1971 – The Air Station Borinquen Puerto Rico Was Established United States Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen is a direct descendant of Air Station San Juan, which was located on the Isla Grande Naval Station. In November 1971, the Air Station relocated to its present location at what was then Ramey Air Force Base in […]

1970 – In-depth Evaluation of Hovercraft Suitability for Coast Guard Use Conducted In the late 1960s significant interest was generated within the Coast Guard as to the feasibility of obtaining Air Cushion Vehicles (ACVs) to support a variety of Coast Guard missions. When three SK-5 ACVs, no longer required for the naval mission in Vietnam, […]

1970 – Air Station Cape Cod Massachusetts Established HH-60J Air Station Cape Cod crews fly both MH-60T “Jayhawk” helicopters and HC-144 “Ocean Sentry” fixed wing turboprops to perform a variety of Coast Guard missions. The primary mission, Search and Rescue (SAR), involves the protection of life and property in the offshore areas from the Canadian […]

1969 – Air Station Cape May New Jersey Re-established HH-52A helicopter on the left, HH65A helicopter on the right In 1926, a second Coast Guard Air Station was established at Cape May, New Jersey to deter rum-runners. The Air Station was decommissioned in 1938 due to a lack of funding. However, air patrol detachments were […]

1969 – Simulator Training Program Initiated at the Coast Guard Aviation Training Center In early 1969 the long range aviation plan reflected a need for modification in the way the Coast Guard conducting aircraft training.  The Navy and the Air Force were diverging from the direction the Coast Guard was going and training was costing more […]

1969 – Coast Guard Deploys a Detachment to Greece to Provide HU-16 Pilot Training for the Hellenic Air Force Albatross 515289, named “Faethon” was modified for the Electronic Warfare role. The situation in Cyprus had brought Greece and Turkey, both NATO members, to the threshold of war. In the spring of 1968, a military junta […]

 1969 – Coast Guard Air Station Chicago Established Commissioned in March 1969 by then-Commandant Willard J. Smith, Coast Guard Air Station Chicago, located on the Glenview Naval Air station, was the primary Search and Rescue unit for southern Lake Michigan. It was responsible for the waters from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Muskegon, Michigan and south to […]

1969 – VC-11A Executive Transport Entered Service. The first Turbojet Aircraft in Coast Guard Service The Coast Guard acquired a single Grumman Gulfstream II in February 1969 as a high speed executive transport for use by the Commandant and the Secretary of Transportation. A turbo-jet, purchased off-the-shelf, it was equipped with an Inertial Navigation System that […]

1969 – Icebreaker Support Section (IBSEC) Established at Aviation Support and Training Center Mobile The Coast Guard’s first ship-helicopter operations were on icebreakers. In December 1946, the CGC Northwind participated in the U.S. Navy’s Operation High Jump, the largest Antarctic expedition ever. Northwind carried a Grumman J2F-6 “Duck” airplane and a single Sikorsky HNS-1 helicopter. […]

1967 – HH-3F Helicopters Entered Coast Guard Service In November 1967 the US Coast Guard procured the first of the HH-3F Pelican Helicopters.   This twin turbine, medium range, amphibious, all weather helicopter extended the Coast Guard offshore search and rescue capabilities.  The HH-3F had a maximum speed of 142 knots with a normal cruise […]