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Office of Public Affairs |
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| News Release |
Date: August 3, 2009 |
Coast Guard celebrates 219th birthday |
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Washington, DC - August 3, 2009-- A mini video showing the Coast Guard's journey from its early days since 1790 to present modern day missions. (U.S. Coast Guard video) SEATTLE - U.S. Coast Guardsmen here, throughout the country and abroad will celebrate both the service's 219th birthday and its rich and diverse history Tuesday, August 4, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard traces its origins to the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service which was established August 4, 1790, by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. The combination of the Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Lifesaving Service in 1915 and the later addition of the U.S. Lighthouse Service in 1939 laid the framework for what is today's modern day Coast Guard. In 1851 customs activities established a central roll in monitoring trade in the Pacific Northwest and in 1854 with maritime trade flourishing in the region the Revenue Cutter Jefferson Davis was dispatched to interdict smuggling activities. The crew of the Jefferson Davis sailed into Puget Sound on September 28, 1854. The cutter's arrival marked the first unit of the U. S. Coast Guard to be stationed in the states of Washington and Oregon. Recently the Pacific Northwest continued it's rich Coast Guard tradition by establishing the first Marine Safety and Security Team (MSST). MSSTs were created under the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) 2002 and are a part of the Department of Homeland Security's layered strategy directed at protecting our seaports and waterways. MSSTs were created in direct response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Accordingly, every MSST designation number begins with "911". Commissioned on July 3, 2002, MSST Seattle was the first MSST created; hence having the honor of being known as 91101. MSST Seattle (91101) is assigned to the Coast Guard's Deployable Operations Group and is a rapid response force capable of nationwide deployment via air, ground or sea transportation to meet emerging threats. Unit personnel are trained in Anti-terrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP) and Maritime Law Enforcement (MLE) policies and practices, enabling them to augment Coast Guard forces during National Special Security Events, major marine events, contingencies, and other Coast Guard law enforcement operations primarily in ports, harbors, internal waterways, and coastal regions. MSST Seattle is currently deployed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. "While larger nations have a requirement to project naval sea power, most nations are (or should be) concerned with the depletion of living marine resources, the safe and secure development of offshore oil and gas industries, illegal migration, drug and other contraband trafficking, and the use of the global commons for piracy or to further extremist ideologies through sea-based terrorist and criminal activities," said Admiral Thad W.Allen, 23rd Commandant of Coast Guard. Today Coast Guardsmen carry out five missions: * Maritime safety (including search and rescue) "We exist today because this was understood for the first time two centuries ago by the First Guardian," added Allen. Since 1790 the Coast Guard has defined the nation's maritime borders safely and securely and Coastguardsmen here in the 13th Coast Guard District and abroad will continue to honor their shipmates of the past and continue to adapt to the challenges their shipmates may face in the future. |
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