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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Main images from the third and last story in a series about the SS Marine Electric sinking.

Aug. 23, 2023

The Long Blue Line: A tragedy remembered — SS Marine Electric sinking 40 years ago, part three

The shipwreck that prompted the creation of the Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Program is recalled by the pilot of one of the helicopters sent to rescue survivors on that fateful night.

Long Blue Line Marine Electric series part 2 photo highlights.

Aug. 21, 2023

The Long Blue Line: A tragedy remembered — SS Marine Electric sinking 40 years ago, Part Two

The shipwreck that prompted the creation of the Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Program is recalled by the pilot of one of the helicopters sent to rescue survivors on that fateful night.

Long Blue Line Marine Electric series part 1 photo highlights.

Aug. 18, 2023

The Long Blue Line: A tragedy remembered — SS Marine Electric sinking 40 years ago, Part One

The shipwreck that prompted the creation of the Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Program is recalled by the pilot of one of the helicopters sent to rescue survivors on that fateful night.

An artist’s rendering of LCPs evacuating an ambushed marine battalion at Guadalcanal, which provides an accurate depiction of the bow configuration of a Coast Guard LCP. (U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy U.S. Coast Guard)

Aug. 11, 2023

The Long Blue Line: Coxswain Canavan’s impossible story of survival at Guadalcanal 80 years ago

“I did more praying in those hours I spent in the water than I had done in the twenty previous years of my life.”

Color photograph of the author, then Lt. Wayne Wheeler, on the bridge of Ironwood (WLB-297) in its home waters of Alaska. (Courtesy of the author)

Aug. 7, 2023

The Long Blue Line: The Ironwood—wartime ATON in Vietnam

"Back then it was less expensive to repair a ship in Japan than in a U.S. shipyard."

This desegregation article series is dedicated to the all-African American crews of the Coast Guard’s Pea Island Lifeboat Station located in North Carolina. (U.S. Coast Guard)

July 26, 2023

The Long Blue Line: Part III “When I say Americans, I mean all Americans!” — Segregation’s take-down by President Harry Truman

Denial of employment and promotion, and separate dining and restroom facilities often characterized the experience and limited upward mobility for African American workers.

July 26, 2023

The Long Blue Line: Part III “When I say Americans, I mean all Americans!” — Segregation’s take-down by President Harry Truman

Denial of employment and promotion, and separate dining and restroom facilities often characterized the experience and limited upward mobility for African American workers.

Aerial photograph showing, from left to right, fleet tug USS Wandank, submarine USS Sculpin, submarine rescue ship USS Falcon, naval shipyard tug Penacook, and Lighthouse Service tender Hibiscus, in addition to Coast Guard boats and spectator boats. (National Archives)

July 17, 2023

The Long Blue Line: Coast Guard helps rescue U.S. submarine Squalus over 80 years ago!

Trapped and tragically drowned in the flooded after compartments were 24 officers and sailors plus two civilian technicians. This left 32 officers and sailors and one civilian technician alive in the unflooded forward compartments.

U.S. Life-Saving Service crew pose for an official portrait in 1918 at Chicamacomico Station.

May 19, 2023

The Long Blue Line: Evidence suggests the Midgetts actually were Mighty!

The story of the Mighty Midgetts of North Carolina

Painting commissioned of Revenue Cutter McCulloch when it first set sail in 1897. (Coast Guard Academy Collection)

April 28, 2023

The Long Blue Line: 125 Years Ago—Cutter McCulloch in the Battle of Manila Bay

The role of the Revenue Cutter McCulloch in the Spanish-American War

Image Gallery

Thumbnails List

Unknown

CGD 24 Wainwright Unknown port; photo taken from quarterdeck of unnamed USCG cutter. Boston? Photo...

At Sea

USCG patrol boats during Prohibition

Headquarters USCG Destroyer Force

"Coast Guard Destroyer Downes (From a Painting by the Destroyer Force Bugle Staff Artist, Marius...

Headquarters

"Ensign Roland making end run, Coast Guard-Marine game, Washington, D.C., 1929." Scanned from...

Headquarters

"1929 - Coast Guard Football Team - 1929. Back Row: -Lieut. Baker, Coast and Manager; Wineke,...

At Sea

A photo of Coast Guard Destroyer CONYNGHAM on patrol during Prohibition.

Unknown

Coast Guard Destroyer's baseball team (no date).

Aboard USCGD Beale

Hand-written caption on reverse of photo reads: "Officers and crew of CGC Beale (Navy destroyer...

Aboard CGC Snohomish

Hand-written caption on reverse of photo reads: "R R Waesche Sr., CGC Snohomish, Port Angeles, or...

USCGD Beal

"BEALE (CG-9) (Of the old U.S. Coast Guard Destroyer Force - 1924-1930) An early 20th century...

At Sea

"Engineroom Force of the Coast Guard Cutter PONTCHARTRAIN. 3-5-29 (1)." CCG Scrapbook (CG...

Unknown

Copy photo found in the CG Historian's Office Special Collections Archive in the "Uniforms" folder....

U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office
2703 Martin Luther King, Jr., Ave, SE
Washington, DC 20593-7031

U.S. Coast Guard Museum
Coast Guard Academy - Waesche Hall
15 Mohegan Ave
New London, CT 06320-8100

Contacting us: U.S.C.G. Historian's Office