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To Europe and Far East — A brief history of the Coast Guard’s Pacific Area
—From rounding Cape Horn to icebreaking the Northwest Passage, the service built a vast Pacific footprint—cutters, lighthouses, LORAN nets, and air detachments—supporting missions from Manila Bay to Vietnam across 180 years of war and peace.
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Local enforcer to global responder—235 years of Coast Guard transformation!
—In 1790, Alexander Hamilton established a small fleet of coastal law enforcement vessels to patrol off East Coast seaports. Over the next 235 years, the service experienced rapid growth in its responsibilities, missions, and organization.