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.
What began as a routine interdiction became a lethal ambush: a ramming at sea, a split‑second shove that spared a shipmate and a sacrifice the Coast Guard will never forget.
Billard oversaw the largest and fastest peacetime expansion in Coast Guard history.
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.
