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Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival, August 5, 1949
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4525629
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Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival, August 5, 1949
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Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers
Speeches
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The original documents are located in Box D13, folder "Grand Haven Coast Guard
Festival, August 5, 1949" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech
File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box D13 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
Semper Paratus 8/4/49
The United States Coast Guard cele-
brates today its 159th birthday. It is a
day not to be passed over in silence.
Too often the services of the Coast Guard
have been overlooked, though, to be sure,
it came into its glorious own during the
war.
But the Coast Guard is primarily a peace-
time service, attached to the Treasury De-
partment. It was Alexander Hamilton who
gave it its start-as the "Revenue Marine"
-back in 1790. Among its duties, pleasant
and unpleasant over the years, have been
fighting pirates and hostile Indians, pro-
tecting the Alaskan seal herds from exter-
mination, and blockading Southern ports
in the Civil War.
Today it is charged with enforcement
of United States laws on all the navigable
waters of this country and, insofar as they
are applicable, on the high seas. It con-
ducts the magnificent search and rescue
service that at a moment's notice mobilizes
ships, aircraft and radio communications to
1
help victims of disaster at sea. It takes
care of channel markers, lighthouses and
lightships, conducts safety inspections of
ships, and fulfills a host of other duties.
Of all these, the one that appeals most to
us on this August day is the iceberg patrol
in North Atlantic waters. This duty, ex-
cept for periods during both World Wars,
the Coast Guard has accomplished since
1913, a year after the Titanic disaster.
Actually the iceberg season is over now; it
normally lasts from around March to June
and this year began in February and ended
on June 15. But cuddling up to an iceberg
right now seems an ideal way to beat the
heat, and we wish the Coast Guard could
ge out and haul one up the Potomac to
celebrate its birthday. It would be most
appropriate, we think, since, like an iceberg,
only about one tenth of the Coast Guard's
activities appear above the surface of our
everyday consciousness.
Speak aug 54
1090 RAXE-U
Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival
I. Introduction
admiral 0 niel etc.
Hamlton Two
Tros policies policies
II Coast Huard -
Sempan Paratus" (always prepared)
aug 4,1949 - 159th bothbay
Coast Guard academy - 1910
alexander Hamilton - 1790 (Revenue Manni)
Duties -
5200
2/. International her patrol.
1) Saving security life request & property at sea
(eng station life sav.
not a single life lost from a
collesion with sence
C/G take over following sinking
I Titance ap. 4, 1912.
5) Flood velief unk
4) Enforces narigation regulations
3) Seal & frokery protection
FORD i LIBRARY GERALD
Cremmed 43,000
Missiosippi 1927
persons & saved
11,000 hand geattle.
Brayro
was
TIE
4080
C/G at Grand Haven
Peer " Head "Front" Rear Range Light Statem -1839
-
1871
Life Boat Plation - 1875
S.S Henry Cnt - NN. 30, 1934,
C/6 Cutter Escanaba permently stational
at Grand Haven Dec. 3, 1932. Transferred
to war convoy duty 1942.
Rescured 22 survives of 4.55 Cherrhee
+ 133 surmors of SS. Dorchester.
(sub) with only 2 surmors out of
Escanaba punk by every action
105 offers of men. Cutter Tampa
suffered semilar fate 1918,
Since Dec. 1917 CG Cutter Wordbine,
which served with distinction in
WWII, statement at G/H.
FORD i LIBRARY 936835