WDS UNITED STATES COAST GUARD

The United States Coast Guard was established in 1790  as the Revenue Marine Service. It later became the Revenue Cutter Service and, in 1915, was combined with the U.S. Lifesaving Service formed 1878 to become the Coast Guard. It was under the peacetime jurisdiction of the Treasury Department until 1967, when it was transferred to the Department of Transportation. In 2003 the Coast Guard was placed under the jurisdiction of the newly created Department of Homeland Security.

The Coast Guard enforces all applicable federal laws on the high seas and waters within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States. It administers laws and promulgates and enforces regulations for the promotion of safety of life and property along the entire U.S. coast, including Alaska and Hawaii. It develops and operates aids to navigation in order to maintain the safety of ports and vessels in U.S. territorial waters.

The peacetime duties of the Coast Guard involve the inspection of vessels and their equipment and the direction and operation of lighthouses, lightships, buoys, and such electronic navigational aids as loran long-range navigation stations and radio beacons. The Coast Guard maintains an extensive network of lifeboat and search-and-rescue stations using surface vessels and aircraft. It also operates the International Ice Patrol, which maintains surveillance of icebergs in the North Atlantic shipping lanes. The USCG also gathers data for the National Weather Service and assists distressed ships and planes. Wartime duties include escorting ships, securing ports, and manning transports. The Coast Guard also assists in the interdiction of illegal narcotics that enter the United States on or over coastal waters.

The Coast Guards organization parallels that of the U.S. Navy, and Coast Guard ranks and ratings are identical to those of the Navy. The two services uniforms are also similar. The USCG is headed by a Coast Guard admiral who is appointed by the president. Coast Guard Reserve was established in 1939. Women have been permitted to serve in the regular Coast Guard since 1973. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy is located in New London, Connecticut.

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