U.S. Coast Guard

Branch of the U.S. armed forces responsible for coastal defense, maritime security, maritime safety, facilitation of maritime commerce and recreation on the water, and the protection of national resources. In carrying out its duties, the Coast Guard operates in domestic waters, off the coast, and internationally.

The Coast Guard has its roots in the late-18th-century establishment of the Revenue Cutter Service. or, as it was also known, the Revenue Marine. This service was initially responsible for protecting the collection of federal revenue, preventing smuggling, and enforcing trade and tariff laws. On January 28, 1915, [Page 774]the Act to Create the Coast Guard combined the Revenue Cutter Service and the Life-Saving Service into the U.S. Coast Guard.

In 1939, the Lighthouse Service was also moved under the Coast Guard's control. This placed the operation of lighthouses under the authority of the Coast Guard. However, recent improvements in navigational technology, such as the satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS), have made most U.S. lighthouses obsolete. Currently, there is only one lighthouse still in use, the light station in Boston Harbor.

Over the years, the duties of the Coast Guard have been expanded to include more law-enforcement responsibilities, as well as search-and-rescue tasks, with the merging of various other services under the Coast Guard. In 1946 the Bureau of Marine Inspection was eliminated and its duties—the safety of merchant vessels and merchant marine licensing—were also transferred to the Coast Guard. Additionally, the Coast Guard has been charged with charting the U.S. coastline and protecting the marine environment. The Coast Guard also responds to oil spills throughout the world, creating the National Strike Force for this purpose in 1973.

Due to the ever-changing international and domestic political environment, certain duties have received greater emphasis during different periods in the Coast Guard's history. During Prohibition, the Coast Guard found itself primarily focused on the prevention of smuggling. After World War II, navigation and safety became a much more important responsibility for the Coast Guard. The law-enforcement duties of the Coast Guard again rose to prominence during the 1960s, in response to increased emigration from Cuba in the wake of Fidel Castro's communist takeover of the island. Preventing drug smuggling became an increasing challenge to the Coast Guard starting in the 1970s.

The Coast Guard has for much of its history been under the control of the Treasury Department. However, in 1967 the Coast Guard was placed under the Department of Transportation. Later, in 2003, it was moved to its current placement under the Department of Homeland Security. During wartime, however, the Coast Guard comes under the supervision of the U.S. Navy. The Guard's smaller ships with shallower drafts often prove useful when supplementing the navy's fleet. Under the navy, Coast Guard ships have been sent to foreign waters and its personnel have participated in many military actions.

Soon after its founding, the Coast Guard began to make use of aircraft for its missions. As technology has improved over the years, airpower has increasingly been used to carry out many of the Coast Guard's duties. In 1941, the Coast Guard created the Office of Air Sea Rescue. During World War II, Coast Guard aircraft patrolled the seas for German U-boats. Aircraft are especially suited to the Coast Guard's search-and-rescue missions. Helicopters, originally developed for antisubmarine warfare, were found to be particularly effective in a search-and-rescue role.

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