Did you ever wonder when our Military Academies were founded? Coast Guard

By David McClelland

Here are the dates when each Academy was founded:
The United States Military Academy in West Point, New York - 1802.
The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland - 1845.
The United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut - 1876. *
The United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York - 1942.
The United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado - 1954.

This is the fourth of a five-part series which will discuss each Academy.
* Let's next look at the Coast Guard Academy.

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) Academy is the smallest of the five federal Academies. It began in 1976 as the Revenue Cutter School of Instruction, with a class of nine cadets. It has evolved into a major institution producing thousands of professionals in many fields.

Its current location in New London, Connecticut, began in 1932 when the town donated the land above the Thames River for this purpose. In 1947, the Academy received a War Reparation from Germany, the Horst Wessel, a 295-foot tall ship which was renamed the USCG Cutter, Eagle. It remains the main training vessel for cadets at the Academy as well as for officer candidates at the Coast Guard's Officer Candidate School.

The Academy provides education to future Coast Guard officers. Cadets graduate with a Bachelor of Science Degree in one of eight majors and are obligated to serve for five years of active duty upon graduation. That obligation increases if the cadet chooses to attend flight school or graduate school. Upon graduation, they enter active duty as ensigns in the USCG. Unlike the other Academies, admission to the Coast Guard Academy is based solely on merit and does not require a congressional nomination. Each year, approximately 2,500 students apply for admission and 400 are selected and enter the Coast Guard Academy as first year cadets. Each summer, about 200 cadets graduate after four years of study and military training.

The mission of the Coast Guard Academy is to graduate young men and women sound bodies, stout hearts and alert minds, with a liking for the sea and its lore, and with that high sense of Honor, Loyalty and Obedience which goes with trained initiative and leadership; well grounded in seamanship, the sciences and amenities, and strong in the resolve to be worthy of the traditions of commissioned officers in the United States Coast Guard, in the service of their country and humanity.

On October 7, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed legislation permitting women to enter the United States service academies. About 30% of entering cadets are women.

Some distinguished graduates include two astronauts – Bruce E. Melnick (1972) and Daniel C. Burbank (1985) and Rear Admiral Timothy S. Sullivan, Senior Military Advisor to the United States Secretary of Homeland Security and Primary Military Coordinator between Homeland Security and the Department of Defense.

The Coast Guard, probably most famous for its spectacular air and sea rescue operations, is charged with the responsibility of protecting our nation's shores, a concept that extends to law enforcement and hazardous chemical and environmental safety, such a repairing damage done by spills. In an average day, they save 12 lives, assist 315 people, save $2 million in property, conduct 144 search and rescue operations, respond to 23 oil or hazardous chemical spills, boarded 90 vessels for port safety checks, inspect 64 commercial vessels, investigate 17 marine accidents, seize 318 pounds of marijuana and 253 ponds of cocaine, service 150 aids to navigation, and interdict 112 illegal migrants.

A tour of the Coast Guard Academy will give visitors an idea of what is accomplished there. The USCG Museum has collections of ship models and airplanes of the 134 years of its history. Paintings and photographs represent its many missions and its history. Artifacts from its conflicts are displayed from the Civil War to the World Wars and Viet Nam. A visit to the USGC Academy will be most enlightening.