The Long Blue Line: Coast Guard’s storm warriors fight Hurricane Florence
As some North Carolinians were returning to their homes and recovering from 2016’s Hurricane Matthew, a new storm was tracking towards the East Coast. On Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, at 7:15 a.m., Hurricane Florence made landfall at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, with sustained winds of 90 mph. However, the flooding associated with Florence would prove more devastating than just hurricane-force winds. Hurricane Florence dropped more than 33 inches of rain in portions of North Carolina, causing widespread destruction that people could never have imagined.
Standing the watch over the Graveyard of the Atlantic
For hundreds of years, mariners have nicknamed North Carolina’s Outer Banks the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” based on the history of ships lost in its waters. Even for experienced Coast Guard members, traversing the area can prove a difficult task. However, Coast Guard men and women stand the watch, just as the crews before them did.
The Long Blue Line: The Cutter Mercury and War of 1812 Operations in North Carolina
Before the War of 1812, revenue cutters enforced trade laws and interdicted smuggling. During the war, the cutters cemented many of the combat and homeland security missions performed today by the U.S. Coast Guard, including intelligence gathering.
Honor, Respect, Devotion to Duty: Rep. Howard Coble
Coble retired from his political service in January 2015, after serving in Congress for more than 30 years. With his combined service time, he spent more than 55 years of his life serving with and supporting the U.S. Coast Guard. He was the last Coast Guard veteran serving in Congress.
Week in the life of the Coast Guard 2014: Monday
For the past 224 years the Coast Guard has safeguarded our nation’s maritime interests, providing a 24/7 presence along America’s rivers, ports, coastline and on the high seas. But while the Coast Guard’s presence and impact is regional, national and international, our operations are often out of sight.
The spirit of Bertholf: Rep. David Price
More than 3,000 Coast Guard members call North Carolina home. North Carolina is also home to Rep. David Price, the 2013 recipient of the Commodore Ellsworth P. Bertholf Award. The annual award is a way to recognize members of Congress who exemplify the spirit of the award’s namesake – the service’s first commandant.
He is family
Rep. Howard Coble will soon retire after this term in Congress. He is the last Coast Guard veteran currently serving in Congress. Reminiscing on both his service in the Coast Guard and as a member of Congress, the one thing he wishes Americans would do is fully support the service.
Following historic footsteps to modern tradition
Atop the dunes, Petty Officer 1st Class Louis Keating Jr. realized what was about to happen and was handed a historic surf check – a brass tag surfman would carry during their beach patrols. He was then told to head north to complete a beach patrol walking in the footsteps of the heroes who came before him from the historic Pea Island Lifesaving Station.
From air station to ice station
It was a cold, windy and snowy morning on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. A fierce winter storm had blown through the night before and entire towns were shut down because of the conditions. Emergencies don’t wait for the weather to clear, however, and a medical patient at The Outer Banks Hospital needed care beyond what could be provided. With roads swathed in snow, the only way to get out was by air; Air Station Elizabeth City, that is.
Coast Guard Heroes: Benjamin B. Dailey
Benjamin B. Dailey was the keeper of the Cape Hatteras Lifeboat Station on Dec. 22, 1885, when he and his crew, assisted by Keeper Patrick H. Etheridge of the Creed’s Hill station, rescued nine men from the foundering ship Ephraim Williams, five miles off the Outer Banks. Those aboard Ephraim Williams were distraught and hungry, having been battered by the weather for more than 90 hours. In one of the most daring rescues by the Life-Saving Service, Dailey’s seven-man crew pulled for two hours through heavy seas to reach the vessel. Only by relying on his expert boat-handling skills was Dailey able to bring all the survivors and his own crew back safely.