NOTICE: A lapse in appropriations has occurred. Military members will continue to report for duty as per normal operations. Excepted and exempt civilian employees will report to work as usual. Managers and supervisors of non-exempt/non-excepted civilian employees must begin conducting orderly shutdown on the next scheduled workday. FAQs and resources regarding the lapse operations will continue to be posted here and the internal lapse site. 
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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

“CG 1”—the Coast Guard’s first aircraft

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.

165-foot cutter Thetis. (Coast Guard Collection)

Aug. 13, 2025

Rear Admiral Frederick Billard—commander, warrior, educator and mastermind of rapid expansion

"Frederick Chamberlayne Billard must rank with the greatest commandants of the Coast Guard." - Robert Erwin Johnson, Guardians of the Sea

The Long Blue Line

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.

Painting of the Revenue Cutter Snohomish rescuing the lumber steamer Nika in 1923 off the Washington Coast. (U.S. Coast Guard Collection)

July 18, 2025

Lost at Sea—The origins of our SAR mission

In 1915, Congress passed “An Act to Create the Coast Guard,” which merged the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service and U.S. Life-Saving Service, combining the federal government’s two agencies responsible for maritime safety into one modern agency tasked with protecting lives and property on shore and at sea.

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

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