Sonoma County, California
It is my former employers 221st birthday. The following is a short commentary on the service history. The below picture is of USCGC Morgenthau (WHEC 722) in the South China Sea in 2002. I reported aboard Morgenthau in Pattaya Thailand in June 0f 2002. A year later I was Chief of the Boat. A very difficult and mentally taxing tour of duty, but satisfying at the same time. You can read Morgenthau's current blog by clicking here.
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| Morgenthau South China Sea |
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| Recent Picture of Morgenthau Returning from the Eastern Pacific |
Some Service History
Our official history began on 4 August 1790 when
the first Congress authorized the construction of ten vessels to enforce
federal tariff and trade laws and to prevent smuggling. Known variously
through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as the Revenue Marine
and the Revenue Cutter Service, we expanded in size and responsibilities as
the nation grew.
The service received its
present name in 1915 under an act of Congress that merged the Revenue Cutter
Service with the Life-Saving Service, thereby providing the nation with a
single maritime service dedicated to saving life at sea and enforcing the
nation's maritime laws. The Coast Guard began to maintain the
country's aids to maritime navigation, including operating the nation's
lighthouses, when President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the transfer of the
Lighthouse Service to the Coast Guard in 1939. In 1946 Congress
permanently transferred the Commerce Department's Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation to
the Coast Guard, thereby placing merchant marine licensing and merchant
vessel safety under our purview.
The Coast Guard is one of
the oldest organizations of the federal government and until Congress
established the Navy
Department in 1798 we served as the nation's only
armed force afloat. We protected the nation throughout our
long history and served proudly in every one of the nation's conflicts.
Our national defense responsibilities remain one of our most important
functions even today. In
times of peace we operate as part of the Department of Homeland Security,
serving as the nation's front-line agency for enforcing the nation's laws at sea,
protecting the marine environment and the nation's vast coastline and ports, and
saving life. In times of war, or at the direction of the President, we
serve under the Navy Department.
The Coast Guard Historian's Office
is charged with collecting, preserving and presenting the history and
material culture of the nation's oldest continuous sea service.
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| Morgenthau Steams West under the Golden Gate |
Happy Birthday Coast Guard! Keep them retirement checks coming!
Capt Chris
