United States Coast Guard

United States Coast Guard. Semper Paratus (Always Ready). , Enforcing Laws, Saving Lives , Ten sea-going vessels comprised the original Revenue Cutter Service. Established by Alexander Hamilton in 1790, it was the first service to enforce tariff and trade laws and prevent smuggling. In 1915, it merged with the U.S. Life Saving Service, making a single maritime service dedicated to saving life at sea and enforcing the nation's maritime laws. The U.S. Coast Guard took oversight of the U.S. Lighthouse Service in 1939, and authority over merchant marine licensing and merchant vessel safety authority in 1946. , (captions) , 1 The official seal of the United States Revenue Cutter Service, ca. 1910, 2 Despite the threat from the British Royal Navy during the War of 18 12, revenue cutters such as the Commodore Barry conducted missions enforcing U.S. maritime law and intercepting smugglers (U.S Coast Guard Collection). 3 The men of the Kitty Hawk, NC, Life Saving Station in uniform, 1900. 4 The crew of the Life Saving Station Point Allerton, MA, pose with the station's keeper, Capt. Joshua James (far left). The U.S. Government awarded James the Gold Lifesaving Medal in 1889. 5 The Bodie Island Light Station, Nags Head, NC, 1893. The U.S. Coast Guard took over operations of the station in 1939. Although the property was transferred to the National Park Service in 1953, the Coast Guard maintained jurisdiction over the tower until 2000. , , The Call of Duty , In times of war, or at the discretion of the president, the Coast Guard serves as part of the Navy Department. During World War I, the Coast Guard guarded the coasts, ensured port security, and escorted convoys carrying troops to and from Europe. Located in Hawaii on December 7, 1941, cutters put up antiaircraft barrages against Japanese aircraft and carried out harbor and antisubmarine patrols alongside the U.S. Navy. The Coast Guard provided a force of nearly 250,000 personnel during World War II. They supported both combat and traditional-service missions, including search and rescue, marine safety, convoy escort duty, troop transport and amphibious operations, port security, and beach patrol. , (captions) , 1 Coast Guard Cutter Seneca, one of several cutters selected for overseas escort convoy duty during U.S. participation in World War I (U.S. Coast Guard Collection). 2 A 30-foot Coast Guard Hanley fire boat, circa 1943. 3 Women with the Coast Guard's Women's Reserve (also known as SPARS) served at shore stations during World War II. 4 A dramatic World War Il Coast Guard recruiting poster features a cutter firing its guns during the attack on Pearl Harbor. 5 Two Coast Guard officers brave a wintry blast aboard a cutter on the North Atlantic patrol ca. 1943. The U.S. Coast Guard pioneered the role of minorities in the sea services. , Keeping the Homeland Safe , The U.S. Coast Guard became part of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003. Five missions relate to homeland security: , . Ports, Waterways, and Coastal Security , . Drug Interdiction , . Migrant Interdiction , . Defense Readiness , . Other Law Enforcement , (captions) , 1 Crew members from the Coast Guard Cutter Diligence assist Cuban migrants aboard the cutter's small boat. 2 Cutter Diligence crew stands next to more than 1,800 kilograms of cocaine seized in the Caribbean during August 2017. 3 Members of the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team fast rope from an MH-60T Jay-hawk helicopter onto the deck of a landing craft during a joint Navy-Coast Guard training exercise. 4 Crew from the Cutter Ridley patrols Sandy Hook Inlet, NJ, in 2012. 5 Members of Coast Guard Port Security Unit 305 scan the horizon along the shore of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, 2017. , Photo courtesy of the Quogue Life-Saving Station.