Port Security

The Korean conflict never sent cutters into gun duels, but it changed the service forever—turning early advisory work in Seoul into a global web of ocean stations, AIRDETs, LORAN, and port security that cemented the Coast Guard as an independent military branch in wartime.

In the pre‑dawn chaos at Cat Lai, a rocket‑hit ammunition barge began to burn with fifteen thousand tons of explosives nearby. Engineman Robert Yered ran toward the flames, helping put the fire out and preventing the destruction of three ships and an Army terminal—then came home to live as a quiet groundskeeper few realized was a Silver Star hero.

From World War II convoys and Cold War port security to Desert Storm, Deepwater Horizon, and pandemic response, the Reserve has spent 85 years surging into crises at home and overseas—providing the extra force the service needs when the stakes are highest.

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.

Port security has been one of the longest-running missions of the United States Coast Guard. And, historical events, such as World War I, have brought greater attention to the importance of this service specialty.