USCG in Morro Bay

USCG in Morro Bay. . , The Coast Guard , The United States Coast Guard is the oldest continuously-active maritime service in the United States. It was founded as the Revenue Marine under Alexander Hamilton's Treasury Department on 4 August 1790 to collect customs duties at U.S. ports. The modern Coast Guard was formed by the merger of the Revenue Cutter Service, Life-Saving Service, Lighthouse Service and Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation., In 1967, the Coast Guard was transferred to the Department of Transportation and then to the Department of Homeland Security in 2003., The Many Missions of the Coast Guard , The Coast Guard is a unique branch of the military responsible for an array of maritime duties. To accomplish this, the Coast Guard proudly performs 11 official missions: , -Ports, Waterways and Coastal Security , -Drug Interdiction , -Search and Rescue , -Aids to Navigation , -Living Marine Resources , -Marine Safety , -Defense Readiness , -Migrant Interdiction , -Marine Environmental Protection , -Law enforcement , -Ice Operations, Early Years of the Coast Guard in Morro Bay , Just 16 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a Japanese submarine sunk the Union Oil tanker SS Montebello offshore of Cambria., To counter threats on the vulnerable coastline, the Coast Guard began beach patrols. As reported in the Telegram-Tribune (June 10, 1944), "The Coast Guard's main function at Morro Bay is Beach Patrol duty, working with horse-mounted patrol personnel and war-trained dogs.", After world war two, SLO County residents sought a permanent Coast Guard station. As the Arroyo Grande Herald Recorder stated (October 17, 1947) "…there is no station between Monterey and Point Conception, a distance of well over 100 miles of dangerous coastline.", Eventually, petitioners succeeded and Coast Guard Cutter ALERT (WSC-127) was homeported in Morro Bay in June 1949. There has been a Coast Guard presence here ever since., Station Morro Bay , The main purpose of Station Morro Bay is search and rescue. Over time it has conducted hundreds of responses to calls for help, compiling an outstanding record of saving lives. The station's Motor Lifeboats operate in breaking surf and significant winds and are capable of towing other vessels. , The crews of Motor Lifeboats are trained at the National Motor Lifeboat School at the mouth of the Columbia River, with the highest certification designated as the Surfman. An excerpt from the creed of the Surfman reads: "I will never unnecessarily jeopardize myself, my boat, or my crew; but will do so freely to rescue those in peril.", A Manmade Harbor Entrance , Tide and wave action make a sandbar that can generate large breaking waves and turbulence at the entrance to Morro Bay harbor. Contact the Harbor Patrol or Coast Guard for current conditions. , The Capsize of MV (Motor Vessel) San Mateo , On February 16, 1983, despite a warning about the dangerous harbor entrance, the 46-foot San Mateo departed port with 23 Paso Robles middle school students for a day of whale watching. 300 yards west of the entrance, a set of 3 waves estimated 15-20 feet tall impacted the vessel, throwing all 23 students and 9 adults into the cold water. , The Coast Guard and Harbor Patrol responded within minutes and the Telegram-Tribune quoted the Coast Guard saying "Due to the instant response and competency of the Morro Bay Harbor Patrol and the Coast Guard everyone was rescued within 20 minutes of capsizing.", USCGC Morro Bay (WTGB-106) , The Coast Guard has a 140-foot Bay Class icebreaking tug named after Morro Bay. Its homeport is on Lake Erie at Cleveland, Ohio.