[ollie]

Part I
Quite a few people in the U.S. know very little about the duties of the Coast Guard or its origin. I thought I'd take a moment to describe the nations oldest continuous sea service. In 1790 with the formation of the Treasury Department, Alexander Hamilton also authorized the building of ten swift cutters to be used as a deterrent to smugglers who tried to evade taxes and fees set by the Federal government. Initially known as the Revenue Cutter Service, these 10 little ships were the mainstay of the U.S, fleet for about 8 years.

The Navy act of 1794 authorized the building of 6 frigates but they were not launched until 1797-98. The Revenue Marine was in virtually every conflict from its inception. One of the more notable early cutters was the USRC Harriet Lane which was at Fort Sumter (1861)when the bombardment began.

Congress changed the complexion of the service in 1915 when it enacted U.S. Code Title 14:
"The Coast Guard as established January 28, 1915, shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces of the United States at all times. The Coast Guard shall be a service in the Department of Treasury, except when operating as a service in the Navy." Concurrently, the Steamboat Inspection Service and the U.S. Life Saving Service were merged into the Revenue Marine with the new name of U.S. Coast Guard.

Shortly, thereafter the United States found itself at war in the midst of what would be called "The War To End All Wars". In it, the USCGC Tampa was torpedoed and went down with all hands while escorting convoys in the North Atlantic.

Part II next week (in Between Wars)

Ollie