-
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.
-
Mirlo Rescue — the Coast Guard’s baptism of fire!
—Despite any fears Chicamacomico station keeper John Allen Midgett had about entering the flames surrounding the tanker, he mustered his crew and initiated rescue operations within minutes of the explosion.
-
The attack on Pearl Harbor—“a date that will live in infamy”
—The U.S. Coast Guard was supporting the war effort even before Pearl Harbor, and had proven itself Semper Paratus or “Always Ready” to perform any naval or maritime mission required to defeat the enemy in World War II.
-
FRC namesake Lawrence Lawson’s Thanksgiving Day rescue
—The crew sprang to their places at the oars, and when the next sea lifted the craft, the soldiers pushed it out and the oars were put in motion. The rescuing party was off on their perilous errand.
-
Chief Gus Jablonski—Enlisted pioneer of helicopter flight
—Chief Gus Jablonski was a critical figure in the early days of helicopter development. His technical knowledge and hands-on skills helped helicopter turn Igor Sikorsky’s fragile machine into a tool that could do useful work for the military.
-
Celebrating the Coast Guard’s role in liberating Rome during World War II
—While many are familiar with the Allied landings in Normandy in June 1944, few know about the landings that took place several months prior in Italy.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.”
-
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.