- Date:
- 1790 - present
- Areas Of Involvement:
- Maritime law
- lifesaving
- Today in HistoryâAugust 4: The Creation of the U.S. Coast Guard
- defense
- Related People:
- Dorothy Constance Stratton
United States Coast Guard
What is the primary responsibility of the U.S. Coast Guard?
Under which department does the U.S. Coast Guard operate during peacetime?
When was the U.S. Coast Guard established and by whom?
What is the U.S. Coast Guardâs motto?
Who was the first woman to become commandant of the Coast Guard?
News •
United States Coast Guard (USCG), branch of the U.S. armed forces that is charged with the enforcement of maritime laws. It is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security. In time of war, it functions as part of the U.S. Navy and is under the direction of the president.
Founding and structure
The USCG was established in 1790 by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton as the Revenue Marine Service. It later became the Revenue Cutter Service and, in 1915, was combined with the U.S. Life-Saving Service (formed 1878) to become the Coast Guard. It was under the (peacetime) jurisdiction of the Treasury Department until 1967, when it was transferred to the Department of Transportation. In 2003 the Coast Guard was placed under the jurisdiction of the newly created Department of Homeland Security.
The U.S. Coast Guardâs unofficial motto is âYou have to go out, but you donât have to come back.â The phrase has its origins with the U.S. Life-Saving Service, which mandated that crews make every possible effort to carry out a rescue at sea, regardless of conditions.
The Coast Guardâs organization parallels that of the U.S. Navy, and Coast Guard ranks and ratings are identical to those of the Navy. The two servicesâ uniforms are also similar. The USCG commandant, who heads the service, is a Coast Guard admiral who is appointed by the president. The U.S. Coast Guard Reserve was established in 1939.
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Mission and history
The Coast Guard enforces all applicable federal laws on the high seas and waters within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States. It administers laws and promulgates and enforces regulations for the promotion of safety of life and property along the entire U.S. coast, including Alaska and Hawaii. It develops and operates aids to navigation in order to maintain the safety of ports and vessels in U.S. territorial waters.
The peacetime duties of the Coast Guard involve the inspection of vessels and their equipment and the direction and operation of lighthouses, lightships, buoys, and such electronic navigational aids as loran (long-range navigation) stations and radio beacons. The Coast Guard maintains an extensive network of lifeboat and search-and-rescue stations using surface vessels and aircraft. It also operates the International Ice Patrol, which maintains surveillance of icebergs in the North Atlantic shipping lanes. The USCG also gathers data for the National Weather Service and assists distressed ships and planes. Wartime duties include escorting ships, securing ports, and crewing transports. The Coast Guard also assists in the interdiction of illegal narcotics that enter the United States on or over coastal waters.
Women have been permitted to serve in the regular Coast Guard since 1973. In 2022 Linda L. Fagan became the first woman named commandant of the Coast Guard and the first woman to lead one of the U.S. armed forces.
The U.S. Coast Guard Academy is located in New London, Connecticut.
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