When a building is on fire, what does everyone do? They evacuate the building ASAP! What does everyone at sea do when a storm is rapidly approaching? They head to the closest safe harbor. Similar to firemen entering a burning building to rescue persons from the fire and to fight the fire, Coastie men and women travel into stormy waters to rescue people in the sea or to tow their ship from the storm into a safe port. The enlisted Coasties have an expression, “We have to go out, but we don’t have to return.” Similar to male and female firemen, Coasties are trained to do their job and respond to their next SOS, Save Our Ship. Never forget the Morse Code for SOS, dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot. On Aug. 4, 1790 U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton commissioned the building of 10 revenue cutters, ships, to patrol our coastal waters and collect import revenue taxes, the Revenue Marine Services. Over the years, Revenue Marine Services became the Revenue Cutter Service. In 1915 the U.S. Lifesaving Service and the Revenue Cutter Service became the U.S. Coast Guard. On the British passenger ship, Titanic’s maiden voyage, it collided with an iceberg on April 14, 1912 and sank on April 15, 1912. In 1915 the USCG was assigned the responsibility to form the “Ice Patrol,” warning ships of icebergs in the North Atlantic’s shipping lanes. If you enjoy 360 degree turns on monster roller coaster rides, you have not experienced anything until you’ve been on a 300-foot USCG cutter in the North Atlantic during a Nor’easter with 60-foot waves watching the bow of your ship plunge into the trough of a wave while pitching from side to side as water washes completely over the bridge of the ship only to rise up over the next 60-foot wave. When the bow disappears in a wave, the stern including the rudder and propellers come out of the water. Storms can last for 24 to 48 hours. If you think being a Coastie is for wimps, let’s talk when you return to port after experiencing your first Nor’easter in the frigid Atlantic. Notice I didn’t mention about chipping ice, so your ship doesn’t become top heavy and capsize! If you’re not seasick, you’re given a cold sandwich from the cook. (How do you keep pans on the stove with 60-foot waves tossing your ship like a cork.) Moving inside the ship to go to your watch station, you have to hold on to something secure with both hands. Even though your bunk has side rails, you need to secure yourself to your bunk with rope. You don’t want to become airborne and land on the steel deck. On April 9, 1940 Hitler invaded Denmark, which was not prepared to defend itself, so the Danish king surrendered without a fight. The Danish government moved to the U.K., to form a government in exile. The Danes controlled Iceland and Greenland which the U.S. did not want German forces occupying. On April 9, 1941 at the Havana Conference, the U.S. negotiated with the Danish government in exile to have two air bases, one in Narsarsuaq and the other in Kipisako, Greenland. Admiral Harold Stark, chief of Naval Operations, wanted naval operations in Greenland expanded for two reasons. First purpose was to support the Army as it built the Greenland airfields to be used to ferry aircraft to England and to escort convoys to England. The second purpose was to prevent Germany from establishing military bases in Greenland. The Coast Guard was selected by Stark because the Coasties had more than 25 years with the international ice patrol in Greenland waters. In the early summer of 1941, the Greenland Patrol had two sections, the Northeast Patrol was commanded by Commander Edward “Iceberg” Smith consisting of the cutters, Northland, North Star, and the USS Bear. The South Patrol was commanded by Lt. Commander Harold Belcher consisting of the cutters Modoc, Comanche, Raritan and the Navy’s auxiliary ship, Bowdin. In October 1941 the two commands were combined as the Greenland Patrol, Task Force 24.8 under the command of Commander “Iceberg” Smith. On Sept. 12, 1941 the USCG cutter Northland intercepted the Norwegian fishing trawler, Busko. (After 62 days of fighting, on June 10, 1940 Norway surrendered to be occupied by Germany. Now you’re prepared for the pop quiz on Monday.) The Busko was supplying a German manned radio station in southern Greenland transmitting weather reports to Germany. The Northland’s boarding party captured the Busko’s crew and the three Germans manning the radio station. The German prisoners were detained in Boston. The first German POWs were captured by a Coastie boarding party almost three months before Japan’s sneak attack at Pearl Harbor. The USCG cutter Raritan was a 110-foot sea tug with a hull capable of breaking ice up to 4 feet thick. I received my dad’s Military Personnel Records in March 2003 to learn that “BEATON, Arthur O. M.M. 2c.” was assigned to the Raritan on April 5, 1940. I was born in March 1941. The Raritan left Boston harbor in the middle of May 1941 when I was almost two months old. Dad’s ship returned in September 1942 16 months later when I was 18 months. Tears filled dad’s eyes when I would not go near him. I had no memory of him.
USCG MM 1st Class Arthur Beaton in his government issued cold weather clothing.
The bow of an ice breaker has a slight slant to the waterline. From the waterline to the keel, the bottom of the ship the bow is at a 45-degree angle. To make the bow heavier, cement is usually poured in the bow area for strength and weight. The icebreaker’s bow rides up on the ice, with the weight of the ship breaking the ice. The ice breaker goes into reverse for several feet and forward to ride up on and break new ice. Breaking ice is a slow process. Thursday, Aug. 4 was the U.S. Coast Guard’s 232nd birthday. “Happy 233rd birthday USCG in 2023!” At least I’m early for next year’s 233rd, Happy Birthday USCG.
USCG MM 1st Class Arthur Beaton in his government issued cold weather clothing.