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Lighthouses and the history of “The Flying Santa”
—Beginning in the Great Depression, aviator William “Bill” Wincapaw began the tradition of “The Flying Santa” to show his appreciation for the dedication and self-sacrifice of Maine’s lighthouse keepers and their families for standing the watch in isolated and often inhospitable locations.
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Native Americans in the Coast Guard—Semper Paratus since 1815
—Native Americans have been members of the Coast Guard and its predecessor services for well over 200 years.
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Standing a deadly watch—the final hours of Scotch Cap Lighthouse
—In 1946, the Scotch Cap Lighthouse is destroyed by a tsunami wave estimated at well over 120 feet high that also impacted the greater Pacific.
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The Coast Guard responds to ghostship Carroll A. Deering!
—The mystery surrounding the disappearance of schooner Carroll A. Deering’s crew of 11 or 12 men has never been solved although the Department of Justice had been called in to investigate rumors of “piracy.”
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CGC Storis — Galloping Ghost of the Alaskan Coast
—Over its service of nearly 65 years, Storis set the record for length of service for a White Hull cutter, steaming 1.5 million miles and recording many firsts and setting many records, including some that have endured to this day.
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Domingo Suarez y Rosa—Towerman of Puerto Rico
—It was at Guanica on a stormy night in 1914 that Domingo Suarez witnessed a pilot boat capsize beyond the mouth of the bay. Without hesitation, he jumped into the water and assisted the boat’s crew to safety, earning a U.S. Lighthouse Service commendation.