Coming of Age

1974 – Air Station North Bend Oregon Established The Coast Guard Air Station North Bend was commissioned 28 September 1974, as part of Group North Bend, co-located on the North Bend, Oregon, Municipal Airport. The airport is a former Naval Auxiliary Air Station and is located on the shore of Coos Bay. The original Group … Read more

1973 – Coast Guard Deployed Helicopters on Surface Vessels: Drug Interdiction Operations Begin In response to a growing drug problem, Congress passed the Controlled Substance Act of 1970. It replaced more than 50 pieces of drug legislation and is the legal foundation for government anti-drug operations. It went into effect on May 1, 1971 and was … Read more

1973 – Medium Range Search Aircraft Evaluation Conducted This Led to the Procurement of the HU-25 A HU-16 wing fatigue test completed in October of 1968 established a wing service life of 11,000 flight hours. It was realized that normal wear aggravated by operation in a salt laden environment and the steady amassing of flight … Read more

1972 – The Coast Guard Uniform is Changed Admiral Chester R. Bender became Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1970. He felt that the Coast Guard should create a distinctly different uniform from that of the Navy and solidify the fact that the Coast Guard was a separate organization. Admiral Bender also felt that … Read more

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 … Read more

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, … Read more

1970 – Air Station Cape Cod Massachusetts Established 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 border … Read more

1969 – Air Station Cape May New Jersey Re-established 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 maintained at Cape May until 1941. During World War II, … Read more

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 … Read more

1969 – Coast Guard Deploys a Detachment to Greece to Provide HU-16 Pilot Training for the Hellenic Air Force 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 overthrew the elected government in Greece and established themselves in power.  … Read more