Feb. 23, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Master Lee and the Fight for Eagle III

During the War of 1812, the Treasury Department required revenue cutters, such as the Connecticut-based Eagle, to enforce tariffs and trade laws, and protect American maritime commerce. Connecticut native Frederick Lee, one of the most noted revenue cutter captains at the time, commanded Eagle out of her homeport of New Haven. Born in 1766, Lee was

Feb. 23, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Keeper Haines and the hurricane that obliterated Galveston Lifesaving Station

In late August 1900, a tropical depression emerged in the Atlantic and formed into a tropical storm before it crossed the Gulf of Mexico and grew into a Category 4 hurricane.In the morning of Saturday, September 8, 1900, the hurricane’s winds and storm surge began to bear down on the unsuspecting city of Galveston, Texas. At that time, the U.S.

Feb. 23, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Coast Guard Lighthouses and the history of the Flying Santa

Throughout the history of the U.S. Coast Guard’s aviation branch, the service’s aircraft have come to the aid of the American public in emergencies and in time of need. However, the holiday season provides a unique opportunity for private citizens to show their appreciation.Portrait photograph of William Wincapaw, originator of the Flying Santa

Feb. 23, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Coast Guardsman Seymour Wittek, S.S. El Estero

A 2008 photo of Seymour Wittek, member of the Explosives Loading Detail who responded to the El Estero. U.S. Coast Guard photo." data-image-description="A 2008 photo of Seymour Wittek, member of the Explosives Loading Detail who responded to the El Estero. U.S. Coast Guard photo."

Feb. 17, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Gunboat Cutter E.A. Stevens—the Revenue Cutter Service’s experiment in modern naval technology (Part 1 of 2)

The U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, one of the Coast Guard’s predecessor services, played a unique role in the 19th century technological transition from wood and sail to iron and steam.During the late 18th and early 19th centuries all forms of mechanized technology saw a change in motive power and construction materials. Medieval forms of maritime

Feb. 17, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Gunboat Cutter E.A. Stevens—the Revenue Cutter Service’s experiment in modern naval technology (Part 2)

Today we continue the story of the Coast Guard’s semi-submersible gunboat, E.A. Stevens. To read what happened first, read Part One.Located eight miles south of Richmond with an elevation of approximately 100 feet above the James River, Drewry’s Bluff is one of the highest promontories on the river’s shores. It overlooks the James at a sharp river

Feb. 17, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Lt. Winslow and his heroic rescues aboard Cutter Argo (Part 1)

When terrorists attacked the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, motor vessel Sightseer XII, a New York tour boat, came to the rescue. The vessel helped ferry thousands of evacuees from lower Manhattan across the Hudson River to New Jersey. Due to the Sightseer and the selfless efforts of its captain and crew, the U.S. Coast Guard recognized

Feb. 17, 2022

The Long Blue Line: Lt. Winslow and his heroic rescues aboard Cutter Argo (Part 2)

Last week we featured part 1 of the heroic actions of Lt. Charles Winslow and Coast Guard Cutter Argo. We left off  with Navy patrol gunboat USS St. Augustine colliding with American tanker Camas Meadows off Cape May, New Jersey.Miles away from the scene of the disaster, Argo’s officer-of-the-day, OOD, asked his radarman if he still had St.

Feb. 17, 2022

The Long Blue Line: African-Americans in the U.S. Coast Guard (Part 1)

The history of African-American participation in the Coast Guard and its predecessor services dates back to the very founding of the service in 1790. In over 225 years of Coast Guard history, African-Americans have been the first minority group to serve, first to fight and the first to sacrifice. In fact, the first known service death in the line

Feb. 17, 2022

The Long Blue Line: African-Americans in the U.S. Coast Guard (Part 2)