April 19, 2024

Joe Gerczak’s service and sacrifice from Philly to New Guinea

LST-66 ended the war as the most-decorated LST serving in the Coast Guard.

April 12, 2024

Dobbins and Knapp — Frontier mariners, naval officers, and Revenue Cutter masters

The revolving-door saga of Dobbins versus Knapp ... a pendulum of political spoils.

March 29, 2024

Joseph Napier — Heroic Surfman, Gold Lifesaving Medal recipient and FRC namesake

For his heroism, Napier received the first Gold Lifesaving Medal issued by the U.S. Life-Saving Service, forerunner of the modern Coast Guard.

March 22, 2024

Bernard “Bernie” Webber and the greatest smallboat rescue in Coast Guard history

Divine intervention, dead reckoning and plain luck have all been trumpeted as ways Bernie’s crew found the Pendleton that night.

March 15, 2024

Edith Munro — leader, mentor, SPAR and Medal of Honor hero mother

Edith Munro took the oath to join the SPARS two hours after accepting the Medal of Honor for her son Douglas Munro.

March 8, 2024

Dorothy Stratton — Wartime Coast Guard trailblazer and SPAR Leader

Capt. Stratton had the unique distinction of serving her country through three of the women’s branches of U.S. Armed Forces and became the director of the newly formed Coast Guard Women's Reserve, SPARS.

March 1, 2024

Isaac Mayo — Surfman, Gold Life-Saving Medal recipient and FRC namesake

On Nov. 10, 1879, Congress awarded Mayo the Gold Life Saving Medal for his bravery and successful actions leading the crew of volunteer surfmen in the rescue of the four survivors off the wreck of the Sarah J. Fort.

Feb. 23, 2024

Bobby Wilks — distinguished aviator, mentor, and minority trailblazer

“I was in awe of him, as not only he was the first senior ranking African American officer at that time, but also an aviator. He shared with me the challenges, which he was quick to call them opportunities, that he took full advantage of that mapped out his successful Coast Guard career.” - MCPOCG Vincent W. Patton (Ret.)

Feb. 16, 2024

Lewis Wescott—the lost grave of a heroic Pea Island lifesaver

A discovery uncovers the whereabouts of a Pea Island Keeper, one whose last resting place was lost for more than 70 years.

Feb. 9, 2024

Melvin Williams Jr. — An African American Coast Guardsman’s aviation story

Melvin Williams Jr. was the first African American to make chief as an Aviation Survivalman and then as a Chief Warrant Officer.

Image Gallery

1 - 12 of 17 results
CGD 24 Wainwright Unknown port; photo taken from quarterdeck of unnamed USCG cutter. Boston? Photo by “Frank Palmer Business Photography Atlantic Mass.”
USCG patrol boats during Prohibition
"Coast Guard Destroyer Downes (From a Painting by the Destroyer Force Bugle Staff Artist, Marius Petersen, Sea1c.)" Scanned from "United States Coast Guard Destroyer Force The Bugle - 1790-1930" (August, 1930), p. 10.
"Ensign Roland making end run, Coast Guard-Marine game, Washington, D.C., 1929." Scanned from "United States Coast Guard Destroyer Force The Bugle - 1790-1930" (August, 1930), p. 8.
"1929 - Coast Guard Football Team - 1929. Back Row: -Lieut. Baker, Coast and Manager; Wineke, Reaves, Bergeron, Zuyl, Cummings, Shonts, Hellelfinger; Hartson, Flaherty, Lieut. Anderson, Assistant Coach. Middle Row: - Jodick, Cotter, Saunders, Heikkila, McLean, Rupert, Pearson, Brooks, Brown. Front Row: 1 Atack, Wilson, Hodcepl, Barr, Roland, Lombard, Beach, Belle. A Year of Class 'A' Athletics [-] the Crack Football Team of the U.S. Coast Guard." Scanned from "United States Coast Guard Destroyer Force The Bugle - 1790-1930" (August, 1930), p. 5.
A photo of Coast Guard Destroyer CONYNGHAM on patrol during Prohibition.
Coast Guard Destroyer's baseball team (no date).
Hand-written caption on reverse of photo reads: "Officers and crew of CGC Beale (Navy destroyer given to CG during rum running days) LCDR R R Waesche, Jr., Commanding Officer, New London, Conn. -- About 1925". Photo in R. R. Waesche Special Collections file, U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office Special Collections, box 2 of 3.
Hand-written caption on reverse of photo reads: "R R Waesche Sr., CGC Snohomish, Port Angeles, or Seattle, 1922 or '23." R. R. Waesche, Sr., Special Collections files, USCG Historian's Office Special Collections, box 2 of 3.
"BEALE (CG-9) (Of the old U.S. Coast Guard Destroyer Force - 1924-1930) An early 20th century 742-ton oil burner with four stacks, the old destroyer BEALE lies at her dock in New London, Connecticut, in parade dress, flags whipping in the breeze. The BEALE was stationed at New London with Division 3 of the U.S. Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Force. . . : Gen. F. 9-26-58 Copy-photo in R. R. Waesche Sr. Special Collections file, U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office Special Collections, box 2 of 3.
"Engineroom Force of the Coast Guard Cutter PONTCHARTRAIN. 3-5-29 (1)." CCG Scrapbook (CG Historian's Office Special Collections Archive).
Copy photo found in the CG Historian's Office Special Collections Archive in the "Uniforms" folder. No caption or other information listed.

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