This Day in Coast Guard History – April 1

1897- Federal Civil Service rules were applied to Life-Saving Service (under Executive Order May 6, 1896).

1916-The official birthday of Coast Guard aviation.  On this date LT Elmer F. Stone reported to Pensacola Naval Air Station for flight training.  He was the Coast Guard's first naval aviator.

1945- Invasion of Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands commenced.  In all, seven Coast Guard-manned transports, 29 LSTs, the cutters Bibb and Woodbine, and 12 Coast Guard-manned LCI(L)s participated in the bloodiest invasion ever undertaken by the U.S.  Over 13,000 Americans were killed and another 36,000 were wounded during the conquest of this Japanese possession.

1946- A tsunami swept away the light station at Scotch Cap, Alaska, killing the station's entire five-man crew.  They were: BMC Anthony L. Petit, MoMM 2/c Leonard Pickering, F 1/c Jack Colvin, SN 1/c Dewey Dykstra, and SN 1/c Paul James Ness.

1967- On April 1, 1967, the Coast Guard ended its 177-year association in the Treasury Department to enter the newly-created Department of Transportation when President Lyndon Johnson signed Executive Order 167-81.  The Coast Guard was the largest agency in the new department.

1984-The CGC Gallatin made the largest maritime cocaine seizure to date when it boarded and seized the 33-foot sailboat Chinook and her crew of two.  A boarding team had discovered 1,800 pounds of cocaine stashed aboard the sailboat.

(Source: USCG Historian’s Office)