August 4th is celebrated as Coast Guard Day to honor the establishment of that day in 1790. On that date, Congress, guided by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, authorized the building of a fleet of ten cutters, whose responsibility would be enforcement of the first tariff laws enacted by Congress under the Constitution. The Coast Guard has been continuously at sea since its inception, although the name Coast Guard didnt come about until 1915 when the Revenue Cutter Service was merged with the Lifesaving Service. The Lighthouse Service joined the Coast Guard in 1939, followed in 1946 by the Bureau of Navigation and Steamboat Inspection. Finally in 1967, after 177 years in the Treasury Department, the Coast Guard was transferred to the newly formed Department of Transportation. Learn more about the Coast Guard: uscg.mil/
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 14:46:01 +0000