Author Archives: Chuck Hill

This Day in Coast Guard History, June 28 / 29

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Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

June 28

1946  Peacetime cruises for the cadets of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy at New London Connecticut, were revived.

June 29

Revenue Cutter Dallas 1815

1820  The Revenue cutter Dallas captured the 12-gun brig-of-war General Ramirez, which was loaded with 280 slaves, off St. Augustine.  The July 8, 1820 issue of the Savannah Republican noted:

“On the 28th ultimo, while the Cutter DALLAS was lying in the St. Mary’s River, Captain Jackson received information that the Brig of war GENERAL RAMIREZ, supposed to be a piratical vessel was hovering off St. Augustine.  The Cutter forthwith got under way in pursuit of the Brig having first obtained 12 United States soldiers from Fernandina to strengthen the Cutter’s force.  At half past three the next day, she hailed the Brig and received for answer, “This is the Patriot Brig GENERAL RAMIREZ—-.” Captain Jackson finding a number of blacks on board took possession of the vessel and brought her into St. Mary’s, arriving on the 1st instant.  Captain Jackson found on the Brig about 280 African slaves.  The Captain and crew, 28 in number, acknowledged themselves Americans.”

CDR Frank Erickson, USCG, the first US Naval Aviation helicopter pilot.

1944  CDR Frank A. Erickson landed a helicopter on the flight deck of CGC Cobb. This was the first rotary-wing aircraft-shipboard landing by Coast Guard personnel.

A U.S. Coast Guard Sikorsky HNS-1 helicopter (right) and a Sikorsky HOS-1 (left) conducting experimental flight operations on USCGC Cobb (WPG-181), 15 June 1944.

1950  The Coast Guard adopted a Navy directive relative to security measures, including precautions against possible sabotage at installations and aboard ships.

The components and operation of the Cospas-Sarsat system

1982  The Soviet Union launched COSPAS I, the first search and rescue satellite ever launched.  In combination with later SARSAT satellites, a new multi-agency, international, search and rescue service was made operational.

USS Stockdale (DDG 106). U.S. Navy File Photo

2013  A Coast Guard Advanced Interdiction Team (AIT) returned home from a four-month counter piracy deployment to the Middle East.  The team was comprised of three units: Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) Los Angeles-Long Beach, MSST San Diego, and the Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team (PACTACLET) out of San Diego.  Under the direction of the U. S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, the team served aboard the U.S. Naval guided missile destroyer USS Stockdale, working side by side with the ship’s Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) team assigned to Combined Task Force 151.  While on board the Stockdale, the team’s primary mission was to fight maritime terrorism and counter piracy.  The AIT and VBSS conducted joint training for counter piracy, illegal activity interdictions, and boardings.  The training also included space accountability for hidden compartments, mock medical emergencies, and planning and executing mission contingencies.  CTF-151 was a multi-national task force working under Combined Maritime Forces to conduct counter-piracy operations in the Southern Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Somali Basin, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.  Augmented by members from the Coast Guard, the joint-unit team was engaged in stemming illegal piracy and armed robbery at sea.

Is the Coast Guard Really Smaller than the NYPD?

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HITRON member from Jacksonville, Fla., mans an M-240 machine gun on board a Stingray MH-68A helicopter during a homeland security patrol around New York City

I keep hearing that the Coast Guard is smaller than the NYPD. Is it true?

I don’t like hearing this because, it seems to demean the service and may cause some to dismiss it as unimportant.

In fact, for at least the last 30 years the size of the Coast Guard has increased while the size of other armed forces has declined.

The NYPD also has trouble recruiting, but, even so, crime statistics in New York City are way down, so the NYPD is not greatly under strength. An 11 March 2025 report states, “…recruitment has become difficult… NYPD ranks dropping from 37,000 uniformed officers in 2018 to 33,000 today.” According to Wikipedia, “As of October 2023, the NYPD’s current authorized uniformed strength is 33,536. There are also 19,454 civilian employees, including approximately 3,500 traffic enforcement agents, 4,500 auxiliary police officers (unpaid volunteers–Chuck), and 5,500 school safety agents (these are professional peace officers with at least 20 weeks of training, not crossing guards–Chuck) are presently employed by the department as well as being deployed on the streets.” The total work force is over 52,000 of those about 48,000 are paid positions.

By comparison the Coast Guard work force is about 51,000 paid employees, including about 9500 civilian employees. In addition there are over 20,000 in the auxiliary.

Let’s put this old saw to bed. The Coast Guard is not smaller than the NYPD.

So, how big is the U.S. Coast Guard?

Within the Department of Homeland Security

The Department has about 240,000 employees. The Coast Guard is no longer the largest agency in the Department, as I think it was when the Department was initially formed.

Not as large as Customs and Border Protection: CBP has more than 58,000 employes.

Not as large as the Transportation Security Administration: TSA has about 58,600 employees, but the Coast Guard’s budget is larger.

Bigger than Citizenship and Immigration Services: About 24,200 employees. 

Bigger than Immigration and Customs Enforcement: “ICE now has more than 20,000 law enforcement and support personnel…”

Bigger than FEMA but with a smaller budget. about 17,300 employees

Bigger than the Secret Service: Secret Service has about 8,300 employees

Maritime Agencies in the Federal Government

Bigger than NOAA: “In 2021, NOAA had 11,833 civilian employees. Its research and operations are further supported by 321 uniformed service members, who make up the NOAA Commissioned Corps.” The Coast Guard budget is almost twice that of NOAA.

Bigger than Military Sealift Command: Their workforce is less than 10,000 including some US Navy personnel.

Bigger than the US Merchant Marine: The US merchant Marine has about 13,000 mariners  including almost half in Military Sealift Command.

Way bigger than the Maritime Administration: MARAD has about 800 employees. Coast Guards budget is an order of magnitude larger than that of MARAD.

Compared to International Navies

The US Coast Guard has no aircraft carriers, submarines, or well armed aircraft but it does have a relatively large number of ships, aircraft, mariners and air crewmen. There are several medium sized navies that are larger than the US Coast Guard, but the Coast Guard is still a significant force.

Bigger than the French Navy, with more personnel, more ships, and more aircraft.

Bigger than the UK’s Royal Navy, with more personnel, more ships, and more aircraft.

National Security Implications:

“Convoy WS-12: A Vought SB2U Vindicator scout bomber from USS Ranger (CV-4) flies anti-submarine patrol over the convoy, while it was en route to Cape Town, South Africa, 27 November 1941. The convoy appears to be making a formation turn from column to line abreast. Two-stack transports in the first row are USS West Point (AP-23) — left –; USS Mount Vernon (AP-22) and Coast Guard manned transport USS Wakefield (AP-21). Heavy cruisers, on the right side of the first row and middle of the second, are USS Vincennes (CA-44) and USS Quincy (CA-39). Single-stack transports in the second row are Coast Guard manned transports USS Leonard Wood (AP-25) and USS Joseph T. Dickman (AP-26).”

When the President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on the Empire of Japan, The Coast Guard was already expanding rapidly, escorting convoys, and manning Transports for the US Navy bound for a combat zone.

The US has a serious shortage of Mariners needed to provide logistics support for any overseas military operation. The Coast Guard is a major reservoir of trained mariners and air crewmen. If there is a major conflict, the Coast Guard will called upon to protect, rescue, and perhaps stand in for the American merchant marine.

This Day in Coast Guard History, June 27

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Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

June 27

1851  The British bark Henry stranded off Bridgehampton Beach, Long Island with 204 persons on board. All were safely landed with government surf boat.

1935  Coast Guard aviator LT Richard L. Burke set a world record for altitude in an amphibious aircraft when he reached 5449 meters (17877.2) feet with a 500 kilogram load on this date in 1935.  He piloted Coast Guard Grumman JF-2 (V-167).

A U.S. Coast Guard Grumman JF-2 Duck (serial V148) in the mid to late 1930s.

The Coast Guard Cutter Walnut, homeported in Honolulu, Hi., off the coast of Iraq in the North Arabian Gulf April 19, 2003. The Walnut is replacing buoys in the Khawr Abd Allah waterway to ensure safe transit for vessels sailing to the port of Umm Kusr including vessels bringing humanatarian aid to the people of Iraq.

2003  CGC Walnut, homeported in Honolulu, returned home after being deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  She deployed to the North Arabian Gulf in January with an oil spill recovery system in the event the regime of Saddam Hussein committed any acts of environmental terrorism.  When those threats did not materialize, the cutter conducted maritime interception operations enforcing U.N. Security Council resolutions, participated in the search for two downed United Kingdom helicopters, and patrolled and provided assistance to captured Iraqi offshore oil terminals being secured by Coast Guard port security personnel. The cutter’s crew completely replaced 30 buoys and repaired an additional five along the 41-mile Khawr Abd Allah Waterway.  This ATON mission vastly improved the navigational safety of the waterway for humanitarian aid, commercial, and military vessels sailing to the port and was a critical step to economic recovery for the people of Iraq.

USCGC Assateague

2014  CGC Assateague returned to home port in Apra Harbor, Guam following a six-day exclusive economic zone enforcement patrol.  While underway the cutter patrolled the western-most area of the exclusive economic zone extending 200 nautical miles west of Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana’s Island chain, ensuring no foreign fishing vessels were fishing within waters of the United States and that all U.S. fishing vessels were doing so in accordance with the United States’ applicable maritime laws.  Additionally, during its transit north, the cutter transported supplies to the Pagan Installation Project, which consists of a joint partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Geological Survey, NOAA, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands government.  The project, which is being done on the remote island of Pagan in the northern part of the CNMI chain, is being done to install seismic sensors, monitoring stations, and seismic cables in an effort to monitor volcanic activity.  To facilitate their efforts, Assateague crewmembers met with project managers in Saipan to pick up 700 pounds of five gallon water jugs, 1,200 pounds of cement bags, tents and camping supplies, and various sized batteries, which were all then transported to Pagan.  These items were greatly needed due to the sheer isolation and remoteness of Pagan, which houses only seven permanent residents and is 170 miles north of Saipan, the closest inhabited island with modern amenities.

USCGC EAGLE, San Francisco Bay, 25 June 2025

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The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Barque Eagle (WIX-327) sails under the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco Bay, June 25, 2025. The Barque Eagle last visited the San Francisco Bay in 2008. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Hunter Schnabel)

USCGC Eagle (WIX-327) San Francisco Bay, June 25, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Hunter Schnabel)

This Day in Coast Guard History, June 26

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Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

June 26

1944  LCDR Quentin R. Walsh and his commando unit forced the surrender of Fort du Homet, a Nazi stronghold at Cherbourg, France, captured 300 German soldiers and liberated 50 U.S. paratroopers who had been captured on D-Day.  For his heroic actions, Walsh was awarded the Navy Cross.

Walsh’s 53-man unit (of whom three were killed and ten wounded –Chuck)  landed and contacted elements of the US Army’s 79th Infantry Division, which was engaging the Germans in fierce house-to-house fighting. Allied forces quickly captured the eastern part of the port, while most of the Germans retreated to the western section of the city. Knowing the port was essentially unusable with pockets of resistance remaining, Walsh personally led a 16-member unit of his special task force on a raid to an arsenal area and adjacent waterfront on the western side of the port city. Armed with bazookas, hand grenades, rifles, and submachine guns, he and his party overcame sniper fire and blew open steel doors of underground bunkers, capturing 400 Germans. Walsh and one other officer then approached the German command post at Fort Du Homet under a flag of truce and bluffed its commander into surrendering, capturing a further 350 Germans and liberating 52 American paratroopers being held as prisoners of war. Only then did Walsh begin restoring vital port operations as Port Director.

German prisoners march out of surrendered Cherbourg under U.S. Army guard. U.S. Navy photo.

The US Navy is building a flight III Burke class destroyer in Bath to be named for Walsh.

190606-N-DM308-001 Cherbourg, France(June 6, 2019) A graphic illustration of the future Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Quentin Walsh (DDG 132). (U.S. Navy photo illustration by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Paul L. Archer/Released)

1948  In order to implement the expanded postwar activities of the Coast Guard in the field of aids to navigation, Congress approved Public Law 786, which provided legislative authority for the Coast Guard to establish and operate maritime aids for the armed forces and LORAN stations essential for the armed forces and maritime and air commerce of the United States.

1978  The first U.S. ocean-monitoring satellite, SEASAT-A, was launched into earth orbit from Vandenberg AFB.

This Day in Coast Guard History, June 25

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Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

June 25

1935  Coast Guard aviator LT Richard L. Burke set a world record when he flew the Coast Guard Grumman JF-2 (V-167) at 280 kph (174 mph) over a 100 kilometer course with a 500 kilogram load in 21 minutes and 20 seconds, besting the previous record by roughly 14 miles per hour.

A U.S. Coast Guard Grumman JF-2 Duck (serial V148) in the mid to late 1930s.

1936  “The act of June 25, 1936 was in reality an amendment to the Seamen’s Act of 1915, and had been called the Merchant Marine Act of 1936. This law provided for (1) “qualifications, examinations, and issuance of certificates of service or efficiency to unlicensed personnel; (2) the issuance of continuous discharge books to all seagoing personnel,” a three-watch eight-hour day, and certain citizenship requirements. The act greatly increased the workload of the shipping commissioners, particularly in providing for the issuance of discharge books and various certificates. This had the effect of both increasing the efficiency of unlicensed personnel and raising the dignity of the profession.”

2002  U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation Michael Jackson, joined by U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Thomas H. Collins, announced the award of the Integrated Deepwater System (IDS) contract.  It was the largest acquisition project in the history of the Coast Guard.

A Coast Guard C-27J Spartan crew, assigned to Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento, flies over San Francisco, California, during area of responsibility familiarization training, Monday, Feb. 6, 2018. The C-27Js are outfitted with weather radar and communications equipment capable of supporting transport and other Coast Guard missions. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Scott Handlin

2014  “The Coast Guard took a step toward introducing the C-27J into its medium range surveillance fleet with the commissioning of the C-27J Asset Project Office (APO) at Elizabeth City, N.C., June 25, 2014.  The C-27J APO’s primary mission is to provide a purposeful, sequential plan to incorporate 14 C-27Js into Coast Guard operations.  The aircraft are being transferred from the U.S. Air Force as required by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014.  Among the C-27J APO’s responsibilities will be development of Coast Guard-specific operational and maintenance procedures, training plans, technical manuals and crew duties.”

“Vietnam Christens ex-USCGC Mellon as CSB 8022” –SeaWaves

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SeaWaves Magazine reports that the former USCGC Mellon has been officially transferred to the Vietnam Coast Guard. This is the last of the twelve to be transferred to a foreign navy or coast guard and the third for the Vietnam Coast Guard which also has former USCGC Morgenthau and Midgett.

The Philippine Navy also has three 378s, former USCGC Hamilton, Dallas, and Boutwell.

The Nigerian Navy has former USCGC Chase and Gallatin.

The Bangladesh Navy has former USCGC Rush and Jarvis.

Sri Lanka has former USCGC Sherman and Munro.

This Day in Coast Guard History, June 24

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Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

June 24

1914  Congress authorized the Secretary of Treasury to “detail for duty on revenue cutters such surgeons and other persons of the Public Health Service as…necessary” and for cutters with such medical personnel aboard to extend medical and surgical aid to crews of American vessels engaged in deep sea fisheries.  This Act of Congress (38 Stat. L., 387) regularized procurement and assignment procedures of Public Health Service personnel to revenue cutters, launching a partnership between the two services that continues to this day.

1930  An Act of Congress provided “that light keepers and vessel officers and crews, who during their active service were entitled to medical relief at hospitals and other stations of the Public Health Service, may be given such relief after retirement as is now applicable to retired officers and men in other branches of the Government service, under joint regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Commerce.”

1938  Under an Executive Order of this date, “about 35 positions of steward on lighthouse tenders were brought under the classified civil service.”

USCGC Juniper (WLB-201)

1995  CGC Juniper was launched, the first of the new 225-foot Juniper Class buoy tenders.

USCGC Juniper (WLB-201) and USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) patrol the waters of American Samoa

Where Should Our Shipbuilding Program be Going?

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Keel Laying for OPC#3 hull number 917, July 2022. Presumably future 915 is to the right and future 916 to the left.

The recent cancellation of NSC#11, suspension of work on OPCs 3 &4, an FRI regarding towing something that sounds like an OPC–probably OPC#1, the President’s oft repeated desire for 40 icebreakers, the Force Design 2028 call for “A More Agile, Capable, Responsive Fighting Force,” and the significant changes in geopolitical environment all suggest a course change is in the offing for Coast Guard shipbuilding.

Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPC): 

The contract for long lead time items for NSC#11 was announced at the same time as contracts for construction of OPC#1 and long lead time items for OPC#2--Sept. 2018.

It does appear more progress was made on OPC #2 than was made on NSC #11 but the fact that we still have not seen any evidence of Argus, OPC #1, on sea trial is very troubling. This is the primary reason I believe the FRI for towing and assessment is for OPC #1. If that is the case, then what will happen to OPC #2? It appears that the hull maybe complete (see the photo above). The RFI may just be for the first such tow.

The combination of ten NSCs and a few OPCs should give us more than enough large high endurance cutters to do legacy missions that the Hamilton class WHECs used to do, but while OPCs can do anything the old WMECs could do, the Coast Guard never intended to build one for one replacements, and perhaps most importantly they are not the type of ships required for the currently increasingly hostile geopolitical environment.

OPCs are much larger than the WMECs they are replacing and therefore expensive, in fact, displacement even increased substantially after the initial contract award, but the additional size has not given us corresponding much larger capabilities with regard to law enforcement, national defense, or even Ports, Waterways and Coastal Security.

The Coast Guard will want to continue to build OPCs until an alternative design is completed, but the search for an alternative should begin immediately. We certainly should be contracting for construction of a different design by FY2030. I expect the OPC program to be truncated at 10 to 15 ships.

It should have been unrealistic to expect that the Coast Guard would be building OPCs for over two decades, but that is what happened with the NSCs. I am not sure it was wise to extend procurement of ten ships over two decades without any significant redesign.

Fast Response Cutters (FRC):

To some extent, the success of the FRCs has made up for the reduced number of larger cutters. The Coast Guard has been using them more like medium endurance cutter than like the preceding Island class patrol boats. They definitely are not being used as “fast response cutters,” sitting in port waiting for a call.

Still there are missions where greater endurance and seakeeping are essential or at least highly desirable. The Coast Guard is probably building more FRCs than they would have if a true medium endurance cutter design had been readily available.

This class has been a bright spot. The original plan was to build 58, 64 when the six for PATFORSWA were added. It now looks like a total of at 70 will be operational. Under normal circumstances that would probably be considered enough, but with the delays to the OPC program, an ever increasing demand signal, and increasing difficulties supporting over-age MECs we may see even more. It is not ideal, but it is the cutter we can have near term.

USCGC Webber was commissioned over 13 years ago. It is time to develop a mid-life refresh to make these little ships more capable. They need a capability against unmanned systems and an ability to forcibly stop ships regardless of size. There have been small running changes that have improved their endurance. There are probably other things that could be done to provide greater endurance.

Future classes:

Contracts have been let for three Polar Security Cutters. There was a Request for Information (RFI) in April as a first step toward procuring Arctic Security Cutters.

So far, I have seen no steps toward a replacement for the 87 foot WPBs, though some are essentially being replaced by 154 foot Fast Response Cutters and 45 foot Response Boat-Mediums (RB-M).

We were told the OPCs would be a bridge between the larger NSCs and the smaller FRC, but they turned out to be very nearly as large as the NSCs and almost as expensive.

We certainly need more than 35 large cutters, but they don’t all have to have the extreme endurance of the NSCs and OPCs.

To make an informed decision, the first step should be to make the new Fleet Mix Study public and ask for feedback. I am certain it would immediately justify at least one new class of cutters if not more.

In addition to the Polar Security Cutters (heavy polar icebreakers), Arctic Security Cutters (medium icebreakers), offshore patrol cutters, and Webber class patrol craft, we may need.

  • a true medium endurance cutter, preferably one adaptable to wartime missions. It might be built in cooperation with the US Navy as a prototype for a low cost, rapidly producible ASW escort that could use containerized systems.
  • an Arctic Offshore Patrol Cutter
  • a true fast response cutter, a better armed replacement for the 87 foot WPBs in important ports, capable of forcibly stopping a ship regardless of size and providing point defense against unmanned air and surface craft.
  • a small but very seaworthy replacement for the 87 foot WPBs in minor ports. These could be additional larger heavy weather MLBs like the ones being procured to replace 52 foot MLB.

This Day in Coast Guard History, June 23

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Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

June 23

View of Boston Light, 1729, Boston Public Library

1716  The Province of Massachusetts authorized the erection of the first lighthouse in America. “This bill named the location for the light as the southern part of Great Brewster Island, then called Beacon Island, and today known as Little Brewster Island.“

Boston Light at sunset
NPS Photo/G. Sager

1817  The cutter Active forced a South American privateer posing as an armed merchantman to leave the Chesapeake Bay and American waters.

USCGC Comanche former USRC Windom

1895  USRC Windom was launched.  She was the service’s first attempt at “modern” ship construction and was designed by the Coast Guard’s Engineering Division, complete with in-house staff naval architects and engineers.  Windom was the first cutter to have a modern powerplant, in this case a triple-expansion steam engine, and a fully watertight hull with transverse and longitudinal bulkheads.  She was capable of making a top speed of 15 knots.

USCGC Nike (WPC-112); late WWII outfit. no caption/number; photographer/date unknown.

1934  CGC Nike departed on a thousand-mile trip to the sea after it became the Coast Guard’s first patrol boat built on an inland waterway.  It was built at Point Pleasant, West Virginia and was launched into the Ohio River after being christened by Mrs. Charles O. Weisenberger, wife of the president of the Marietta Manufacturing Company which built Nike.  The cutter was bound for Pascagoula, Mississippi to replace the recently decommissioned cutter Tuscarora, which itself had been in service for over 35 years.

1939  Congress created the Coast Guard Reserve which later became what is today the Coast Guard Auxiliary.