U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office
Digital Library
General Overviews (U.S. Coast Guard History)
Auxiliary History
Regional Histories
- The Coast Guard Along the North Atlantic Coast; by Dr. Dennis Noble, Ph.D., USCG (Ret.) & PA3 Kenneth Arbogast, USCG.
- The Coast Guard in the Southeast; by Dr. Dennis Noble, Ph.D., USCG (Ret.).
- Gulf Coast and Western Rivers: A Brief History of U.S. Coast Guard Operations; by Dr. Dennis Noble, Ph.D., USCG (Ret.).
- Guardians of the Eighth Sea: A History of the Coast Guard on the Great Lakes
- Great Lakes: A Brief History of Coast Guard Operations; by Dr. Dennis Noble, Ph.D., USCG (Ret.).
- The Coast Guard in the Pacific Northwest; by Dr. Dennis Noble, Ph.D., USCG (Ret.).
- Alaska and Hawaii: A Brief History of U.S. Coast Guard Operations; by Dr. Dennis Noble, Ph.D., USCG (Ret) & PA1 Barbara Voulgaris.
- The U.S. Coast Guard in Kodiak: The First 50 Years, 1947-1997; by PAC Kenneth Arbogast, USCG; PA1 Marshalena Delaney, USCG; SN Jason Lawrence, USCG; Kate J. Arbogast (1997).
- Southwest Pacific: A Brief History of U.S. Coast Guard Operations; by Dr. Dennis Noble, Ph.D., USCG (Ret.).
- "To Europe and Far East -- A Brief History of Coast Guard Action in Asia and the Western Pacific"; by Joseph Liffrig.
Organizational History
U.S. Revenue Cutter Service & Revenue Marine
- "Forerunners of the Cutter Fleet"; by RADM Stephen H. Evans, USCG.
- Early History of the United States Revenue Marine Service or (United States Revenue Cutter Service) 1789-1849; by Captain-Commandant Horatio Davis Smith, U.S.R.C.S; edited by Elliot Snow; Press of R. L. Polk Printing Co., 1932 (reprint, 1989).
- "Our Coast Guard: A Brief History of the United States Revenue Marine Service"; by Lieutenant Worth G. Ross, USRM; as published in Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 73, Issue 438 (November, 1886).
- "Captain Daniel Dobbins, Frontier Mariner, Naval Officer, and Revenue Cutter Master," by CAPT Robert "Bob" Desh, USCG (FCGH), 2023.
- "The U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, As I Saw It -- The Story of CDR T. C. Odderstol's Early Days in the Service,"; 1955.
- "Commerce Ruled in 'Old Guard!' Our humanitarian traditions aren't as traditional as you may have thought. Behind almost every mission the Coast Guard carries out, there was originally a profit motive. . . ."; by GMCM William R. Wells, II, USCG (Ret.).
- "Life Below Decks. . ." (crew habitability aboard cutters in RCS); by GMCM William R. Wells, II, USCG (Ret.).
- Register of the Commissioned Officers of the United States Revenue Marine to April 1, 1875. New York: The Nautical Gazette Press, 1875.
- Efficiency of the Revenue-Cutter Service; Senate Report No. 65 (to accompany Senate Bill 728); January 11, 1900.
- United States Revenue Cutter Service [Overview] Jamestown Ter-Centennial Exposition, 1907.
- United States Revenue-Cutter Service [Overview], 1915.
Bering Sea Patrol
U.S. Life-Saving Service
U.S. Lighthouse Service
Lighthouses
Lighthouse Tenders, Buoy Tenders & ATON History
Lightships
U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service
Cutters
- Record of Movements - Vessels of the United States Coast Guard, 1790-December 31, 1933; Washington, DC: USGPO, (Reprint, 1989).
- Cutter Losses [& vessels lost from predecessor services as well].
- "Specifications for Six Schooners for the U.S. Revenue Service. . .September 6, 1848." Transcribed from Daily National Intelligencer (September 6, 1848).
- "The USRMCS Harriet Lane"; by Robert L. Anderson; White House History, No. 12 (Winter 2003), pp. 39-51.
- Fire, Watch and Station, and Quarter Bills Adapted to the Use of Revenue-Cutters. Lieutenant Henry B. Rogers, USRM. Washington, DC: The Alumni Association of the Revenue-Marine Service/Gibson Bros., Printers and Bookbinders, 1889.
- Specifications for Triple-Expansion Single-Screw Propelling Engine, With Boilers and Auxiliary Machinery, for a Revenue Cutter, to be known as 'No. 3, R.C.S.' (for the Pacific Coast), of About 1,280 Tons Cruising Displacement, to make a speed of 16 knots per hour when developing about 2,000 horsepower [USRC McCulloch]; by Office of the Engineer in Chief U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, Treasury Department. Washington: GPO, 1895.
- "Launching the Queen of the Revenue Marine -- Cutter No. 3" [USRC McCulloch]; 1897.
- The Accomplishments of Ten [250-Foot Lake-class] Cutters Transferred to the United Kingdom; Washington, DC: Research & Statistics Section, Operations Division, U.S. Coast Guard.
- "Coast Guard Cutter Design, 1941-1990"; by Dr. Robert E. Johnson, Ph.D. & CDR Robert E. Williams, USCG (Ret.); CG Engineers Digest (Winter, 1992); pp. 10-23.
- "Small Harbor Cutters and AB Boats of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service and U.S. Coast Guard"; by HMC James T. Flynn, Jr., USNR (Ret.).
- "U.S. Coast Guard - Small Cutters and Patrol Boats 1915-2012 -- Vessel of Less Than 100-Feet in Length,"; by HMC James T. Flynn, Jr., USNR (Ret.); 2014 (revised edition).
- "U. S. Coast Guard Patrol Craft - Major Classes - 100-feet to 150-feet in Length, 1915-2012"; by HMC James T. Flynn, Jr., USNR (Ret.); 2014.
- "Sentinel Class Fast Response Cutters" - The FRC - 154-Feet Long and Full of Fight (Updated Through June, 2020); by HMC James T. Flynn, Jr., USNR (Ret.); 2020.
Icebreakers
- "Icebreakers and the U.S. Coast Guard," by Donald Canney.
- "Structural Considerations in the Design of the POLAR Class of Coast Guard Icebreakers."; by Bruce Barber, Louis M. Baez & Gary North; 1975.
- "Coast Guard Polar Icebreakers: Past, Present and Future"; by Thomas Wojahn; "National Requirements for Polar Icebreaking Capability"; & "Icebreaker Innovations -- A Brief History of Technological Advancements in Icebreaking," by Alfred Tunik; & "Going for Bust - The Challenges Facing the Coast Guard Domestic Icebreaking Fleet," by Brendan O'Shea; Proceedings (Summer, 2007), pp. 85-91.
- "Icebreaking History, Platforms, and Activities," by CDR William Woityra, USCG, Proceedings Vol. 76, No. 1 (Spring, 2019), pp. 30-33.
Aviation
- A History of Coast Guard Aviation; by Dr. Robert Scheina, Ph.D.
- The Story of Coast Guard Aviation (CG-215), circa 1959.
- "The Indispensable Men -- The U.S. Life-Saving Service & the Wright Brothers, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina"; by Scott Price, 2003.
- "The Flying Lifeboat of the Coast Guard"; by Colonel Harold C. Reisinger, USMC; US Naval Institute Proceedings Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan, 1933), pp. 72-104 (reprint).
- Coast Guard Aviation, 1927-1929 (aviation articles published in the Coast Guard Magazine from 1927-1929).
- Coast Guard Aviation, 1930-1932 (aviation articles published in the Coast Guard Magazine from 1930-1932).
- Coast Guard Aviation, 1933-1935 (aviation articles published in the Coast Guard Magazine from 1933-1935).
- Coast Guard Aviation, 1936-1938 (aviation articles published in the Coast Guard Magazine from 1936-1938).
- Coast Guard Aviation, 1939-1942 (aviation articles published in the Coast Guard Magazine from 1939-1942).
- The Eyes and Ears of the Convoy: Development of the Helicopter as an Anti-Submarine Weapon; by Dr. Robert M. Browning, Jr., Ph.D.
- History of Coast Guard Rotary-Wing Aviation: From Inception to the Modern Day, by LT1 Andrew Conwell, USAF, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Thesis, 2008.
- "Helicopter in Rescue," by CAPT Woodrow W. Vennel, USCG, Proceedings Vol. 18, No. 2 (February, 1961), pp. 24-28.
- CAP'M Mac and Flying Coffins -- Captain Donald B. MacDiarmid, USCG; by Barret "Tom" Beard, 2002.
- "The Seaplane in the U.S. Coast Guard," by CAPT D. B. MacDiarmid, USCG, 1951.
- Despair and Visions: Birth of the Rescue Helicopter; by Barret "Tom" Beard, 1998.
- JATO: The Early Days; by CHGUN (W3) Arnie "Ackack" Adams, USCG (Ret.)
- "'Cosmic Air' - United States Coast Guard, Western Pacific Logistic Support Air Group" [LORAN Support].
- "Coast Guard Aviation SRR Program [HH-65]; APO Grand Prairie, Texas," by CAPT Sperry Storm, USCG (Ret.).
- "Aviation Mind-Set -- QAT Report of Findings," 13 May 1993.
- "The History of Coast Guard Auxiliary Aviation," by Joseph Giannattasio, Proceedings, Vol. 76, No. 1 (Spring 2019), pp. 52-55.
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- "MEDEVAC From the Fog - SS STEEL EXECUTIVE" by CAPT Sean M. Cross, USCG (Ret.)
Missions
General Overviews
Law Enforcement - Prohibition
Law Enforcement - Migrant Interdiction/SAR
Law Enforcement - Fisheries
Environmental Protection
Marine Safety
National Defense - General Overviews
War of 1812
Mexican-American War
Civil War
Spanish-American War
World War I
Inter-War Period
World War II
Coast Guard-Manned Navy & Army Vessels
Greenland Patrol
North Atlantic Campaign
European Theater
- The U.S. Coast Guard at Normandy-D-Day, June 6, 1944; by Scott T. Price.
- "Invasion -- The Story of the LCI(L)-92 in the Invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944," by PhoM3c Seth Shepard.
- "Excerpts from the WWII Diary of MoMM1c Clifford W. Lewis. . ." who served aboard USS LCI(L)-94 on D-Day, June 6, 1944 at Omaha Beach.
- "Historic Greenway House, 1944 and 1973"; by RADM Miles Imlay, USCG (Ret.); CGA Alumni Bulletin, Vol. XXVI, No. 3 (May-June 1974), pp. 35-44.
Pacific Theater
Intelligence
American Theater-Homefront
Korean War
Vietnam
- U.S. Coast Guard in Vietnam: Historical Chronology
- The United States Coast Guard in South East Asia During the Vietnam Conflict; by Eugene N. Tulich, USCG.
- CAPT Gerald Underwood's scrapbook of images of his service as the Commanding Officer of CGC Point Banks & LORANSTA Con Son.
- "Squadron One Duty on Board the Point Banks," by LCDR Larry Fuchs, USCG.
- "'Skill, courage under enemy fire, and devotion to duty:' Bronze Star Medal Recipient Heriberto 'Eddie' Hernandez and Coast Guard Smallboat Operations in Vietnam," by William H. Thiesen as published in The Quarterdeck Log, Vol. 28, No. 2, (Summer, 2013), pp. 18-24.
- "U.S.C.G.C. Campbell's Vietnam Cruise Book" (1967-68).
- "The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton's (WHEC 715) Deployment to Vietnam, August 1969 - June 1970 as Told by the Commanding Officer, Captain James H. B. Morton, in Letters called 'Family-Grams" to the Folks Back Home." Organized and prefaced by RMC C. Brent Cole, USCG (Ret.).
- "USCG Aviation During the Vietnam War," a term paper by Thomas Kalisz, 2009.
- "The Role of the United States Coast Guard in the Vietnam War - An Evaluation," a research paper by emerging scholar Maura McCawley, 2022.
9/11; September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Personnel
General Information
Minorities
Women
Chief Warrant & Warrant Officers
Chief Petty Officers
Civilians
Enlistment & Recruiting
Uniforms
- Uniforms of the United States Coast Guard; by Donald L. Canney & Barbara Voulgaris.
- Uniforms & Insignia of the U.S. Coast Guard[,] U.S. Lighthouse Service[,] U.S. Public Health Service, 1918; by Colonel Dion Williams, USMC; Glendale, NY: EPCO Publishing Company, 1919.
- The U.S. Coast Guard Surfman Uniform -- A Photo Essay; by Captain Robert Desh, USCG (Ret.) & FCGH.
- U.S. Coast Guard Enlisted Ratings, Rating Specialty Marks & Distinguishing Marks, 1915-2015; Warrant Officer & Chief Warrant Officer Specialty Devices, 1898-2016; by CWO Dana Lewis, USCG (Ret.).
- 1871 - General Order to Officers of the Revenue Marine Service (March 15, 1871) regarding USRM uniforms.
- 1878 - Circular Prescribing Uniforms For Officers of U.S. Revenue Marine; Department No. 110; Revenue Marine No. 20 (October 5, 1878).
- 1893 - Regulations Governing the Uniforms of the Officers and Men of the United States Light-House Service. Treasury Department (Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1893).
- 1899 - Uniforms of the Life-Saving Service ("Article VII UNIFORM" chapter transcribed from Regulations for the Government of the Life-Saving Service of the United States, 1899.")
- 1916 - Regulations Governing the Uniforms for Warrant Officers and Enlisted Persons of the United States Coast Guard, 1916 (transcribed).
- 1922 - Regulations Governing the Uniforms for Enlisted Persons of the United States Coast Guard, 1922.
- 1923 - Regulations Governing the Uniforms for Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Coast Guard, 1923.
- 1930 - Regulations Governing the Uniforms for Commissioned and Warrant Officers and Enlisted Men of the United States Coast Guard, 1930.
- 1941 - Uniform Regulations United States Navy, 1941 (with USCG changes).
- 1943 - USCG Women's Reserve Uniform Regulations - 1943.
- 1951 - U.S. Navy Uniform Regulations, 1951 (with USCG amendments).
- 1957 - USCG Reserve Enlisted Uniform Guide
- 1972 - U.S. Navy Uniform Regulations, 1969 as Amended for Coast Guard Use (5 May 1972)
- 1973 - Enlisted Uniform Guide (USCGRW - Women's Reserve) & SPAR Newsletter for February, 1973.
- 1974 - COMMANDANT INSTRUCTION 1020.3 - Uniform Regulations for new Coast Guard Blue Uniform; promulgation of (7 January 1974).
- 1974 - "From Black to Blue: The Coast Guard Uniform Change," by James M. Cooper ("Bender Blues").
- 1974 - "USCG Uniforms - 'A Photo Gallery of the "Bender Blues.'"
- 1974 - "Women Find Favor with Coast Guard Fashion," by Olivia Smith (Article documenting the role Edith Head had in designing the USCG uniforms for women).
- 1980 - COMDTINST M1020.6 (old CG-471) Uniform Regulations (17 January 1980).
- 1990s - USCG Women's Uniforms - "A Picture Gallery."
- 1990s - USCG Men's Uniforms - "A Photo Gallery."
- 1991 - COMDTINST M1020.6C Uniform Regulations (22 February 1991).
- 2006 - Uniforms (Special Uniform Issue); U.S. Coast Guard Reservist Magazine (2006).
- 2012 - COMDTINST M1020.6G Uniform Regulations (March, 2012)
Miscellaneous
Arctic, Alaska, Antarctica & Ice Operations
- Chronology of U.S. Coast Guard Polar and Ice Operations.
- The U.S. Coast Guard in the Arctic and Sub Arctic; by RADM Edward H. "Iceberg" Smith, USCG; 1949.
- Shelling of Alaskan Native American Village of Angoon, October, 1882. (NHC transcription).
- Across the Top of the World - The U.S. Coast Guard's 1957 Northwest Passage Expedition - Written for the 50th Anniversary of the Expedition and the Occasion of the Decommissioning of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Storis. Written by then-PACS P. J. Capelotti, USCGR (Washington, DC: U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, March, 2007).
- "A Round-the-World Cruise by Southwind"; by CAPT Sumner R. Dolber & CDR Robert T. Getman, USCG; Antarctic Journal (November-December, 1969), pp. 294-300.
- "Across the Arctic - Current Activities and the History of Icebreakers Along with the Story of the First Ship to Navigate the Northwest Passage" [CGC NORTHWIND, 1954]; by Phil Jaffe; 2015.
Expeditions, Operations & Cruises (Non-Arctic/Antarctica)
Flags, Ensigns, Logos, Pennants, Seals, Standards & Streamers
Intelligence Program
Public Affairs
Marksmanship
Mascots
Monuments & Memorials
Port Security Units (PSUs)
Diving Program
Communications (incl. Radio, Telephone, Telegraph & Teletype)
Creed of the United States Coast Guardsman