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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Aug. 19, 2022

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

The Coast Guard's role in Operation Jester.

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 . .

Aug. 5, 2022

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

Remembering the Battle of Guadalcanal from August 1942

CGD 24 Wainwright
USCG patrol boats during Prohibition
"Coast Guard Destroyer Downes (From a Painting by the Destroyer Force Bugle Staff Artist, Marius Petersen, Sea1c.)
1929 USCG Football Team playing the Marine Corps team.
1929 - Coast Guard Football Team
A photo of Coast Guard Destroyer CONYNGHAM on patrol during Prohibition.
Coast Guard Destroyer's baseball team (no date).
Officers & crew of Coast Guard Destroyer BEALE
A picture of future-Commandant then-Lieutenant Russell R. Waesche, Sr.
USCG Destroyer Beale, CG-9
Engineroom Force of CGC PONTCHARTRAIN, 1929
Coast Guardsmen
"Crew of the Patrol Boat CG-237. 4-14-[19]26."
A photo of a Board of Coast Guard Officers convened by Admiral F. C. Billard to formulate plans for an anti-smuggling campaign. Reading from left to right - Commander L. C. Covell; Captain W. H. Munter and Commander L.C. Farwell. 8-21-23.
Commandant (RADM F.C. Billard) and administrative staff, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, October 27, 1928.
A photograph of U.S. Coast Guard Base 4 in New London, CT, circa late 1920s (scan provided courtesy of Laurie Friel, the granddaughter of Coast Guardsman Clifford Gardner who served during Prohibition.
A photo of Coast Guard Destroyer (CG-23) TUCKER, date unknown.

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