Traditions Of The United States Coast Guard Part I

/> An illustration in 1917 shows the Coast Guard standard for a white flag with a blue eagle and 13 stars in a semi-circle surrounding it. At a later date, the words, "United States Coast Guard-- Semper Paratus" were added.
After 1950, the semi-circle of stars was changed to the surround containing 13 stars. The Coast Guard standard is secondhand during parades and ceremonies and namely adorned at our 34 war streamers. We are unique to the additional services because we have 2 official flags, the Coast Guard criterion and the Coast Guard ensign.
The Coast Guard Ensign
The initial job of the premier revenue cutters was to certify that the maritime public was not evading tariffs. Import taxes were the lifeblood of the new country. Smuggling had transform a patriotic obligation during the revolution. If the fashionable nation under the Constitution were to survive, this play needed to be stopped.
Working among a restricted ration, cutters needed some symbol of authority. Neither officers nor men had uniforms. How could a revenue cutter come aside a trader boat during an old of pirates and privateers and order it to lift to?
The solution was to build an ensign unique to the revenue cutter to fly in location of the citizen flag when in American waters. Nine years afterward the establishment of the Revenue Cutter Service, Congress, in the Act of March 2, 1799 provided that cutters and ships employed in the service of the revenue ought be distinguished from other vessels by a unique ensign and pennant.
On August 1, 1799, Secretary of the Treasury, Oliver Wolcott, issued an mandate announcing that in pursuance of administration from the President, the distinguishing ensign and pennant would consist of, "16 perpendicular stripes, alternate red and white, the alliance of the ensign to be the weapon of the United States in a black blue above a white field."
The ensign was poignant with historical elaborate, inasmuch as in the canton of the flag, there are 13 stars, 13 leaves to the olive branch, 13 arrows and 13 bars to the shield. All corresponded to the digit of states constituting the union by the time the nation was established. The 16 vertical stripes in the body are symbolic of the number of States composing the Union when this ensign was officially adopted.
This ensign presently became very versed in American waters and served as the sign of authority for the Revenue Cutter Service until the early 20th century. The ensign was intended to be flown only on revenue cutters and boats joined with the Customs Service. Over the years it was found flying atop custom houses as well. President William Howard Taft, although, issued an Executive Order June 7, 1910, adding an emblem to the ensign flown by the Revenue cutters to distinguish it from the ensign flown from the custom houses, which read: "By virtue of the authority vested in me under the provisions of Sec. 2764 of the revised Statutes, I hereby prescribe that the distinguishing flag immediately used by vessels of the Revenue Cutter Service be apparent by the uncommon emblem of that service,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], in blue and white, placed on a line with the lower brim of the union,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and over the hub of the seventh perpendicular red stripe from the mast of said flag, the emblem to cover a curtate space of three stripes. This alteration to be made as presently as practicable."
At about this period, cutters began flying the U.S. flag as their military ensign and the revenue ensign became the Service’s distinctive flag.
When the service accepted the name Coast Guard,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the Revenue Cutter Service’s ensign became the distinctive flag on entire Coast Guard cutters as it had been for the revenue cutters.
The colors used in the Coast Guard ensign today, as in the Revenue Cutter Service, are all symbolic. The color red stands for our youth and mash of blood for liberty’s sake. The color blue no only stands for judge, but too for our covenant opposition cruelty. The white symbolizes our desire for light and naturalness.
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