Defenders of Our Nation

With the need for maintaining security zones at anchorages, in the seaway, and alongside ships offloading military cargoes, the role and training for port security forces emerged as a priority for the Coast Guard.

From Hamilton’s “few armed vessels” to cutters and LEDETs in modern war zones, a small revenue force evolved into a full-fledged armed service that has answered every call from the age of sail to the Global War on Terrorism.

A wrench for a weapon. Haze, shellfire, and the first air‑sea clash in home waters—told through a daring low‑level attack that sent a marauding U‑boat diving for its life.

Whiteouts, razor ice, and lurking U‑boats—inside the little-known Arctic campaign where sled patrols, convoys, and daring rescues kept a vital lifeline alive.

Since the late 1800s, the United States Coast Guard and its predecessor agencies have played an essential role in U.S. polar operations. A new kind of ship, the icebreaker, evolved to serve U.S. commercial and strategic interests spread in the Arctic.

Drewry’s Bluff put the Revenue Marine’s gunboat E.A. Stevens to the test, marking a leap from wood and sail to iron and steam.

The Coast Guard established the Ancient Mariner Award in 1978 to honor the officer and enlisted cuttermen who personify the dedication and professionalism associated with long service at sea and have held the distinction of cutterman longer than any other officer or enlisted member.

With the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the War on Terror set in motion dramatic changes to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard has a rich history of underwater operations. Since the early 1940s, the service has nurtured a diving capability that has become vital to modern Coast Guard missions.

In the still darkness of a foggy June night in 1942, what began as a routine beach patrol turned into a daring encounter with Nazi saboteurs—the first enemy operatives to land on U.S. soil since the War of 1812.