The official blog of the U.S. Coast Guard
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Canadian passenger steamer Princess Sophia. Princess Sophia had run aground in southeast Alaska and was unable to deploy its lifeboats, taking down with it at least 353 people. Today the Coast Guard conducts modern cruish ship exams placing emphasis on crew proficiency during emergencies to avoid another tragedy like the Princess Sophia.
Once a month, Coast Guard All Hands will feature “Dear Coast Guard Family,” a column for Coast Guard families by Coast Guard spouse Rachel Conley. This month, Conley write about 10 things she wishes everyone knew about the Coast Guard.
Coast Guard chief petty officers are known to make a significant difference in the Coast Guard. But some chiefs, like the fifth Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Allen W. Thiele, do more – they leave a legacy.
Today, we remember the attack on Pearl Harbor that took the lives of more than 2,000 Americans on Dec. 7, 1941. The Coast Guard immediately offered helping hands and provided support as accustomed and trained to do. Today we use those same principles during times of crisis, and we remain a steady and vigilant organization on which others can depend. Here are just a few examples of how our service reacted that fateful day. These stories remind us that our past has shaped our service.
The Coast Guard is the only branch of the armed services that does not have a national museum to celebrate its importance to the nation and to honor the men and women who serve. Since its inception in 1790, the Coast Guard has established a proud and illustrious history which we’re excited to share with
The “U.S. Coast Guard-An Era of History and Heroism” exhibit, which highlights more than 150 years of Coast Guard history in Clallam County, encompasses Jenkins’ passions for history and for the Coast Guard, as well as his thirst for knowledge and outstanding drive toward devotion to duty.
I suppose I was lumped into a few categories in my Coast Guard career – mostly for the good – although there were a few who just couldn’t seem to see any value in me. I never did understand why. Fortunately, several people took me under their wing, at several stages in my career, because they saw potential and a strong work ethic underneath the rough edges I displayed.
But today – while seemingly familiar in sight and sound – was far from typical. Today marks 224 years of exceptional service by the men and women of America’s Coast Guard. It was Aug. 4, 1790, when President George Washington signed an act bringing to life ten cutters “to be employed for the protection of the revenue.” Alexander Hamilton first conceptualized these cutters as a viable asset for the country; at the time, he wrote, “a few armed vessels, judiciously stationed at the entrances of our ports, might at a small expense be made useful sentinels of the laws.”
On New Year’s Eve the midnight log entry at a Coast Guard unit takes on a life of its own and is traditionally written as a poem. The Compass reached out to those standing the mid-watch to share the tradition of applying verse to the log as we all rung in 2013.
The act of writing a ship’s log… there’s nothing special about it. Deck logs are the permanent record of day-to-day life aboard a vessel. They must include who is in command, what the status of the ship is and various other aspects of the ship’s operations. Written in all-caps, the logs are ordinary every day