Friday, August 4, 2017 | By Brent Hannify
Happy birthday to the United States Coast Guard! Today we're celebrating the Guardians with these interesting facts. Know any more? Be sure to share them in the comments below!
The signature racing stripe was adopted in part to distinguish the Guard from the US Navy.
When the Coast Guard responded to the scene of a transoceanic passenger aircraft crash in 1956, many survivors reportedly exclaimed, "Thank goodness for the Navy!" Shortly after, as part of John F. Kennedy's interest in rebranding the visuals of the federal government, the signature red racing stripe was first implemented on Coast Guard cutters.
The first Coast Guard officer was commissioned by President George Washington himself on March 21, 1791.
Captain Hopley Yeaton—which is the coolest name ever, and I now intend to name my first-born son Hopley—was a veteran of the Continental Navy and the commanding officer of the Revenue Marine cutter Scammel. He is now entombed on the grounds of the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.
The Coast Guard was created by merging two US government agencies together.
You probably already knew this one from bar trivia night, right? The United States Life-Saving Service was merged with the Revenue Cutter Service in 1915.
The Coast Guard has an anti-terrorism team.
The Maritime Safety and Security Team is a harbor and inshore patrol and security team that was created in direct response to the terrorist attacks on September 11. MSST personnel receive training in advanced tactical boat operations and anti-terrorism force protection at Camp Lejeune.
The HC-130J is the biggest aircraft used by the Coast Guard.
The other branches don't get to have ALL the fun with the Hercules. The HC-130J fleet carries out traditional missions including search and rescue, cargo and personnel transport, law enforcement and international ice patrol.
Lloyd Bridges, Beau Bridges, and Jeff Bridges all served in the Coast Guard.
The three related actors—including The Dude himself—all wore the uniform before making it big in Hollywood. Jeff's service lasted a full seven years, and taught him about hard work and discipline—two things you won't find in his Big Lebowski character.
The Coast Guard is the only branch of the Armed Forces that operates ice breakers.
The USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) and the USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB-11) are vessels in the heavy icebreaker class operated by the Guard. The vessels conduct Arctic and Antarctic research and are the primary icebreakers that clear the channel into McMurdo Station for supply ships.
In 2004, a Coast Guardsman was killed in Iraq, the first—and last—USCG KIA since the Vietnam war.
DC3 Nathan Bruckenthal joined two US petty officers while intercepting a waterborne suicide attack off the coast of Iraq on April 24, 2004. The three men boarded a RHIB boat to intercept the vessel, which was approaching an oil terminal. The boat then detonated, killing all three men aboard. DC3 Bruckenthal is the first and only member of the US Coast Guard to be killed in action during the War on Terror.
There is currently one active-duty Coast Guardsman who is an astronaut.
Not content with spending time on ocean ships, Captain Daniel C. Burbank gave space ships a shot. He was selected by NASA in 1996 and has since has logged over 23 days in space and 7 hours of EVA time, including two shuttle missions.
A rescue swimmer once saved 13 sailors in a single incident.
When a Honduran freighter sank 80 miles off the coast of Fort Myers, Shawn Whaley swam from one exhausted survivor to the next, saving a record 13 people in the middle of rough seas. Sadly, Shawn died in 2010 in a tragic boating accident. Of the incident, his wife Lindita said: "He never, ever bragged about it. He said, 'That's my job. If it weren't for things like this, I wouldn't have a job.' "
Happy birthday to the United States Coast Guard! Today we're celebrating the Guardians with these interesting facts. Know any more? Be sure to share them in the comments below!
The signature racing stripe was adopted in part to distinguish the Guard from the US Navy.
When the Coast Guard responded to the scene of a transoceanic passenger aircraft crash in 1956, many survivors reportedly exclaimed, "Thank goodness for the Navy!" Shortly after, as part of John F. Kennedy's interest in rebranding the visuals of the federal government, the signature red racing stripe was first implemented on Coast Guard cutters.
The first Coast Guard officer was commissioned by President George Washington himself on March 21, 1791.
Captain Hopley Yeaton—which is the coolest name ever, and I now intend to name my first-born son Hopley—was a veteran of the Continental Navy and the commanding officer of the Revenue Marine cutter Scammel. He is now entombed on the grounds of the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.
The Coast Guard was created by merging two US government agencies together.
You probably already knew this one from bar trivia night, right? The United States Life-Saving Service was merged with the Revenue Cutter Service in 1915.
The Coast Guard has an anti-terrorism team.
The Maritime Safety and Security Team is a harbor and inshore patrol and security team that was created in direct response to the terrorist attacks on September 11. MSST personnel receive training in advanced tactical boat operations and anti-terrorism force protection at Camp Lejeune.
The HC-130J is the biggest aircraft used by the Coast Guard.
The other branches don't get to have ALL the fun with the Hercules. The HC-130J fleet carries out traditional missions including search and rescue, cargo and personnel transport, law enforcement and international ice patrol.
Lloyd Bridges, Beau Bridges, and Jeff Bridges all served in the Coast Guard.
The three related actors—including The Dude himself—all wore the uniform before making it big in Hollywood. Jeff's service lasted a full seven years, and taught him about hard work and discipline—two things you won't find in his Big Lebowski character.
The Coast Guard is the only branch of the Armed Forces that operates ice breakers.
The USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) and the USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB-11) are vessels in the heavy icebreaker class operated by the Guard. The vessels conduct Arctic and Antarctic research and are the primary icebreakers that clear the channel into McMurdo Station for supply ships.
In 2004, a Coast Guardsman was killed in Iraq, the first—and last—USCG KIA since the Vietnam war.
DC3 Nathan Bruckenthal joined two US petty officers while intercepting a waterborne suicide attack off the coast of Iraq on April 24, 2004. The three men boarded a RHIB boat to intercept the vessel, which was approaching an oil terminal. The boat then detonated, killing all three men aboard. DC3 Bruckenthal is the first and only member of the US Coast Guard to be killed in action during the War on Terror.
There is currently one active-duty Coast Guardsman who is an astronaut.
Not content with spending time on ocean ships, Captain Daniel C. Burbank gave space ships a shot. He was selected by NASA in 1996 and has since has logged over 23 days in space and 7 hours of EVA time, including two shuttle missions.
A rescue swimmer once saved 13 sailors in a single incident.
When a Honduran freighter sank 80 miles off the coast of Fort Myers, Shawn Whaley swam from one exhausted survivor to the next, saving a record 13 people in the middle of rough seas. Sadly, Shawn died in 2010 in a tragic boating accident. Of the incident, his wife Lindita said: "He never, ever bragged about it. He said, 'That's my job. If it weren't for things like this, I wouldn't have a job.' "
