Happy Birthday to the U.S. Coast Guard
August 4th, 2008
On August 4, 1790, Congress authorized the construction of ten vessels to “enforce tariff and trade laws and to prevent smuggling.” Organized as the Revenue Cutter Service, the Coast Guard is the oldest continuous seagoing service in the United States. In 1915, the Revenue Cutter Service was merged with the U.S. Life-Saving Service to become the modern Coast Guard. In 1939, the Lighthouse Service was transferred to the Coast Guard and in 1946, the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation was transferred to the Coast Guard. In 2003, the U.S.C.G. was made a division of the newly created Department of Homeland Security.
