Why is the U.S. Coast Guard Birthday celebrated?

Every year on August 4, the United States Coast Guard celebrates its birthday. The U.S. Coast Guard was founded on this day in 1790 to give a coastal defense, enforce the payment of tariffs and trade laws, and stop smugglers from entering the country through the sea. Starting around 1790 its obligations have just expanded, yet the Coast Guard has stayed as safe-keepers of the United States’ coast, making it the most seasoned and consistent maritime service in the country.

The United States Coast Guard was formed on Aug. 4, 1790, as the Revenue Marine. On Jan. 28, 1915, the advanced Coast Guard was formed with the merger of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Life Saving Service. Today, the Coast Guard acts as the country’s coastal defense and conducts maritime search and rescue and law enforcement activities.

The Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security. Notwithstanding, during wartime, the president can move their assets to the Department of the Navy. In basically every war and conflict the United States has been engaged in, the president has done precisely that. The Coast Guard was associated with World War II before the United States entered the war when they were shipped off the North Atlantic to patrol after Germany invaded Denmark.

The motto of the Coast Guard is Semper Paratus meaning Always Ready. The men and women of the United States Coast Guard are without a doubt generally prepared to place themselves in danger and to safeguard the United States and keep us free from even a hint of harm. This Aug. 4, wish everyone a happy birthday. Stay safe!

The U.S. Coast Guard patrols our coasts for drug smugglers, human trafficking, and both domestic and international terrorism. As the bad guys (and girls) have gotten savvier with technology, the Coast Guard has created sophisticated, successful technology to combat crimes on the water and at our ports. It’s a 24/7 job. Today, we should give the U.S. Coast Guard the love it deserves.

U.S. Coast Guard Birthday History

At the request of Alexander Hamilton, the head of the Revenue-Marine, on August 4, 1790, Congress approved and funded the construction of ten vessels to safeguard the coast of the United States of America. Until 1798, when the Navy was re-instated, these ten Coast Guard vessels were the only naval force in the U.S.

Early Coast Guard crews’ duties included transporting government officials and at times they even carried mail.

The Coast Guard as far as we might be concerned today was formed in 1915 with the merging of the Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Life-Saving Service. At last, the Coast Guard turned out to be so essential in safeguarding the United States, that it was moved from its original place at the Department of the Treasury to the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, in order to aid the United States’ endeavors against fear terrorist attacks. In the midst of war, the Coast Guard has occasionally worked as a service of the U.S. Navy.

On an average day, the Coast Guard:

conducts 45 search and rescue cases;
saves 10 lives;
saves over $1.2M in property;
seizes 874 pounds of cocaine and 214 pounds of marijuana;
conducts 57 waterborne patrols of critical maritime infrastructure;
interdicts 17 illegal migrants;
escorts 5 high-capacity passenger vessels;
conducts 24 security boardings in and around U.S. ports;
screens 360 merchant vessels for potential security threats prior to arrival in U.S. ports;
conducts 14 fisheries conservation boardings;
services 82 buoys and fixed aids to navigation;
investigates 35 pollution incidents;
completes 26 safety examinations on foreign vessels;
conducts 105 marine inspections;
investigates 14 marine casualties involving commercial vessels;
facilitates movement of $8.7B worth of goods and commodities through the Nation’s Maritime Transportation System.