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Captain Fraser—Coast Guard’s forgotten visionary and first commandant

. . . [Captain] Fraser opposed an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, and this official’s hostility proved fatal to the Captain’s long career: by an arbitrary abuse of power, the administration in 1856 revoked his commission summarily. Both indefensible and stupid, this action resulted wholly from personal animosity and cost the government one of

Official photograph of Chief Canine Sinbad featuring the Coast Guard crest in the background. (U.S. Coast Guard)

Aug. 26, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Chief Canine Sinbad—the Coast Guard’s Four-Legged Sailor

Life of a cutter dog.

Coast Guardsmen Petty Officers Second Class Charles Vilamere and Mike Kaszuba and Petty Officer First Class Steven “Sleepy” Franks, stand in front of a Coast Guard C-130 with “Policia” markings on the fuselage. (Coast Guard Aviation Association)

Aug. 19, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Operation “Jester”--Coast Guard counterdrug ops in Peru

The Coast Guard's role in Operation Jester.

An engraving showing “wreckers” salvaging a grounded vessel in the Florida Keys. In 1822, around 40 British and nine American sloops served as wreckers in the Keys. In addition to providing rescue and salvage assistance to grounded vessels, a few were also notorious smugglers and pirates. (State Archives of Florida)

Aug. 12, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Revenue Cutter Alabama rescues 16 from human traffickers 200 years ago!

In June 1822, the Alabama District Court in Mobile heard cases against three vessels that had been seized several months earlier by the Revenue Cutter Alabama. Within the space of four days, beginning on March 4th, the 56-foot topsail schooner had captured them just north of the Florida Keys. Two were charged with “having onboard . . . negroes . .

This iconic image from the Battle of Guam testifies to the strong bonds forged between the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard over the course of the Pacific War. (Courtesy of the Coast Guard)

Aug. 5, 2022

The Long Blue Line: The “Green Hell” of Guadalcanal 80 years ago!

Remembering the Battle of Guadalcanal from August 1942