My Coast Guard News

Distinguished Coast Guard pilot Charles Thrun standing on an OL-5 float in an early aviator suit. Notice the landing gear folded into the float behind him. (Smithsonian Institution)

Sept. 12, 2025

Driven by the need to combat rum-running during Prohibition, the U.S. Coast Guard established its aviation program, acquiring its first aircraft, and proving the value of aerial interdiction.

Painting of the Escanaba’s nighttime Dorchester rescue effort painted by Robert Lavin. (Coast Guard Collection)

Sept. 10, 2025

“I saw them hang on with one hand and break ice with the other”—the Coast Guard’s Greenland Patrol

"To the officers of the Greenland Patrol vessels: This is your command. Your first command. Your first great chance. It is hard, responsible, vital duty. War duty. Don’t fail your country or your ship or me." RDML Edward Smith (USCG), Commander Task Force 24.8 (“Greenland Patrol”), 1944

Pictured is a rare photograph of NC-4 during flight operations. NC-4 had three forward-facing tractor engines and one center-mounted pusher engine. (Naval History and Heritage Command)

Sept. 5, 2025

Elmer Stone—Coast Guard Aviator #1 set the world record over 100 years ago!

Coast Guard aviators have always been at the forefront of technological change and put themselves in harm’s way to complete the mission. Many have risked their lives pioneering the development of the helicopter, initiating the rescue swimmer program, and serving as astronauts in the Space Shuttle Program. Coast Guard aviation crews have flown

E.A. Stevens shown with U.S. Navy ironclads Monitor and New Ironsides. (Naval History & Heritage Command)

Sept. 4, 2025

Revenue Cutter E.A. Stevens—the service’s Civil War gunboat 160 years ago!

The E.A. Stevens was a groundbreaking gunboat that embodied the experimental spirit of 19th-century naval innovation.

Pictured is a PSU 303 Raider Boat patrolling Port of Ad Dammam, Saudi Arabia, with PSC Sandra Mitten manning the aft .50 caliber. (U.S. Coast Guard)

Aug. 29, 2025

Coast Guard PSUs—nearly 45 years of service!

Forged in the Persian Gulf, Coast Guard PSUs revolutionized harbor defense, establishing a legacy of rapid deployment and global port security.

An engraving portraying another of Martin’s cutters, the sailing Revenue Cutter Morris. (U.S. Coast Guard)

Aug. 27, 2025

CAPT Francis Martin—the most ancient of “Ancient Mariners” with 63 years of service!

After retiring at age 93, Captain Francis Martin holds the title for the Coast Guard’s all-time Ancient Mariner.

July 25, 2025

From local enforcer to global responder—235 years of Coast Guard transformation!

From Alexander Hamilton's fleet of ten sailing ships to a global maritime fighting force, the U.S. Coast Guard has had a remarkable 235-year journey as the nation's maritime first responder.

An April 2010 photograph of the Deepwater Horizon offshore oilrig after the explosion that set it on fire and caused its record-breaking oil spill. (U.S. Coast Guard)

July 11, 2025

National Strike Force—The Coast Guard’s global responder for over 50 years!

"Crisis Leaders and Responders: any time, any place, any hazard." - National Strike Force Vision Statement

NEW YORK, New York (Sept. 15)--The World Trade Center complex continues to burn, while the Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma controls vessel traffic in New York harbor September 15. USCG photo by PAC Brandon Brewer

July 3, 2025

The Long Blue Line: 9/11—A Day that changed the Coast Guard forever

The service's response to the 2001 terrorist attack demonstrated the Coast Guard's flexibility, readiness, and relevance in one of the greatest transformations in Coast Guard history.

June 20, 2025

15th anniversary of Deepwater Horizon and the Coast Guard’s spill response mission

"Even Exxon Valdez pales in comparison to the volume, scale, number of Coast Guard resources, how much time has been devoted to [Deepwater Horizon]—all far exceed any previous event." — CAPT Duke Walker, Federal On-Scene Coordinator, U.S. Coast Guard, 2012