The Growth Years

At 11:40 pm April 14, 1912, four days after departing Southhampton, England, the RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg 400 miles south of Newfoundland, with the loss of over 1500 people. This disaster was the impetus for the establishment of the International Ice Patrol. Media coverage created an awareness of an icebergs potential for tragedy … Read more

In January of 1946 work on the new sonar, designated XCF, moved ahead. Dr. Coop and assistants redesigned certain components and improved the electrical components. The Coast Guard took delivery of a new 450-horsepower HO2S and by March 12 the sonar had been installed and tested. Graham and  his crewman, Martin Westerburg, flew the helicopter … Read more

LORAN (LOng RAnge Navigation) is a terrestrial navigation system using ground-based transmitters. Hyperbolic LORAN lines of position (LOP) are formed by measuring the difference in reception times of synchronized signals. A LORAN net, or chain, requires a master station, initiating the pulse, and a series of slave stations. In very simplified terms, the master transmits … Read more

On 12 July 1945, administrative control of VPB-6 (CG) was transferred from Commander FAW-9 to the Commandant U.S. Coast Guard. Operational control remained with Commander Task Force 24.0. It was reduced to six PBY-5A aircraft and redesignated a search and rescue squadron. Two PB4Y-1 aircraft were assigned for ice reconnaissance test work with AN/APS-15A radar. … Read more

During WW-II the air-sea rescue had been primarily a military operation. The coordination of efforts had been a topic of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since 1942 and under discussion was whether a separate agency should be created for rescue operations or whether one of the existing services should be charged with primary responsibility. In … Read more

In 1938, a Coast Guard aircraft was assigned as an Air Patrol Detachment at Traverse City, Michigan to operate on a seasonal basis and determine the feasibility of constructing an air station. During 1941 a Grumman JRF-3 Grumman Goose twin engine amphibian number V-192 was assigned and by the end of the year a Grumman … Read more

Marsten Matting, a series of portable prefabricated interlocking pierced steel planks, had been developed, enabling rapid construction of runways in forward combat areas capable of supporting heavy gross weight aircraft operations. In order to take advantage of this capability the US Navy wanted a force of land based B-24 Liberators to fly long range overwater … Read more

Mr. Malcom Stuart Boylan planted the seed that eventually grew into the Coast Guard Auxiliary. As a result of discussions with the officers of the USCGC Hermes, Boylon sent a letter dated August 23, 1934, outlining a basic concept for a Coast Guard Reserve composed of flotillas of small craft to be placed at the … Read more

In the years leading up to World War II the thought was that any major operations by an enemy in the Alaska-Aleutian area was highly improbable. By April of 1940 the anxiety level had increased and it was concluded that there was a need for development of permanent installations at Kodiak, Sitka, Unalaska, Anchorage, and … Read more

Since the beginning of the War in Europe the United States had been engaged in supporting Great Britain while technically remaining neutral. Cryolite, a substance used to extract metallic aluminum from bauxite ore, was obtained in quantity from a mine at Ivigtut. Greenland and was essential for aircraft production. When the British and Canadian governments … Read more