[Annual Report of the United States Coast Guard for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1932] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov] T47.1:1331/32 U. S. TREASURY DEPARTMENT ANNUAL REPORTS ANNUAL REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD - 1932 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30 1932 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1932 Treasury Department Document No. 3051 Coast Guard LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL Treasury Department, United States Coast Guard, October 8, 1932. Sir: As required by section 5 of the act of January 28, 1915, I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of the Coast Guard for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1932, and of the expenditures of moneys appropriated for the maintenance of the Coast Guard for that period. Respectfully, H. G. Hamlet, Rear Admiral, United States Coast Guard, Commandant. Hon. Ogden L. Mills, Secretary of the Treasury. III ADMINISTRATION Secretary of the Treasury, Hon. Ogden L. Mills. T nder Secretary of the Treasury, Hon. Arthur A. Ballantine. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (having supervision), Hon. Seymour Lowman. Commandant, Rear Admiral Harry G. Hamlet. Assistant Commandant, Capt. Leon C. Covell. Aide to Commandant, Commander Russell R. Waesche. Capt. William J. Wheeler, inspector in chief. Capt. Robert B. Adams, engineer in chief. Commander T. A. Shanley, chief of office of supplies and accounts. Constructor Frederick A. Hunnewell, superintendent of construction and repair. Mr. Oliver M. Maxam, chief of division of operations. Mr. Clifton P. Clark, assistant chief of division of operations. Mr. A. T. Thorson, chief of division of finance. Mr. A. W. Culverwell, assistant chief of division of finance. Mr. W. H. Webb, chief of office of pay and allowances. IV CONTENTS Page Letter of transmittal____________________________________________________ ni Administration____________________________________________________________ iv Summary of operations______________________________________________________ 1 Ice observation and ice patrol_____________________________________________ 3 Winter patrol______________________________________________________________ 5 Removal of derelicts_______________________________________________________ 5 Enforcement of customs laws________________________________________________ 6 Enforcement of navigation and other laws___________________________________ 6 Patrol in northern waters_____________________________________________ 7 Northern Pacific halibut fishery______________________________________ 8 Anchorage and movements of vessels---------------------------------------- 8 Flood relief service__________________________________________________ 8 Resuscitation of the apparently drowned_______________________________ 9 Casualties involving loss of life_________________________________________ 9 Communications-------------------------------------------------------- 10 Aviation------------------------------------------------------------------ 11 Ordnance______________________________________________________________ 11 Personnel________________________________________________________________ 13 Recruiting, and enlisted personnel__________________________________ 13 Training_____________________________________________________________ 14 Welfare_____________________________________________________________ 14 Blue Anchor Society, aid for the shipwrecked_____________________________ 15 Libraries, literature, etc_______________________________________________ 16 League of Coast Guard Women---------------------------------------------- 16 Coast Guard Academy______________________________________________________ 16 Coast Guard repair depot_________________________________________________ 17 Repairs and improvements to vessels-------------------------------------- 18 Repairs and improvements to stations and other shore units--------------- 18 Floating equipment_______________________________________________________ 18 New cutters-------------------------------------------------------- 19 Section bases____________________________________________________________ 20 Stations_________________________________________________________________ 20 Reclamation plant________________________________________________________ 20 Engineering competition ------------------------------------------------- 20 Lifeboats and surf boats------------------------------------------------- 21 Awards of life-saving medals_____________________________________________ 21 Appropriations and expenditures for maintenance of Coast Guard—---------- 24 Summary of marine casualties occurring to vessels of the United States during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1932____________________________ 29 Functions, duties, organization, and equipment___________________________ 33 v ANNUAL REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS The principal operations of the Coast Guard during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1932, were as follows: Lives saved or persons rescued from peril--------------------------- 5, 214 Persons on board vessels assisted----------------------------------- 30, 847 Persons in distress cared for--------------------------------------- 659 Vessels boarded and papers examined--------------------------------- 102, 268 Vessels seized or reported for violations of law-------------------- 2, 358 Fines and penalties incurred by vessels reported-------------------- $300, 756 Regattas and marine parades patrolled------------------------------- 123 Instances of lives saved and vessels assisted----------------------- 6,393 Instances of miscellaneous assistance------------------------------- 7, 346 Derelicts and other obstructions to navigation removed or destroyed------------------------------------------------------------- _ 371 Value of derelicts recovered---------------------------------------- $45, 780 Value of vessels assisted (including cargoes)-----------------------$39,177,247 Persons examined for certificates as lifeboat men------------------- 6,120 The majority of the activities enumerated indicate increases over the preceding fiscal year. The number of persons saved or rescued from peril during the fiscal year 1931 was 5,627. In 1932 the number was 5,214, being 413 less than in 1931. There were 30,847 persons on board vessels assisted as against 25,898 in 1931, being an increase of 4949. The number of persons in distress cared for increased from 561 in 1931 to 659 in 1932. The number of vessels boarded and examined by service agencies during the year in the interests of the enforcement of the laws of the United States was 102,268. Last year the number was 88,357. The vessels seized or reported for violations of law numbered 2,358, a decrease of 571 under the preceding year. The fines and penalties incurred by vessels reported show a decrease from $369,341 in 1931 to $300,756 in 1932. One hundred and twenty-three regattas, marine parades, and boat races were patrolled and supervised during the year by service units, a slight increase over last year. The total number of instances of assistance rendered during the year was 13,739, being 1,642 in excess of last year’s number of 12,097. This record is the highest ever attained by the Coast Guard in the character of work indicated. Of these 13,739 instances, 6,393 involved the saving of life or of property, or of both, and 7,346 were of a miscellaneous character, including, as has been indicated in former reports, such work as warning vessels standing into danger; various services to shipping and boating; furnishing food, fuel, and water to vessels in distress; succoring the shipwrecked; medical and surgical aid to the sick and injured; assistance at neighborhood fires and fires occurring at buildings, wharves, and other structures on the shore line; fighting forest fires; assistance at floods and other calamitous visitations; dragging the waters for bodies; burial of bodies cast up by the sea; sheltering wayfarers overtaken by storm or other 1 2 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD misfortune; restoring lost children to their parents; cooperating with the local authorities in the maintenance of public order; apprehending violators of the law; preventing theft and invasion by those maliciously inclined; recovering lost and stolen property and saving property from danger and destruction; protecting wrecked property; acting as pilots in cases of emergency; providing transportation and other assistance to various branches of the public service and cooperating with them in the enforcement of the Federal laws; transporting the mails; and assisting other Government agencies, and institutions in the States, in scientific researches, etc. The number of derelicts and other obstructions to navigation removed or destroyed was 371. The estimated value of property involved in these operations, where values are given, amounted to $45,780. The value of vessels assisted, including their cargoes, during the year was $39,177,247, falling below last year’s figures of $47,959,465 by $8,782,218. The persons examined by the service for certificates as lifeboat men exceeded last year’s number by 525, the total number for 1932 being 6,120. In the course of the year 327 bodies were recovered from the waters and on shore; assistance was rendered by service units at 126 fires; assistance was extended to other branches of the Federal Government in 643 instances; 28 warnings were displayed to vessels standing into danger or perilous positions along the shore. The greatest number of instances of assistance rendered by the service corps in any one day during the fiscal year 1932 was 140 on September 13, 1931. Below is presented a comparative statement covering the fiscal years 1915 to 1932, inclusive, of service operations having to do with the preservation of life and property from the perils of the sea: Fiscal year Lives saved or persons rescued from peril Value of vessels assisted (including cargoes) 1915 1,507 $10,927, 730 1916 1, 216 10, 509, 655 1917 2,153 14, 960, 910 1918 1,250 15' 198^ 322 1919 2,081 14, 762, 630 1920 2,417 65, 479, 705 1921 1,621 66, 260,445 1922. 2,954 35' 346, 765 1923 2, 792 5L 436j 095 1924 2,462 25i 316,180 Fiscal year Lives saved or persons rescued from peril Value of vessels assisted (including cargoes) 1925 2,484 3,037 3,313 3,983 4,375 6,004 5,627 5, 214 $23, 335,875 23,017, 509 37, 801, 357 39, 479, 729 49,128, 375 49,018, 073 47, 959,465 39,177, 247 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931. 1932 Total 54, 490 619,116,067 The number of persons saved or rescued from positions of peril by service agencies averages 3,027+ a year during the 18 years named. The annual average value of marine property assisted is $34,395,337 plus. The law-enforcement activities of the Coast Guard having to do with the prevention of smuggling of liquor into the United States from the sea, extensive, difficult, and exacting as they are, have not been permitted to result in any diminution, slowing down, or neglect of effort in the direction of the usual, normal duties of the service in the saving of life and property. Each year’s record carries its own testimony in this regard. The service operations against smuggling continue to be performed in a satisfactory manner. REPORT OF THE’COAST GUARD 3 Service discipline continues to be satisfactory, comparing favorably, it is believed, with that of other military services of the country, and there is gratifying evidence that a high standard of morale prevails among the forces. The service operations, throughout, during the year, are very satisfying and reflect a splendid spirit of cooperation, loyalty, and performance on the part of the personnel in keeping with service ideals and traditions. The commandant has pleasure in expressing to the officers and men of the service and the civilian forces at headquarters and in the field his warmest appreciation and acknowledgments of their faithful labors throughout the year, and of the loyalty, devotion to service, and cooperation manifested by them. It is from these qualities which insure accomplishment that the successes of the year have ensued. It is with the keenest sorrow that the commandant is called upon to record in this report the death of Rear Admiral Frederick C. Billard, Commandant of the Coast Guard, on May 17, 1932, at Washington, D. C. The service has lost a devoted friend and advocate and an officer of the highest type, and the country a faithful public servant. His remains rest in Arlington National Cemetery. An abridged classified account generally of service activities and operations during the year appears under succeeding appropriate headings. Because of the urgent need of reducing the expense of public printing it will not be possible, this year, to present these topics with that particularity and detail of former years. Much matter customarily appearing in the reports must therefore be omitted this year. INTERNATIONAL SERVICE OF ICE OBSERVATION AND ICE PATROL TO PROMOTE SAFETY AT SEA At the International Conference on the Safety of Life at Sea, which was convened in London on November 12, 1913, the subject of patrolling the ice regions in the vicinity of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland along the trans-Atlantic steamship lanes, where in the spring and early summer icebergs form a menace to navigation, was thoroughly discussed, and the convention signed on January 20,1914, by the representatives of the various maritime powers of the world provided for the inauguration of an international derelict-destruction, ice-observation, and ice-patrol service, consisting of two vessels, which should patrol the ice regions during the season of danger from icebergs and attempt to keep the trans-Atlantic lanes clear of derelicts during the remainder of the year. The Government of the United States was invited to undertake the management of this triple service, the expense to be defrayed by the 13 powers interested in trans-Atlantic navigation in a fixed proportion, which was definitely agreed upon, subject to ratification by the law-making bodies of the Governments concerned. As the convention when ratified would not go into effect until July 1, 1915, the Government of Great Britain, on behalf of the several powers interested, made inquiry on January 31, 1914, as to -whether the United States would be disposed to undertake the work at once 143660—32---2 4 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD under the same mutual obligations as provided in the convention. The proposition was favorably considered by the President, and on February 7,1914, he directed that the (then) Revenue Cutter Service begin as early as possible in that month the international ice-observation and ice-patrol service. Each year since then, with the exception of the years 1917 and 1918, a patrol has been maintained by the Coast Guard. It is a matter of national pride that since this duty was assumed by the Coast Guard there has not been a life lost. Briefly stated, the duties of the Coast Guard in conducting the ice patrol consist in finding and keeping in touch day by day with icebergs and field ice, determining their set and drift, reporting their presence and location to the Hydrographic Office of the Navy, and broadcasting the information by radio for the protection of shipping. The Coast Guard cutters while on this work also perform such incidental service, not to interfere, however, with the paramount duty of the patrol, as rendering assistance to vessels in distress, giving medical aid to crews of passing vessels, removing obstructions to navigation, and extending such other assistance to the mariner as may be practicable, and conducting scientific observations and experiments for the aid and furtherance of oceanographic knowledge. In March, 1932, the 125-foot Coast Guard patrol boat General Greene made three observation cruises in the ice regions near the Grand Banks to learn the ice conditions. The vessel was greatly hindered in the work by severe and stormy weather. On March 28, 25 bergs were reported just east of the Grand Banks, and it was deemed advisable to begin the regular annual patrol. Accordingly, the Coast Guard cutter Tampa sailed from Boston, Mass., on April 1, and inaugurated the patrol for the season of 1932. The Coast Guard cutter P ontchartrain relieved the Tampa on April 18, and thereafter during the season the cutters Pontchartrain and Tampa, basing on Halifax, Nova Scotia, alternated in 15-day periods. The Coast Guard cutter Mojave was designated as the stand-by vessel. It was estimated that 528 bergs drifted south of Newfoundland from January 1, to July 2, 1932. In April the ice conditions were by far heavier than at any other time during the season. Approximately 321 bergs were south of latitude 48° N. during the month. However, the Labrador current was particularly weak south of latitude 45° at this time and the United States-European lanes were not menaced by ice during the month. Only five different bergs drifted south of the tail of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland during the entire season, and but one of these reached the steamer lanes then in use, and it melted within two days after reaching the lanes. After June 7 no bergs were sighted or reported south of latitude 47° N. During the season the General Greene made three oceanographic cruises, and from the data collected three current charts were drawn of the ice regions. These charts were turned over to the patrol cutters for use in determining the probable set and drift of bergs. The actual observed drift followed closely the computed currents. As in former years the surface water temperature reports were collected from all vessels in crossing near the ice regions. These temperature reports were used in constructing numerous isotherm charts. REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 5 This season, as in former seasons, the performance of the radio equipment was very gratifying. Excellent cooperation was had from merchant vessels and shore radio stations. No disasters due to collision of ships with ice occurred during the season. One vessel was caught in an ice field for two days in the early part of April, but was not seriously damaged. A commissioned officer of the Coast Guard was detailed as ice observation officer and accompanied the two cutters throughout the entire patrol. The patrol was discontinued on July 2, 1932. WINTER PATROL The President each year designates certain Coast Guard vessels to perform special cruising upon the coast in the season of severe weather, usually from December 1 to March 31, to afford such aid to distressed navigators as their circumstances may require. On November 18, 1931, the President, on the recommendation of the Secretary of the Treasury, designated the following-named Coast Guard cutters to perform this duty for the season of 1931-32: Ossipee, Mojave, Tampa, Acushnet, Champlain. Sebago, Seneca, Mendota, Pontchartrain, Carrabasset, Modoc, and Yamacraw. The Mas-coutin acted as reserve vessel. In the prosecution of their duties these cutters cruised 80,000 miles, and afforded assistance to 29 vessels, whose values, including their cargoes, amounted to nearly two and one-half million dollars. There were 374 persons on board the vessels assisted. The vessels boarded in the interests of the enforcement of United States laws numbered 438. This annual activity of the Coast Guard which has for its prime purpose the safeguarding and protection of shipping approaching our shores is of great importance and usefulness to the maritime interests. In addition to assisting vessels in distress, the cruising cutters, not to interfere with that duty, perform various other offices falling within the purview of the Coast Guard. The yearly records attest the value of this enterprise. REMOVAL OF DERELICTS During the year the vessels and stations of the Coast Guard removed 371 derelicts and other floating dangers and obstructions to navigation. The estimated value of property involved in these operations, where values are given, amounted to $45,780. These 371 cases include a great variety of floating dangers to navigation found at sea, on the lakes, in the harbors, and on the rivers, in all sorts of position and condition, and in many instances offering a serious menace to shipping and boating. They were removed by sinking where necessary, by taking them to places of safety, and otherwise appropriately disposing of them. The Coast Guard regularly performs this very useful service of clearing the paths and channels of marine commerce and boating, of wreckage and other menacing obstructions, in the interests of safe navigation. 6 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD ENFORCEMENT OF CUSTOMS LAWS The enforcement by the Coast Guard of the customs laws of the United States and the laws relating to navigation and motor boats was attended during the year with satisfactory results. The general enforcement of the customs laws by the service is annually supplemented by the stationing of harbor cutters, or launches, at the principal ports to assist the customs authorities in boarding incoming vessels and in the conduct of other customs duties. Assistance was also rendered, as needed, to other branches of the public service in the enforcement of the Federal laws. The operations of the service in its law-enforcement work for the prevention of smuggling of liquor into the United States from the sea proceeded satisfactorily throughout the year and were accompanied by gratifying results when the difficulties and perplexities of the problem are considered. The smuggling situation as a whole was practically the same as that existing during the preceding year. There has been, undoubtedly, some falling off in the volume of liquor brought to the United States coasts for attempted smuggling, but this reduction in volume has been comparatively slight. The matter continues to be one demanding the utmost vigilance and attention on the part of the personnel in practically every quarter of the service, and this obligation is being faithfully and unremittingly fulfilled. The Coast Guard is working to the extent of its resources to combat this illegal activity. ENFORCEMENT OF NAVIGATION AND OTHER LAWS Regattas.—In the course of the year service units patrolled and supervised in various parts of the country 123 regattas, marine parades, and boat races, and, informally, a number of other like events of local interest. This has been a long-time activity of the Coast Guard, and it has carried forward the work from year to year with very satisfactory and gratifying ends. It is a duty of first importance calling for the exercise on the part of the supervising officers of judgment, discernment, resourcefulness, and expertness in the management and maneuvering of vessels and boats. There is much to be reckoned with on occasions of the kind, especially at the larger events. The courses, of necessity, must be kept clear and unobstructed; contestants and spectators must be protected; the public safety must have the closest consideration; the movements of vessels must be regulated, crowding prevented, and order maintained throughout the progress of the events. Navigation laws. etc.—There were boarded and examined during the year by units of the Coast Guard in the interests of the enforcement of United States laws, 102,268 vessels. The vessels seized or reported for violations of law numbered 2,358. The fines and penalties incurred by vessels reported amounted to $300,756. Certification of lifeboat men.—During the year 6,120 persons were examined by officers of the Coast Guard as to their qualifications for “ certificated lifeboat men,” under the so-called seamen’s act. REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 7 These examinations are regularly conducted by the Coast Guard in behalf of the Bureau of Navigation and Steamboat Inspection, Department of Commerce. Medical aid to deep-sea -fishermen.—The cruising vessels of the Coast Guard, as well as vessels engaged in other duties of the service, extend medical and surgical aid and advice to the crews of American vessels engaged in deep-sea fishing when occasion requires. PATROL IN NORTHERN WATERS The patrol of the waters of the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea, and southeastern Alaska was conducted during the season of 1931 by the Coast Guard cutters Shoshone, Tallapoosa, Snohomish, Northland, Chelan, Itasca, and the 125-foot patrol boat McLane. The patrol was in progress at the close of the fiscal year 1931. This patrol, which is carried on annually by the Coast Guard, has for its primary purpose the enforcement of the convention of July 7, 1911, between the United States, Great Britain, Russia, and Japan, and the laws and regulations for the protection of the fur seal and sea otter and of the game, the fisheries, and fur-bearing animals of Alaska. In the prosecution of their work the vessels cruised more than 70,000 miles, afforded medical and dental aid to 565 persons, assisted 6 vessels in distress, boarded 46 vessels, and transported 712 persons. The manifold and far-reaching offices, in addition to their primary duties performed by the Coast Guard vessels participating in these annual patrols, in behalf of the public service and the inhabitants, make a very interesting, instructive, and human chapter of events. Again, and in the absence of the usual epitome of the movements and operations of the vessels, which it is not practicable to print this year, occasion is taken to introduce briefly in this report a resume illustrating the supplemental services to which the vessels and their personnel apply themselves. They furnish transportation to Government officials in the performance of their duties, to local authorities, school-teachers, destitutes, the sick and injured, natives, prisoners, and other persons; carry the United States mails; assist other Federal agencies having interests in the country; assist in scientific researches; assist in the enforcement of the United States laws; apprehend violators of the law; aid in the administration of justice; hold courts; hold inquests and autopsies; settle differences between employers and employees; assist vessels in distress; board and examine vessels; deliver food and other supplies and freight to the isolated settlements; succor persons found to be in need; provide medicine and medical, surgical, and dental treatment to the natives, and look after their physical well-being; render medical aid to the crews of American vessels engaged in deep-sea fishing; aid in the control and suppression of epidemics; protect the natives against harmful situations; examine into the physical, health, and sanitary conditions of settlements; and, in fact, exercise a degree of guardianship over these far-away regions and people. Die patrol for the season of 1932, in progress at the close of the fiscal year 1932, is being carried on by the Coast Guard cutters Tahoe, Itasca, Haida, Northland, Tallapoosa, Snohomish, and the 125-foot patrol boat Montgomery. 8 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD NORTHERN PACIFIC HALIBUT FISHERY The duties of the Coast Guard in connection with the Northern Pacific halibut fishery were performed during the year by the Coast Guard cutter TaUapoosa. This cutter made two cruises, one covering the period October 17 to November 7, 1931, and one the period March 1 to March 24, 1932. This annual activity is conducted for the Bureau of Fisheries, Department of Commerce. ANCHORAGE AND MOVEMENTS OF VESSELS The enforcement of the rules and regulations governing the anchorage and movements of vessels at ports and other places where Federal regulations are in effect was continued during the year by utilizing, as formerly, Coast Guard personnel and equipment. The general plan and arrangement of this activity remain substantially unchanged since last year’s report. Coast Guard officers continued as captains of the port to enforce the regulations at the following-named places: New York Harbor and vicinity; Hampton Roads and the harbors of Norfolk and Newport News, Va.; Charleston Harbor, S. C.; Galveston Harbor, Port Bolivar, and Texas City, Tex.; San Diego, Calif.; San Francisco, Calif.; Chicago Harbor, Ill.; and St. Marys River (Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.). In localities where constant supervision is not deemed essential, periodical inspections are made by Coast Guard vessels stationed in the vicinity to insure the observance of the rules and regulations. Anchorage grounds of this character are located as follows : Kennebec River, at or near Bath, Me.; Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds, Mass.; New Bedford Outer Harbor, Mass.; Narragansett Bay (including Newport Harbor, R. I.) ; Bristol Harbor, R. I.; Buzzards Bay, near the entrance to the approach channel, Cape Cod Canal, Mass.; Randall Bay, Freeport, Long Island, N. Y.; Annapolis Harbor, Md.; Apalachicola Harbor, Fla.; San Pablo Bay, Carquinez Strait, and Suisun Bay, Calif. The regulations in effect governing the use of the harbor of refuge, Harbor Beach (Sand Beach), Lake Huron, Mich., have been enforced by the officer in charge of the Harbor Beach Coast Guard station. In all localities where Federal anchorage regulations are in effect shipping interests manifested a fine spirit of cooperation in the observance of the regulations. FLOOD-RELIEF SERVICE In January, 1932, the Coast Guard again brought its forces into action in its traditional wmrk of rendering aid and assistance in flood situations seriously menacing the public welfare. On this occasion Greenwood, Miss., and other points on tributaries of the Mississippi River were in the hold of a devastating flood almost unprecedented at places in recent years. Upon learning of the gravity of conditions the Coast Guard dispatched personnel and boats into the flooded areas, where, cooperating with the Red Cross, Federal and State engineer officers, and citizens, it took up its task of transporting refugees to places of safety, delivering provisions for the REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 9 Red Cross, carrying the sick from their imperilled homes, taking livestock to the highlands, transporting Red Cross officials and Federal and State engineer officers, and convicts (more than a thousand in number), and distributing tons of sacks along the river. The service boats cruised 4,200 miles and were under way 586 hours in the performance of the work. Radio communication was established by service forces between operating units, and this important agency proved to be of great value. The duration of service activities in connection with this work was from January 18 to February 13, 1932. RESUSCITATION OF THE APPARENTLY DROWNED An important feature in the work of the Coast Guard is the resuscitation of the apparently drowned. The success attending the operations of the service personnel in this direction is noteworthy. When persons are taken from the water the crews are required to continue the service resuscitative measures so long as there is the slightest hope of restoring animation. No case is to be regarded as hopeless unless there is unmistakable proof of death. During the year 78 cases of resuscitation were undertaken. Of this number 31 were successful. Of the 31 persons restored, 12 were apparently dead when taken in charge by service personnel. The persons who failed to respond to treatment had been under water for periods ranging from 2 to 30 minutes, the average time being approximately 16 minutes. CASUALTIES INVOLVING LOSS OF LIFE During the year 19 casualties involving loss of life occurred within the scope of operations of the shore stations. These casualties were investigated and testimony of witnesses taken under oath to ascertain the cause thereof and whether any officer or other person of the service had been guilty of neglect or misconduct in the premises. As a result of the casualties, 33 persons lost their lives. A summary of the casualties follows: Date 1931 July 5 11 19 23 Aug. 8 25 Sept. 19 Oct. 11 17 Nov. 8 8 13 18 Dec. 16 31 1932 Jan. 2 25 June 5 Station Vessel or person involved Lives lost In scope of operations Kennebec River Bather . - 1 Yes. Wallis Sands __ _do - - 1 Yes. Fire Island do - 1 Yes. Kennebec River Bathers or strollers - - 2 Yes. Michigan City Yacht Siesta __ 1 Yes. Merrimac River Bather _ - 1 Yes. Avalon -.do _ . 1 Yes. Barnegat do - - - 1 Yes. do .. .-do.._ . . 1 Yes. Merrimac River Gas crew Pet - 2 Yes. Race Point Schooner Ervin J. Luce .. .. 1 Yes. Willapa Bay Motor boat M-1031 1 Yes. Nahant Skiff . 2 Yes. Buffalo Rowboat . . 1 Yes. Chadwick Skiff 2 Yes. South Chicago Automobile _ . 9 Yes. Coos Bay Motor boat G-567 C 3 Yes. Fishers island Sailboat - -- - 1 Yes. Lorain Motor boat - 1 Yes. Total 33 Full duty-performed Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. No. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. 10 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD COMMUNICATIONS The communication service is concerned with the provision, construction, operation, and maintenance of all communication facilities of the Coast Guard, the design and development of materials, the handling of secret and confidential publications, and the preparation of codes and ciphers. The methods of communication employed in the Coast Guard are the telegraph, telephone, radio in various applications, and visual signals. The Coast Guard owns and operates a coastal communication system consisting of a telephone and telegraph line system of approximately 1,447 miles of pole line, 2,534 miles of open wire aerial circuits, 35 miles of aerial and underground cables, and 573 miles of submarine cable, all divided into 188 separate and distinct telephone and telegraph lines. Through these facilities telephone and telegraph service is furnished the Coast Guard (life-saving) stations and other service units and a large number of lighthouses and other Government stations. The greater part of these lines is connected with the central offices of commercial telephone systems, thus affording local and long-distance telephone and telegraph service for all units connected. In addition to the routine overhauling and repairing of the telephone and telegraph lines, certain major projects were undertaken during the year, namely, the replacement of 41 miles of submarine cable, as follows: Beaver Island, Mich., to Charlevoix, Mich.; Ocracoke Inlet, N. C.; Shackelford Point to Fort Macon, N. C.; Hull. Mass., to Boston, Mass., and Graves lighthouses. The rebuilding of the line between Cape Henry, Va., and Beaufort, N. C., was continued during the year. The scientific study and investigation of telephone transmission problems mentioned in last year’s report were continued, with considerable progress made in the matter. The radio art is advancing at a rapid rate and changes are of frequent occurrence. It is necessary that the Coast Guard keep abreast of the times so that it may not find itself in the unfortunate position of interfering or becoming involved in interference with commercial stations or other Government radio stations, all of which are keeping in line with radio development. In the course of the year improvements have been made on board ship and at shore stations in order to bring about a higher state of efficiency in handling communications by radio. The completion of main traffic stations at Grays Harbor, Wash., and Winthrop, Mass., has greatly increased the efficiency of communications in the divisions with which they are connected. Gasoline engine driven generator sets as auxiliary and emergent sources of power were installed on all ships and stations, as it was found to be expedient to so replace storage batteries previously use 1. The use of aircraft in the Coast Guard has brought with it radio problems peculiar to that type of ship and its mission. Radio equ'p-ment is being developed to meet these special needs. Considerable progress has been made in the matter of the elimination of electrical induction interference to radio reception on the planes and in the development of radio direction finders. REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 11 Lieut. Commander E. M. Webster continues to represent the Treasury Department on the Interdepartmental Radio Advisory Committee. This officer also represents the Treasury Department on the Interdepartmental Committee in preparation for the International Radio Conference to be held in Madrid in 1932. AVIATION During the year, Coast Guard airplanes cruised 93,750 miles and searched over an area of 2,344,250 square miles. They were in the air 1,250 hours, and more than 2,397 vessels were identified. Coast Guard seaplanes are being called into use to locate missing or disabled boats, and derelicts and other obstructions to navigation, to convey medical assistance to vessels offshore, and to remove from vessels to the shore sick and injured persons, a notable illustration of somewhat recent occurrence of the last-named service being the removal of two badly injured men from a merchant vessel 41 miles offshore. They were flown to the air station ashore where it was discovered that their injuries were too serious to be taken care of by service personnel. They were then flown to a hospital where they could receive proper medical attention, thus saving about nine hours. The aircraft reporting system established by the Coast Guard along the Atlantic seaboard is proving to be of inestimable value. No plane using the system was lost during the year. More than 14,000 reports of passing planes were made in the year. The construction of five new flying-boat seaplanes, mentioned in last year’s report, is about 80 per cent completed. They are being built by the General Aviation Manufacturing Corporation, of Dundalk, Md. They are of all metal construction, powered with two Pratt & Whitney 450-horsepower engines, and have a cruising range of 1,000 miles, and can fly 10 hours without refueling. It is expected that the first of these planes will be in commission shortly after the beginning of the ensuing fiscal year 1933, and that the others will follow, one every 30 days. Three planes have been purchased from the Douglas Aircraft Co., of Santa Monica, Calif. These planes are amphibians, and are of all metal construction, with wooden wings. They are powered with two Wright engines, 300 horsepower. All Coast Guard aircraft are equipped with radio transmitting and receiving sets, radio direction finders and the most modern instruments for navigation and flying under adverse weather conditions. The Coast Guard has in commission two air stations, one at Gloucester, Mass., and one at Cape May, N. J. During the year the service leased a site at Dinner Key, Fla., for the establishment of another air station, and contract was entered into for the building of an airplane hangar. It is expected that this station will be in commission early in the fiscal year 1933. ORDNANCE The accomplishments of the year having to do with this subject are gratifying. Interest in gunnery and small-arms training continues to grow. Facilities for training and provisions for the care and upkeep of ordnance material have been improved. 143660—32--3 12 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD All except two destroyers held short range, day spotting, and long-range battle practice in southern w’aters, and the personnel of 13 of these vessels fired small-arms target practice on the Egmont Key, Fla., rifle range. Seven cruising cutters have already fired short-range battle practice and an extension of time has been granted 17 more, so that by September 30 nearly all cutters for which this training is prescribed will have completed it. By that time all section bases and many of the smaller cutters will have completed target practice instruction. A considerable number of cutters, bases, and small boats have held small-arms target practice and it is expected that many more units will have completed this training by the end of September. Four districts have already held small-arms target practice and two more have submitted plans. Small-arms trophies for destroyers, cutters, section bases, and districts have been purchased and it is felt that competition for these trophies will greatly stimulate interest in small-arms training and help to increase efficiency. The medals for expert riflemen and pistol experts have been modernized. The new medals are suspended by a ribbon and clasp instead of the old bar and clasp, harmonizing with the good conduct and other medals. The rules for small-arms target practice have been changed so as to require observation of the record firing of one unit by another unit. This insures fairness and uniformity in scores. That small-arms efficiency has increased is evidenced by the fact that the Coast Guard stood second in the National Match and won the Scott and Du Pont trophies. New target ranges have been constructed at base 15, Biloxi, Miss., and at base 18, Woods Hole, Mass. The range at base 15 is situated on Deer Island and has 10 targets, and the range at base 18 has 8 targets. In addition to the establishment of these new ranges, the firing lines of the Cape May and Egmont Key ranges have been improved, new target carriers provided at Cape May, N. J., and improvements made in the butts at Egmont Key. A man from each station in the second district has been given special instruction in the upkeep and methods of firing small arms, so that he may act as coach and instructor at his station. Several hundred rifles surveyed as of no value have been completely overhauled and rebarrelled at the Springfield Armory, making them equivalent to new rifles and effecting a considerable saving. Orders have been placed for new remodeled gallery rifles, 1922, M-2, which will bring equipment of this kind up to date. The armory at the Coast Guard depot has been improved in the way of tools and equipment and at the close of the year the stock of small arms spare parts on hand was the best the service has ever had. A continuing program of magazine overhaul and reconstruction has been initiated, to be carried out during the regular overhaul periods until the ammunition stowage on all vessels conforms to standard. Flare-signal equipment, discussed in last year's report, has been purchased for all floating units not previously so equipped. This equipment is proving of much value. Efforts have been made to improve line-throwing equipment. Experiments have been conducted with the 6-pounder line-throwing REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 13 gun and with the shoulder line-throwing gun, to increase the range. Further experimentation will be necessary. Demolition blocks have been issued for test to determine the advisability of using the half-pound, compressed TNT blocks in wrecking operations instead of the regular Navy wrecking mines. Very favorable reports are being received. The cost of a regular wrecking mine is about fifty times that of a demolition block and in many cases a few of these half-pound blocks bound together will serve even better than a mine. The blocks can safely be stored aboard ship; they deteriorate no faster than mines; a charge can be built up to desired size for effective operation; the disruptive effect is said to be about twice as great as that of the same weight of wrecking mine charge, and the action is faster and fragmentation greater. Due to the convenient size and shape of the blocks, there is much greater flexibility in handling. They can be made up into almost any shape to fit any irregular space, a feature impossible with the standard mine. Indications are that the use of the demolition blocks will greatly facilitate wrecking operations and make the work much more effective, at a reduced cost. The continued courtesy and cooperation of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps in matters here discussed are gratefully acknowledged. Without their generous assistance the accomplishments of the year in these directions would not have been possible. PERSONNEL On June 30, 1932, there were on the active list of the Coast Guard 433 regular commissioned officers, 10 temporary commissioned officers, 84 cadets, 85 chief warrant officers, 507 regular warrant officers, 265 temporary warrant officers, 11,034 enlisted men, and 421 civilian employees in the field of whom 375 were per diem civilian employees at the Coast Guard depot, Curtis Bay, Md. RECRUITING, AND ENLISTED PERSONNEL On July 1, 1931, the beginning of the fiscal year, the recruiting service of the Coast Guard comprised 10 main stations and 18 substations located at the places named below. There were no changes in the stations during the year. Main station.—-Atlanta, Ga. Substations.—Birmingham, Ala.; Greenville, S. C.; and Montgomery, Ala. Main station.-—Baltimore, Md. Substations.—Washington, D. C., and Norfolk, Va. Main station.—Boston, Mass. Substation.—Providence, R. I. Main station.—Chicago, Ill. Substations.—Milwaukee, Wis.; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Peoria, Ill.; and St. Louis, Mo. Main station.—Cleveland, Ohio. Substations.—Detroit, Mich., and Cincinnati, Ohio. Main station.—New London, Conn. Main station.—New York, N. Y. Substations.—Brooklyn, N. Y.; Newark. N. J.; and Stapleton, N. Y. Main station.—Philadelphia, Pa. Substations.—Camden, N. J.; Trenton, N. J.; and Wilmington, Del. Main station.—San Francisco, Calif. Main station.—Seattle, Wash. 14 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD In the course of the year there were 18,289 applicants for enlistment, of which number 1,615 were enlisted, 1,157 rejected for physical disability, and 15,517 rejected for other disabling causes. The percentage of men reenlisting upon expiration of enlistment has increased during the past several years, as is evidenced by the fact that while 72 per cent reenlisted during the fiscal year 1926, 97.7 per cent reenlisted during the fiscal year 1932, an increase of 25.7 per cent. During the fiscal year 1926 there was an average of 378 losses, other than by expiration of enlistment, per month, while the average during the fiscal year 1932 was 73 per month. There has also been a very material reduction of the number of desertions. TRAINING All training of enlisted personnel was coordinated and greatly extended during the year. The school for radiomen at New London, Conn., and the gas-engine school at Norfolk, Va., were continued, the course of instruction at the latter place being extended to include Diesel engines. A gas-engine school was also established at Buffalo, N. Y. The Navy cooperated in the training of personnel and many Coast Guard men attended Navy schools during the year. This assistance on the part of the Navy is gratefully acknowledged. During the year, 198 men were graduated from the various schools and 53 were in attendance at the end of the year. The work of the Coast Guard Institute, at New London, Conn., was greatly increased by reason of a change in the regulations which made necessary the completion of certain rating courses before a man could be eligible for promotion. For this reason many men made application for courses which would fit them for advancement in rating. In the month of June, 222 students were enrolled and 3,347 lesson papers were received for correction. During the year 168 International Correspondence School diplomas and 477 Institute Educational certificates were awarded, indicating that a lively interest in educational work is being taken by service personnel. This is especially emphasized by the fact that at the close of the year there was an enrollment of 2,978 men, an increase of 1,545 over last year’s enrollment. A receiving unit was maintained at New London, Conn., to which were sent all newly enlisted men. Here they received training for approximately three months before being sent to duty at various units. WELFARE Fully appreciating in what a great measure the efficiency of the service depends upon the morale of its personnel, the Coast Guard uses its best endeavor to so expend the recreation and welfare funds as to bring to the enlisted men every proper available means to insure their comfort, contentment, and health, and to provide for them wholesome recreation and entertainment. Recreational material such as baseball, football, and basketball equipment, reading matter through magazine subscriptions, radiobroadcast receiving sets and other equipment have been furnished during the year. Lesson study pamphlets, technical books, and other educational materials also were REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 15 provided, distribution being made through the Coast Guard Institute at New London, Conn. An item of especial interest to units favorably equipped was a sound motion picture of the Coast Guard-Marine Corps football game played at Washington on December 4, 1931, in which the President’s Cup was won by the Coast Guard team, presentation of the cup being made to the team by Mrs. Hoover, the wife of the President. The sound, motion-picture equipment referred to in last year’s report has been furnished and put into use, so that now certain Coast Guard units are taking advantage of the opportunity to use motion-picture exchange service maintained by the Navy Department. The assistance of the Bureau of Navigation in this and other matters is greatly appreciated. BLUE ANCHOR SOCIETY, AID FOR THE SHIPWRECKED, WOMEN’S NATIONAL ASSOCIATION This organization has for 52 years supplied Coast Guard stations with emergency clothing for persons involved in shipwreck or in other conditions of distress. This clothing has been of inestimable value in relieving suffering and want among such unfortunates as have come under the care of the Coast Guard. The commandant has pleasure in expressing his sincere appreciation of the highly commendable work of the society. The uses made of the society’s supplies during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1932, are shown in the following statement: Date Station Beneficiaries 1931 July 25 Old Chicago Boy who fell overboard at Chicago Yacht Club. Aug. 7 Sandy Hook Woman rescued from stranded motor boat Albwe. 19 do Two men from motor boat K-13928 who were drenched in storm. 20 do. ... Man whose motor boat stranded. 21 St. Joseph Boy who was rescued from a capsized canoe. 29 Cleveland Man whose boat capsized. Oct. 11 Milwaukee Man who was washed oil breakwater. 12 Monomoy Point 4 men from motor sloop Catherine E., which stranded while attempting 25 Old Chicago to cross bar. 2 men from launch Skimmer which foundered. Nov. 1 Brazos 3 boys whose sailboat capsized. 1 Ocean City (Md.) 2 men who rowed ashore from yacht Nirvana which burned and sunk. 5 Ocean City (N. J.)... Man from yacht Nyanza which stranded and filled. 8 Wood End 3 men from schooner Ervin J. Luce which stranded and sunk. Dec. 9 Atlantic City 3 men from disabled motor boat Sigrid T. 20 Lewes Man from yawl Tisbury who beached his boat owing to rough sea. 20 Louisville Man who jumped into river with suicidal intent. 1932 Mar. 6 Fishers Island 2 men whose boat washed ashore in gale. 6 Forge River 2 men whose boat capsized in high seas. 6 Gull Shoal 8 women and children whose homes were flooded at Salvo, N. C., during 6 Chicamacomico storm. 4 residents of South Rodanthe, N. C., whose homes were destroyed in 11 Brazos storm. 4 persons whose boat stranded owing to severity of weather. 15 Louisville Man whose automobile ran into river. 16 Island Beach 2 men whose boat capsized. 20 Indian River Inlet. . Man whose boat was washed ashore in storm. 23 Toms River Man whose boat capsized. Apr. 27 Brazos 2 women and 2 men whose boat filled in heavy seas. May 3 Flagler Beach 2 men whose home was destroyed by fire during the night. 16 Brazos 2 men who were rescued from capsized sloop Repeclita. 25 Jackson Park 3 boys who were rescued when boat capsized. June 27 Sandy Hook 5 men rescued from motor boat during squall. 16 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD LIBRARIES, LITERATURE, ETC. The commandant desires to express his cordial appreciation of the continued interest shown by the American Merchant Marine Library Association (Inc.), with national headquarters at New York, N. Y., in supplying libraries to units of the Coast Guard. To the contributors of miscellaneous books, magazines, periodicals, etc., at various units of the service, the commandant also desires to extend his acknowledgments. LEAGUE OF COAST GUARD WOMEN No account of the League of Coast Guard Women is complete without reference to this excerpt from its by-laws: To minister to the general welfare of the commissioned officers, warrant officers, enlisted men, and civilian employees of the Coast Guard and their immediate families; to knit closely together all men and women whose lives are identified with the Coast Guard by ties of mutual interest and helpfulness; to contribute to the morale, contentment, and happiness of service personnel; to stand behind the men of the service and to be “ always ready,” in consonance with the motto of the service, with whatever form of good-fellowship and kindliness the situation may demand. Upon the corner stone of the league there is inscribed November, 1924. In the hollow there is the plight of mutual interest, of helpfulness, of fidelity, of good-fellowship. How well the league has kept faith with its guardianship over the misfortunes of service personnel is attested by its manifold, useful ministrations in the eight years of its life. No promise has been violated, no deserving call passed over. When sorrow and distress and want have summoned, the answer went back in terms of kindly helpfulness. What the good women of the league have done in the past is assurance for the future. The year soon to close is full of deeds that cheer the heart. It far surpasses all other years. These accomplishments, these fulfillments, should commend themselves to every service woman, and if she be not a member of the league, should awaken in her a purpose to associate herself with this good work. The commandant shares the belief that the league fills an important need in the lives of members of the service, and that it bears significantly upon the morale of the service. And, he has great pleasure in expressing to the women of the league his warmest appreciation of their devotion to the worthy cause they have undertaken. COAST GUARD ACADEMY The course of instruction at the Coast Guard Academy, at New London, Conn., has been lengthened to four years. During the fiscal year, 66 cadets were appointed to the academy, 40 cadets resigned, and 28 cadets completed the course of instruction and were graduated from the academy and commissioned as ensigns on May 16, 1932. There were 84 cadets under instruction at the end of the fiscal year. Entrance examinations of candidates for cadets were held beginning June 15, 1932. These examinations, under existing laws and regulations, are strictly competitive, and include mathematics REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 17 (algebra, first and second year, and plane geometry), English composition and literature, and history, conforming to standards fixed by the college entrance examination board. Since the year 1928 these examinations have been conducted for' the Coast Guard by civil-service examiners, which agency has rendered most excellent and valuable service to the Coast Guard. Grateful acknowledgment thereof is here made. By the use of civil-service examiners the field for selection of officer material has been considerably broadened. The examinations have been held in practically every State and in two or more cities in some States. In 1932, candidates numbering 1,193 filed applications, of which number 916 were authorized to take the examination, but only 773 reported. The practice cruise for cadets in 1931 was carried on by the Coast Guard cutters Mendota and Sebago, which constituted the practice squadron. The cruise began on June 18, 1931, and included calls at the following foreign ports: Gibraltar, Spain; Alexandria, Egypt; Istanbul, Turkey; Marseille, France; Las Palmas, Canary Islands; and also Gardiners Bay, Long Island. The cruise was concluded on August 28, 1931. The cutters Saranac and Sebago composed the special-practice squadron for the 1932 cruise, and left New London, Conn., on May 25, 1932. The itinerary includes calls at the following ports: Quantico, Va.; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Montevideo, Uruguay; Bahia, Brazil; Colon, Panama; and Hampton Roads, Va.’ The cruise was in progress at the close of the fiscal year, and it is expected it will terminate at New London, Conn., near the end of August. The practice cutters stopped at Quantico, Va., from May 27 to June 10, where the cadets and ships’ complements engaged in small-arms target practice at the Marine Corps rifle range. These annual practice cruises are made with the object of affording the cadets practical training in the theoretical subjects they pursue at the academy and of instructing them in their professional duties. They also provide an excellent opportunity to observe and to study the inclinations of the cadets away from their generally accustomed land environment, their propensities and fitness for a seagoing occupation, and to instill into them the traditions and standards of the service at sea. Construction work has progressed satisfactorily on the buildings for the new Coast Guard Academy being erected at New London, Conn., under the direction of the office of the Supervising Architect, Treasury Department. It is expected that the buildings will be ready for occupancy when classes start in the fall of 1932. COAST GUARD REPAIR DEPOT The following-named Coast Guard vessels were overhauled at the Coast Guard repair depot, Curtis Bay, Md., during the year: Apache, Corwin-, Cuyahoga, Leopard, Perry, Pequot, Petrel, ~Win-nisimmet, and Yamacraw. Several patrol boats were also overhauled and reconditioned. The Unalga was completed and fitted for service after undergoing a thorough reconditioning both at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and 18 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD the depot. The Mascoutin is undergoing extensive repairs and is to be completed at an early date. The CG-826 was rebuilt for use as a cable boat and the CG-128 was converted into an oil-test boat. The boat-building shop at the depot constructed 87 standard boats, as follows, for assignment to various units of the service as needed: fourteen 36-foot 8-inch motor lifeboats (type TR) ; seventeen 25-foot 10-inch motor self-bailing surfboats; one 26-foot motor launch; five 25-foot 6-inch self-bailing surfboats; four 26-foot Monomoy surfboats; eight 24-foot 6-inch Race Point surfboats; one 26-foot sailing launch; nineteen 19-foot surfboats; eight 12-foot dinghies, and ten 9-foot dinghies. REPAIRS AND IMPROVEMENTS TO VESSELS In addition to the overhauling, reconditioning, and repairing of certain vessels at the depot, as shown under the heading of “ Coast Guard repair depot” routine repairs to vessels were made during the year under contract with private concerns and at various navy yards. Major repairs were made to the Coast Guard destroyer Herndon, and the transferred Navy destroyer Semmes was overhauled and reconditioned, both at the Boston Navy Yard. New vacuum apparatus was installed on the cutters Modoc and Haida. REPAIRS AND IMPROVEMENTS TO STATIONS AND OTHER SHORE UNITS Rebuilding, repairs, alterations, additions, and improvements, extensive and minor in character, were completed during the year at 164 Coast Guard (life-saving) stations, at 16 section bases, in 5 Coast Guard divisions, at 7 radio stations, at the academy, depot, and 9 miscellaneous units. Contracts were awarded, or work was begun, during the year for major work of rebuilding, alterations, and improvements at 15 Coast Guard (life-saving) stations, the depot, academy, 3 section bases, 1 radio station, and in 1 Coast Guard division. FLOATING EQUIPMENT On June 30, 1932, there were in the Coast Guard in commission 36 cruising cutters, 15 Coast Guard destroyers, 34 harbor craft, 5 special craft, seven 165-foot patrol boats, thirty-three 125-foot patrol boats, thirteen 100-foot patrol boats, six 78-foot patrol boats, one hundred and eighty-one 75-foot patrol boats, 34 miscellaneous patrol boats, 88 cabin picket boats, 61 open picket boats, and 17 other (class A) picket boats. The above-mentioned floating equipment does not include the primarily life-saving boat equipment attached to Coast Guard vessels and stations. Seven 165-foot patrol boats in a construction program authorized by the act of May 15, 1930, have been completed and placed in commission. These boats are named, respectively, Thetis, Aurora, Calypso, Daphne, Hermes, Icarus, and Perseus. On March 15, 1932, contract was entered into with John H. Mathis Co., Camden, N. J., for the construction of two additional 165-foot patrol boats in a construction program authorized by the REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 19 act of February 23, 1931. These boats are to be similar to the seven boats mentioned above. Construction progress at the end of the year indicated 12 per cent of completion. They are named, respectively, Argo and Galatea. During the year the destroyers Gummings and Ericsson, formerly obtained from the Navy, were decommissioned and returned to the custody of the Navy, and the Navy destroyer Semmes was transferred to the Coast Guard, in pursuance of the act of May 15, 1930. This destroyer (/Semmes') was overhauled and reconditioned at the Boston Navy Yard for Coast Guard use. The cutter Algonquin which was placed out of commission December 11, 1930, has been sold. The patrol boats Virginia (CG-801) and the CG-8%0 have been disposed of. The patrol boats CG-8%8 to CG-835, inclusive, and the harbor tugs Clayton and Lightning have been added to the fleet of Coast Guard vessels. A program for building six 78-foot special inshore patrol boats at the Southern Ship Yard Corporation, Newport News, Va., which was started last year has been completed, and the boats are in service. Six 38-foot cabin picket boats built by the Corsair Boat Co., Trenton, Mich., and fifteen 38-foot cabin picket boats built by the Gibbs Gas Engine Co., Jacksonville, Fla., have also been completed and placed in service. The matter of improved methods for the preservation of steel vessels of the Coast Guard, discussed in previous reports, has been the subject of continued research and investigation during the year and favorable progress may be reported. Through routine and special reports, and observations by specially assigned representatives, close touch has been kept with the conditions of the steel hulls, especially the outer underwater surfaces. As a result, standard painting materials and painting procedure. have been prescribed. The uniformity of materials will produce better results, and since the new ship-bottom paints are obtained directly from the Navy an appreciable saving in cost is accruing. The use of special inexpensive basic primers has been adopted for the underwater hulls of several of the larger cutters, and good results have followed. Information concerning these results with further related information gathered from outside sources has been distributed, as yet in a limited way, to interested units or individuals where cooperation will be most direct and observations of results most readily made. Uniform procedure regarding the use of these chemical corrosion inhibitors will be promulgated in due time. NEW CUTTERS The tenth and last cutter, mentioned in last year’s report, of the 10 authorized by the act of June 10, 1926, was completed and delivered to the Government on March 9, 1932. This cutter is named Cayuga. The design plans and specifications for the cutter authorized by the act of April 18, 1930, also mentioned in last year’s report, as suitable for service in assisting shipping on the waters of Lake Michigan, were completed and bids for the construction work were opened October 30, 1931. The contract was awarded to the Defoe 20 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD Boat & Motor Works, Bay City, Mich. Construction progress at the close of the fiscal year was about 81 per cent of completion. The cutter is named Escanaba. SECTION BASES On June 30, 1932, there were 1 floating section base, 18 shore section bases, and 1 subbase, established for law enforcement purposes. These include the shore section base established during the year at Galveston, Tex. The service craft attached to these bases operate primarily against smuggling activities. STATIONS There were at the close of the fiscal year 254 Coast Guard (lifesaving) stations in an active status. The Coast Guard (life-saving) station authorized by the act of February 8, 1929, to be established at or in the vicinity of the Quil-layute River, Wash., and contract for the construction of which was awarded on April 6, 1931, as stated in last year’s report, was completed during the year, and placed in commission March 11, 1932. It has been named Quillayute River Station. The appropriation made available by act of February 23, 1931, for constructing and equipping the Coast Guard (life-saving) station authorized by act of March 3, 1891, to be established at or near Port Orford, Oreg., expired before the service was able to complete negotiations for the site and enter into contract for the construction of the station. The second deficiency act, fiscal year 1932, approved July 1, 1932, made the appropriation available for 1933. Contract was awarded during the year for the construction of the Coast Guard (life-saving) station authorized by act of February 26, 1930, to be established at or in the vicinity of Grand Island, Mich. Appropriation was made, fiscal years 1931 and 1932, in the second deficiency act, fiscal year 1931, approved March 4, 1931, for constructing and equipping this station. RECLAMATION PLANT The reclamation plant on the Coast Guard reservation at Cape May, N. J., was used to advantage during the year in reconditioning Sterling-Coast Guard and Liberty engines, stocking and issuing repair parts for these engines and reclaiming lubricating oil. It also serves as a repair base for the vessels of the special patrol force, for Coast Guard (life-saving) stations in the vicinity, and for section base 9 located on the reservation. ENGINEERING COMPETITION Twenty-six cruising cutters and 16 Coast Guard destroyers took part in the engineering competition during the year. The Champlain won the trophy in this competition for cruising cutters, having the highest score in engineering efficiency, while the Tuscarora won the award for showing the greatest improvement in engineering performance over the previous year. In the destroyer class the REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 21 Cassin won the trophy for highest merit, while the Conyngham attained the greatest improvement factor. A money prize of $15 is awarded to each of the men of the engineering department of trophy-winning vessels and a prize of $5 is awarded to each of the men in the engineering department of the vessel with the highest improvement factor. The engineering competition results in the maintaining of the engineering personnel and material in the highest possible state of readiness and efficiency; it compels constant attention to morale; it stimulates the efforts of the personnel; it promotes a healthy spirit of rivalry and develops a continuous effort toward excelling the accomplishments of others. LIFEBOATS AND SURFBOATS Work was continued during the year on the preliminary designs of the proposed 50-foot motor lifeboat mentioned in last year’s report, with material progress made looking toward construction. The building of the boat has been temporarily deferred. New designs of the 36-foot 8-inch motor lifeboat (type TR) were completed. Motor-driven ventilating equipment has been installed in types T and TR motor lifeboats, and similar installations are being developed for other lifeboats. Revised designs of the new type S motor self-bailing surfboat were completed and service tests successfully made. Engine circulating water systems have been developed and perfected for installation in motor surfboats assigned to stations where launching off the beach through the surf is necessary. A complete new design of type S pulling self-bailing surfboat has been accomplished and special service trials have been conducted, with the result that a number of these boats are to be constructed. AWARDS OF LIFE-SAVING MEDALS During the fiscal year 1932, 40 life-saving medals of honor (5 gold, and 35 silver) and 1 second service silver bar, were awarded by the Secretary of the Treasury, under authority of the acts of Congress approved June 20, 1874, June 18, 1878, May 4, 1882, and January 21, 1897, in recognition of bravery exhibited on 30 occasions in the rescue or attempted rescue of persons from drowning. Of those receiving medals, 6 were civilians, 13 were serving in the United States Navy, 15 in the United States Army, 2 in the United States Marine Corps, 1 in the United States Naval Reserve, 3 in the United States Coast Guard, and 1 on a merchant vessel. Eighteen instances occurred in waters of the United States, 2 in China, 2 in Hawaii, 1 in Nicaragua, 2 in the Philippine Islands, 1 in Canada, 1 in Mexico, and 3 in the Panama Canal Zone. The following is a statement of the awards with a description of the service performed by each medalist. Charles II. Mohr, master, steamer “ William Nelson ”.—Awarded gold medal on January 27, 1932, for rescuing, on September 26, 1930, the crew of the sinking schooner Our Son, on Lake Michigan, during a severe storm. 22 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD Delaney J. Morton, seaman, second class, United States Navy, attached to the U. S. S. “ Saratoga ”,—Awarded gold medal on March 8, 1932, for rescuing Seaman (Second Class) G. W. Febrey, United States Navy, at San Pedro, Calif., on January 2, 1930. Thomas J. Kirkland, lieutenant (junior grade), United States Navy.— Awarded gold medal on March 16, 1932, for attempting to rescue Ensign F. K. McGurk, United States Navy, in Narragansett Bay, near Newport, R. I., on July 27, 1928. Dorsey Deen, private, United States Army.—Awarded gold medal on March 31, 1932, for rescuing Pvt. Floyd Webber, United States Army, on July 19, 1930, at Fort Drum, Philippine Islands. George W. Ashford, ensign, United States Navy.—Awarded gold medal on May 27, 1932, for rescuing Lieut. H. D. Boyden, United States Marine Corps, on May 28, 1930, when his plane crashed in Santa Rosa Sound. Jacob N. Wernz, Rochester, N. I7., former customs inspector.—Awarded silver medal on August 6, 1931, for rescuing a man named Hill at Pier 51, North River, New York, on June 30, 1906. Samuel Waycaster, private, United States Marine Corps.—Awarded silver medal on August 6, 1931, for rescuing Bill Wainwright, apprentice seaman, United States Navy, off the United States marine base, San Diego, Calif., on January 2, 1926. Robert L. Turnbaugh, seaman, first class, United States Navy.—Awarded silver medal on November 6, 1931, for rescuing Charles W. Snyder, whose automobile ran off the seawall, at San Diego, Calif., on December 15, 1929. James A. Smith, signalman, third class, United States Navy.—Awarded silver medal on November 6, 1931, for rescuing Seaman (Second Class) Deal B. Binion, United States Navy, who fell overboard from the U. S. S. Mississippi, at anchor in English Bay, Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 19, 1929. George A. Roehlk, motor machinist’s mate, first class, United States Coast Guard.—Awarded silver medal on December 3, 1931, for diving off bridge at Boston, Mass., on August 6, 1929, and rescuing boy from a capsized motor boat. William A. Goodoff, corporal, United States Marine Corps.—Awarded silver medal on December 3, 1931, for rescuing Pvt. Lloyd C. Jenkins, United States Marine Corps, who fell overboard while attempting to board the U. S. S. Pittsburgh, at Tsingtao, China, on June 23, 1930. Peter J. Valentino, corporal, United States Army.—Awarded silver medal on December 9, 1931, for rescuing Pvt. Winford A. Hunt, United States Army, who fell overboard from the United States Army harbor boat Morgan Lewis, at Fort de Lesseps, Panama Canal Zone, on May 31, 1930. Joseph J. Kingsbury, private, United States Army.—Awarded silver medal on December 9, 1931, for rescuing John M. Byrne, a passenger, who fell overboard from the United States Army steamer General Frank M. Coxe, near Alcatraz Island, Calif., on March 19, 1930. Marvin A. McMichen, seaman, first class, United States Navy.—Awarded silver medal on February 19, 1932, for rescuing John Kowsky, aged 6, who fell off dock at Seventy-ninth Street, New York City, on May 6, 1929. Anton F. Bella, seaman, first class, United States Navy.—Awarded silver medal on February 19, 1932, for rescuing Fireman (Second Class) Henry T. Cook, United States Navy, who fell overboard from the U. S. S. Melvin, on January 28, 1930. Thomas M. Love, private, United States Army.—Awarded silver medal on February 19, 1932, for rescuing Pvt. Edward J. Callahan, United States Army, who slipped off a concrete ledge into Gatun Lake, Panama Canal Zone, on May 18, 1930. Manuel Correia, Watertown, Oahu, Hawaii.—Awarded silver medal on February 19, 1932, for signal exertions in aiding in the rescue, on November 17, 1929, of Pvts. Rexford V. McCart and John Jaramillo, United States Marine Corps, whose boat capsized near Pearl Harbor Entrance Channel, Hawaii. Raymond. Hart, torpedoman, second class, United States Navy.—Awarded silver medal on February 19, 1932, for rescuing Seaman (First Class) Harry R. Quirk, United States Navy, who fell overboard from the U. S. S. McCormick, in Chinese waters, on December 24, 1929. REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 23 Charles Stiver, water tender, first class, United States Coast Guard.— Awarded silver medal on February 19, 1932, for rescuing Seaman (First Class) Carl J. Keuper, who jumped overboard from the United States Coast Guard destroyer Cassin, at Boston, Mass., on September 10, 1931. Harold C. Waters, chief gunner’s mate, United States Coast Guard.— Awarded silver medal on February 26, 1932, for rescuing a man who had been pushed off the pier at Riverview Beach, New London, Conn., on July 4, 1928. Joseph Smith, private, United States Army.—Awarded silver medal on March 8, 1932, for rescuing Pvt. Guy N. Randall, United States Army, who became exhausted while swimming in Honolulu Harbor, on April 9, 1930. Daniel B. Howard, private, first class, United States Army.—Awarded silver medal on March 8, 1932, for rescuing a boy who fell off the wharf at Fort Winfield Scott, Oakland, Calif., on September 9, 1930. Willie A. Price, private, United States Army.—Awarded silver medal on March 16, 1932, for rescuing Private Murphy at Fort de Lesseps, Panama Canal Zone, on June 22, 1930. Lillian Boudreau.—Awarded silver medal on March 16, 1932, for assisting in the rescue, on July 21, 1930, of Pvt. F. Mathewson and another soldier, in Little Neck Bay, Fort Totten, N. Y. William Christenson, hoatsicain’s mate, second class, United States Navy.— Awarded silver medal on April 16, 1932, for rescuing Seaman (Second Class) C. W. Letbetter, United States Navy, who fell overboard from the U. S. S. Wasmuth, at anchor off Los Coronados Islands, Mexico, on September 17, 1930. Maxrcell Murray, colonel, United States Army—Awarded silver medal on April 30, 1932, for assisting in the rescue on June 7, 1931, of Miss Elizabeth Halsema, at Long Beach, Bauang, La Union, P. I. Arthur Murray, son of Col. Maxwell Murray, United States Army.—Awarded silver medal on April 30, 1932. for assisting in the rescue on June 7, 1931, of Miss Elizabeth Halsema and Maj. Emil Speth, United States Army, retired, at Long Beach, Bauang, La Union, P. I. Allen Bennett and William S. Robinson.—Awarded silver medals on April 30, 1932, for efforts in connection with the rescue on June 7, 1931, of Maj. Emil Speth, United States Army, retired, at Long Beach, Bauang, La Union, P. I. Emil Speth, major, United States Army, retired.—Awarded silver medal on April 30, 1932, for assisting in the rescue on June 7, 1931, of Miss Elizabeth Halsema, at Long Beach, Bauang, La Union, P. I. Frederick G. Richards, lieutenant commander, United States Navy.— Awarded silver medal on May 9, 1932, for rescuing Lieut. Commander W. J. Forrestel and Lieut. (Junior Grade) E. M. Waldron, at Cardon Island Beach, Corinto Harbor, Nicaragua, on October 31, 1930. William C. Foreman, radioman, third class, United States Navy.—Awarded silver medal on May 9, 1932, for rescuing Yeoman (First Class) D. L. Bixler, at Cardon Island Beach, Corinto Harbor, Nicaragua, on October 31, 1930. Robert W. Barth, electrician’s mate, second class, United States Navy.— Awarded silver medal on May 9, 1932, for signal exertions in attempting the above rescue. George W. Nicholson, ex-storekeeper, second class, United States Navy.— Awarded silver medal on May 25, 1932, for rescuing Miss Nellie Innis on September 15, 1929, at Mission Beach, San Diego, Calif. Stephen Dunn, junior, chief aviation pilot, United States Naval Reserve.— Awarded silver second service bar on June 9, 1932, for attempting to rescue a man who jumped off municipal pier. St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 1, 1930. Luigi Cuttin, corporal, United States Army; Michael J. Perrino, corporal, United States Army; Thomas M. Cary, private, first class, United States Army; John E. Crelly, private, United States Army; Merly L. Hutson, private. United States Army; Bert E. Shirey, private, United States Army.—Awarded silver medals on June 16, 1932. for rescuing Pvt. (First Class) Charlie C. Massey, United States Army, at Padre Island, Tex., on July 22, 1931. 24 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD APPROPRIATIONS AND EXPENDITURES FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE COAST GUARD Statement showing appropriations and expenditures for maintenance of the Coast Guard for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1932 APPROPRIATIONS Salaries, office of Coast Guard, 1932: Office of the commandant: For personal services in the District of Columbia (act Feb. 23, 1931)----------- $374,660.00 The services of skilled draftsmen and such other technical services as the Secretary of the Treasury may deem necessary may be employed only in the office of the Coast Guard in connection with the construction and repair of Coast Guard vessels and boats, to be paid from the appropriation “ Repairs to Coast Guard vessels ”; Provided, That the expenditures on this account for the fiscal year 1932 shall not exceed $12,000. A statement of the persons employed hereunder, their duties, and the compensation paid to each shall be made to Congress each year in the Budget. (Act Feb. 23, 1931.) For every expenditure requisite for and incident to the authorized work of the Coast Guard, including the expense of maintenance, repair, and operation of vessels forfeited to the United States and delivered to the Treasury Department under the terms of the act approved Mar. 3, 1925 (U. S. C. title 27, sec. 41), as follows, including not to exceed $1,250 for purchase, exchange, maintenance, repair, and operation of motor-propelled passenger-carrying vehicles, including maintenance, repair, and operation of one for Coast Guard headquarters, to be used only for official purposes: Pay and allowances, Coast Guard, 1932— For pay and allowances prescribed by law for commissioned officers, cadets, warrant officers, petty officers, and other enlisted men, active and retired, temporary cooks, surfmen, substitute surfmen, and two civilian instructors, and not exceeding $6,000 for cash prizes for men for excellence in gunnery, target practice, and engineering competitions, for carrying out the provisions of the act of June 4, 1920 (U. S. C. title 34, sec. 943), rations or commutation thereof for cadets, petty officers, and other enlisted men, mileage and expenses allowed by law for officers; and traveling expenses for other persons traveling on duty under orders from the Treasury Department, including transportation of enlisted men and applicants for enlistment, with subsistence and transfers en route, or cash in lieu thereof, expenses of recruiting for the Coast Guard, rent of rendezvous, and expenses of maintaining the same; advertising for and obtaining men and apprentice seamen; transportation and packing allowances for baggage or household effects of commissioned officers, warrant officers, and enlisted men (act Feb. 23, 1931)___________________________1---- 20,640,000.00 Fuel and water, Coast Guard, 1932: For fuel, lubricating oil, kerosene, and water for vessels, stations, and houses of refuge (act Feb. 23, 1931)____________________________ 2,596,115.00 Outfits, Coast Guard, 1932: For outfits,, ship chandlery, engineers’ stores and draft animals and their maintenance (act Feb. 23, 1931)_________________________________ 2,218,337.00 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 25 Rebuilding and repairing stations, etc., Coast Guard, 1932: For rebuilding and repairing stations and houses of refuge, temporary leases, rent, and improvements of property for Coast Guard purposes, including use of additional land where necessary (act Feb. 23, 1931)------------------- .$696,450.00 Rebuilding and repairing stations, etc., Coast Guard, 1931 and 1932: Rebuilding and repairing stations and so forth: For rebuilding and repairing stations and houses of refuge, including the same objects specified under this head in the act making appropriations for the Treasury Department for the fiscal year 1931. fiscal years 1931 and 1932 (act Mar. 4, 1931)___________________________________________ 100,000.00 Communication lines, Coast Guard, 1932: For coastal communication lines and facilities and their maintenance, and communication service (act Feb. 23, 1931)------- 250,000.00 Civilian employees, Coast Guard, 1932: For compensation of civilian employees in the field, including clerks to district commanders (act Feb. 23. 1931)__________________________ 105,220.00 Contingent expenses, Coast Guard. 1932: For contingent expenses, including subsistence of shipwrecked persons succored by the Coast Guard; for the recreation, amusement, comfort,, contentment, and health of the enlisted men of the Coast Guard, to be expended in the discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury, not exceeding $40,000; instruments and apparatus, supplies, technical books and periodicals, services necessary for the carrying on of scientific investigation, and experimental and research work in relation to telephony and radio-telegraphy, not exceeding $4.000; care,, transportation, and burial of deceased officers and enlisted men. including those who die in Government hospitals; wharfage, towage, freight, storage, repairs to station apparatus, advertising, surveys, medals, labor, newspapers and periodicals for statistical purposes, not to exceed $5,000 for cost of special instruction including maintenance of students, and ali other necessary expenses which are not included under any other heading (act Feb. 23, 1931)____________________________________________ 241,800.00 Construction and equipment of Coast Guard cutters, 1931 and 1932: For commencing the construction of one of the Coast Guard cutters authorized in the act entitled “An act to provide for the construction of ten vessels for the Coast Guard,” approved June 10, 1926 (44 Stat. p. 725). $100,000, to be available until June 30, 1932, of which not exceeding $750 shall be available for the purchase of such equipment and drafting supplies as may be required at Coast Guard Headquarters in connection with the construction of such cutter: Provided, That the total cost of this vessel and equipment shall not exceed $900,000. and the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to enter into contracts for its construction and equipment in sums not to exceed this aggregate amount (act of May 15, 1930)— 100,000.00 Construction and equipment of vessels, Coast Guard, 1931 and 1932: For commencing the construction of the vessel authorized in the act entitled “An act to provide for the construction of a vessel for the Coast Guard for rescue and assistance work on Lake Michigan,” approved Apr. 18, 1930, fiscal years 1931 and 1932, $450,000: Provided. That the total cost of this vessel and equipment shall 26 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD not exceed $650,000, and the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to enter into contracts for its construction and equipment in sums not to exceed this aggregate amount (act July 3, 1930)---------------------------------- $450,000.00 Construction and equipment of Coast Guard cutters, 1931 and 1932: For completion of one of the Coast Guard cutters authorized in the act entitled “An act to provide for the construction of ten vessels for the Coast Guard,” approved June 10, 1926 ( 44 Stat. p. 725), $800,000, to be immediately available (act Feb. 23, 1931)______________ 800,000.00' Construction and equipment of Coast Guard cutters, 1932: For the completion of the vessels authorized in the act entitled “An act to provide for the construction of a vessel for the Coast Guard for rescue and assistance work on Lake Michigan,” approved Apr. 18, 1930 (46 Stat. p. 890) (act Feb. 23, 1931)______________________ 200,000.00 Repairs to Coast Guard vessels, 1932: For repairs to Coast Guard vessels and boats (act Feb. 23, 1931)______________ 2,400,000.00 Coast Guard Academy: For the preparation of the plans, drawings, designs, specifications, and estimates necessary for the construction of buildings and appurtenances for the purpose of the Coast Guard Academy as authorized in the act entitled “An act to provide for the acquisition of a site and the construction thereon and equipment of buildings and appurtenances for the Coast Guard Academy,” approved Feb. 16, 1929, fiscal year 1929, to remain available until expended, $10,000: Provided, That the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized to cause the plans, drawings, designs, specifications, and estimates to be prepared in the Office of the Supervising Architect, and the proper appropriations for the support and maintenance of the Office of the Supervising Architect shall be reimbursed for the cost of preparing such plans, drawings, designs, specifications, and estimates and for necessary travel in connection therewith (act Mar. 4, 1929)____________ 10,000.00 Coast Guard Academy, 1930 and 1931: For commencing tlie construction and equipment of buildings and appurtenances for the Coast Guard Academy authorized in the act entitled “ An act to provide for the acquisition of a site and the construction thereon and equipment of buildings and appurtenances for the Coast Guard Academy,” approved Feb. 16, 1929 (45 Stat. p. 1189), including the preparation of the necessary plans, drawings, designs, specifications, and estimates, $850,000, to remain available until June 30, 1931: Provided, That the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to enter into contracts for the construction and equipment of buildings and appurtenances in sums whose total shall not exceed the limits of cost as fixed by law (act Mar. 26, 1930)____________________________________ 850,000.00 Coast Guard Academy: For completing the construction and equipment of buildings and appurtenances for the Coast Guard Academy authorized in the act entitled “An act to provide for the acquisition of a site and the construction thereon and equipment of buildings and appurtenances for the Coast Guard Academy,” approved Feb. 16, 1929 ( 45 Stat. p. 1189) and the act entitled “An act to change the limit of cost for the construction of the Coast Guard Academy,” approved Apr. 7, 1930 (46 Stat. p. 145), including the preparation of necessary plans, drawings, designs, REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 27 specifications, and estimates, $1,640,0'00, to be immediately available and to remain available until expended: Provided, That the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to cause the construction of such buildings and appurtenances to be supervised by the field force of the Office of the Supervising Architect, and the proper appropriations for the support and maintenance of that office shall be reimbursed for the cost of such supervision and the travel incident thereto from appropriations for such construction (act Feb. 23, 1931)______________________________________________$1,640,000. 00 Additional vessels, Coast Guard— For additional seaplanes and their equipment, including spare parts and accessories, to cost not to exceed $320,000; for additional patrol boats and their equipment to be constructed or purchased in the discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury, and for repairs, alterations, equipping and placing in commission vessels or boats transferred from the Navy Department to the Treasury Department for the use of the Coast Guard, $2,650,000, to be immediately available and to remain available until expended: Provided, That the unexpended balance of the appropriation of $144,000 for the fiscal years 1929 and 1930, contained in the second deficiency act, fiscal year 1929, approved Mar. 4, 1929 (45 Stat. p. 1654), for seaplanes and their equipment for use of the Coast Guard, is hereby continued and made available until expended (act May 15,1930)_________________________________________________ 2,650,000.00 For additional seaplanes and their equipment, including spare parts and accessories, to cost not to exceed $160,00'0; for additional patrol boats and their equipment to be constructed or purchased in the discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury, $440,000; in all $600,000, to remain available until expended (act Feb. 23, 1931)________________________________________________ 600,000.00 Establishing Coast Guard stations— For establishing and equipping new Coast Guard stations on the sea and lake coasts of the United States, as authorized by law, $45,000, to be available until expended (act May 15, 1930, Quillayute, Wash.)_____________ For establishing and equipping a Coast Guard station at or near Port Orford on the coast of Oregon as authorized in the act entitled “An act making appropriations for sundry civil expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1892, and for other purposes,” approved Mar. 3. 1891 (26 Stat. p. 95S), to be immediately available (act Feb. 23, 1931)_____________ For constructing and equipping a new Coast Guard station at or in ti e vicinity of Grand Island. Mich., as authorized by the act approved Feb. 26, 1930 (46 Stat. p. 74), fiscal years 1931 and 1932 (act Mar. 4, 1931)_________________________________________________ 45, 000. 00 83, 500. 00 60, 000. 00 Retired pay, former Life Saving Service, 1932: For retired pay for certain members of the former Life Saving Service authorized by the act entitled “An act providing for retired pay for certain members of the former Life Saving Service, equivalent to compensation granted to members of the Coast Guard,” approved Apr. 14, 1930 (46 Stat. p. 164) (act Feb. 23, 1931)_______________________ 135,000.00 28 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD EXPENDITURES Salaries, office of Coast Guard, 1932: Office of commandant_____________________________________ $367, 768. 38 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932________________________ 6, 891. 62 Pay and allowances, Coast Guard, 1932: Pay and allowances_______________________________________ 20, 344, 648. 65 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932________________________ 295, 351. 35 Fuel and water, Coast Guard, 1932: Fuel and water___________________________________________ 1, 946, 679.41 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932________________________ 649, 435. 59 Outfits, Coast Guard, 1932: Outfits__________________________________________________ 2,174, 389. 69 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932________________________ 43, 947. 31 Rebuilding and repairing stations, etc., Coast Guard, 1932: Rebuilding and repairing--------------------------------- 642, 376. 25 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932------------------------ 54, 073. 75 Rebuilding and repairing stations, etc., Coast Guard, 1931 and 1932: Rebuilding and repairing_________________________________ 99, 878. 40 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932________________________ 121. 60 Communication lines, Coast Guard, 1932: Communication lines______________________________________ 248, 289. 07 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932________________________ 1, 710. 93 Civilian employees, Coast Guard, 1932: Civilian employees_______________________________________ 101, 261. 21 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932------------------------ 3, 958. 79 Contingent expenses, Coast Guard, 1932: Contingent expenses______________________________________ 227, 099. 29 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932________________________ 14, 700. 71 Construction and equipment, Coast Guard, 1931 and 1932: Construction and equipment------------------------------- 462, 876. 72 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932------------------------ 4, 034. 02 (Expenditures for fiscal year 1931, $883,089.26.) Construction and equipment, Coast Guard, 1932: Construction and equipment------------------------------- 1,134. 74 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932------------------------ 198, 865. 26 Repairs to Coast Guard vessels, 1932: Repairs to vessels_______________________________________ 2, 278, 009. 31 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932________________________ 121, 990. 69 Coast Guard Academy: Academy__________________________________________________ 244,167. 37 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932________________________ 139, 088. 41 (Expenditures for fiscal years 1930 and 1931, $2,116.- 773.92.) Additional vessels, Coast Guard: Additional vessels---------------------------------------- 674, 591. 40 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932_________________________ 190, 960. 02 (Expenditures reported fiscal years 1930 and 1931, $2,384,448.58.) Establishing Coast Guard stations: Establishing stations (Quillayute, Wash.)----------------- 4.183.14 Unobligated balance June 30, 1931------------------------- 275. 33 (Expenditures reported fiscal year 1931, $40,816.86.) Establishing stations (Port Orford, Oreg.)---------------- 2, 027. 50 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932------------------------- 81, 472. 50 Establishing stations (Grand Island, Mich.)--------------- 54,150.46 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932-------------------------- 5, 849. 54 Retired pay, former Life Saving Service, 1932: Retired pay----------------------------------------------- 112, 212. 25 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932------------------------- 22, 787. 75 Building or purchase of vessels for Coast Guard: Proceeds of sales, special fund--------------------------- 2, 434. 07 Unobligated balance June 30, 1932------------------------- 565. 93 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 29 SUMMARY OF MARINE CASUALTIES OCCURRING TO VESSELS OF THE UNITED STATES DURING THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1932 On June 30, 1932, the total number of United States vessels registered, enrolled, and licensed was 25,156, having a combined gross tonnage of 15,838,655. Of this number 18,224 were steam and motor, 1,342 sailing vessels, and 5,590 canal boats and barges. The number of American merchant vessels reported as having sustained casualties during the year, involving a loss of $300 or over in the case of each vessel, was 754. The 754 vessels above mentioned were valued at $159,802,350 and their cargoes at $33,895,080, the total value of property endangered being $193,697,430. The losses to vessels amounted to $11,868,880, and to cargoes $1,565,580, making the aggregate property loss $13,-434,460. The number of vessels totally lost was 281. Sixty-two of the vessels involved in disaster foundered, 149 stranded, 131 were in collisions, and 412 sustained miscellaneous casualties, which are classified in the following table under “ Other causes.” These founderings, strandings, collisions, and “ other causes ” wTere distributed by coasts and localities as follows: On the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, 246; on the Pacific coast, 212; on the Great Lakes, 39; on the United States rivers, 141; at sea and in foreign waters, 116. A total of 23,998 persons were on board the 754 vessels, 8,789 of the number being passengers and 15,209 being crews. Of the 23,998 persons, 118 were lost, 116 being members of crews and 2 passengers. A disaster involving damage or loss amounting to less than $300 is not included in any of the following tables, except in certain cases of collision. All collisions are tabulated where the damage or loss to both vessels combined amounts to $300, notwithstanding one of the vessels may have suffered little or no loss. These statistics are compiled from reports furnished by customs officers in compliance with the acts of June 20, 1874, and June 18, 1878. In the preparation of the accompanying tables it has been found advisable, in order to facilitate reference, to make the following general divisions: I. Disasters occurring on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, embracing— 1. All casualties outside of. but in proximity to, the coast line. 2. All casualties occurring in the bays and harbors adjacent to the coasts named. 3. All casualties occurring in or near the mouths of rivers emptying into the ocean or the Gulf. II. Disasters occurring upon the Pacific coast of the United States, including those occurring in adjacent waters, as in the first division. III. Disasters occurring on the Great Lakes, embracing— 1. All casualties occurring on Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario, reported by officers of the customs, whether in waters under the jurisdiction of the United States or of Great Britain. 2. All casualties occurring in rivers, straits, etc., connecting the several lakes named. 30 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 3. All casualties occurring in the harbors of any of said lakes, or in or near the mouths of rivers emptying into them, within the United States. IV. Disasters occurring in rivers within the United States, embracing all rivers except those referred to in the foregoing division. V. Disasters occurring to American shipping at sea and in foreign waters. The disasters embraced in the foregoing divisions are classified as follows: 1. Founderings.—Embracing founderings caused by the leaking or capsizing of vessels but not those resulting from collisions, stranding, or striking sunken wrecks, piers, snags, or ice. 2. Strandings.—Embracing disasters caused by running aground, striking rocks, reefs, bars, or other natural objects, although the vessels may have sunk as a result of such casualties. 3. Collisions.—Embracing all collisions between vessels only. 4. Other causes.—Embracing disasters caused by various agencies, such as: Fire, irrespective of results; scuttling or any other intentional damage to vessel; collision with ice, although vessel may be sunk thereby; striking submerged wrecks, anchors, buoys, piers or bridges; leakage (except when vessel foundered or went ashore for safety) ; loss of masts, sails, boats, or any other portion of vessel’s equipment; capsizing, when vessel did not sink; damage to machinery; fouling of anchors; damage by lightning; explosions; breaking of wheels; also water-logged vessels. REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 31 Summary of marine casualties occurring to vessels of the United States during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1932 [Collected and compiled in accordance with acts of June 20, 1874, and June 18, 1878] Viimbcr Value of property involved Value of property lost Persons on board Lives lost Number ofvpsselq of vessels Tonnage Tonnage ............................................................. - invnlvpd LOlaliy uivuiveu iost Vessels Cargoes Vessels Cargoes Passengers Crews Passengers Crews ATLANTIC AND GULF COASTS Founderings________________ 27 10,980 22 10,305 $1,352,800 $140,160 $1,315,550 $140,060 7 152 22 Strandings______________ 57 134,968 12 1,912 10,594,110 1,816,075 722,665 54,655 11 1,185 ------------ Collisions________________ 56 150.014 7 4,145 16,257,905 3,239,020 720,190 50.775 284 1,239 10 Other causes_______________ 106 123,962 54 10,188 9,082,370 1,967,300 1,798,480 88,085 136 993 19 Total..________________ 246 419,924 95 26,550 37,287,185 7,162,555 4,556,885 333,575 438 3,569 51 Aggregate__________________________________________ 44,449,740 4,890,460 4,007 51 PACIFIC COAST Founderings_____________ 13 585 10 304 89,560 11,740 51,000 11,740 ------ 39 ------------ 1 Strandings . . 41 55,575 15 12,077 . 5,563,600 1,076,780 1,273.600 540,805 202 655 ------------ Collisions ’ 28 84,825 ____________ 5,734,790 63.970 29,565 3,040 145 605 ------------ Other causes_„____1_____ 130 250,046 54 5,847 36,750,535 6,355,930 1,501,800 49,485 4,969 2,830 ------ 8 Total 212 391,031 79 18,228 48,138,485 7,508,420 2,855,965 605,070 5,316 4,129 ------ 9 Aggregate.,'1._____________________________________ 55,646,905 3,461,035 9,445 9 GREAT LAKES Founderings - 4 737 4 737 2,925 180 2,925 555 ------- 2 ------------- 1 Strandings...——— —______- 5 24,724 ____________ 2,699,485 89,410 126,000 760 40 215 ------------ Collisions _ 7 20,201 ------------ 1, 704,560 185,000 3,725 ------- 2 77 ------------- Other causes!—————______ 23 30,105 12 3,638 2,832,100 424,495 574,600 3,000 15 178 ------ 1 Total ~~ 39~ 75 767 16 4,375 7,239,070 699,085 707.250 4,315 | 57 472 _______ 2 Aggre'gate—--------________________________________ 7,938,155 ____711,565_ _|________529 2__ RIVERS OF THE UNITED STATES Founderings 13 2,787 9 2,499 118,000 20,310 99,500 10,510 2 41 -------- 6 Strandings ................. 18 56,628 4 177 3,718,500 2,403,765 81,220- 1,000 6 352 ------------ Collisions-------------- 27 62 933 3 456 7,904,860 1,014,740 170,700 3,500 66 603 2 2 other 21——ZZZZZ 83 67,273 51 7,511 6,077,100 1,066,410 1,436,700 89,460 20 734 _______ 23 Total 141 ~ 189 621 67 10,643 17.818,460 4,505,225 1,788,120 104,470 94 1,730 2 31 Aggregate—-------_______________-----_____________ 22,323,685 1,892,590 1,824 33 32 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD Summary of marine casualties occurring to vessels of the United States during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1932—Continued [Collected and compiled in accordance with acts of June 20, 1874, and June 18, 1878] Number Number Value of property involved Value of property lost Persons on board Lives lost of vessels Tonnage Tonnage ■-------------------------------------------------—-------------- involved , taiiy lost Vessels Cargoes Vessels Cargoes Passengers Crews Passengers Crews AT SEA AND IN FOREIGN WATERS Kounderings---------------- 5 188 4 169 63,000 11,300 62,000 1,300 18 22 Strandings----------------- 28 106,368 7 3,086 12,369,410 2,639,390 1,092,860 318,300 551 1,183 ... Collisions----------------- 13 36,795 4 286 2,927,500 226,250 113,565 1,750 92 410 21 Other causes--------------- 70 343,921 9 934 33,969,240 11,142,855 692,235 196,800 2,223 3,694 2 Total------------------ 116 487,272 24 4,475 49,319,150 14,019,795 1,960,660 518,150 2,884 5,309 _ 23 Aggregate----------------------------------------- 63,338,945 2,478,810 8,193 ‘>3 Grand total--------- 754 1,563,615 281 64,271 159,802,350 1 33,895,080 11,868,880 | 1,565,580 8,789 | 15,209 2 1 116 Grand aggregate----------------------------------- 193,697,430 13,434,460 23,998 118 SUMMARY BY NATURE OF CASUALTY Founderings---------------- 62 15,277 49 14,014 1,626,285 183,690 1,530,975 164,165 27 256 30 Strandings--------------- 149 378,263 38 17,252 34,935,105 8,025,420 3,296,345 915,520 810 3,590 Collisions-------------- 131 354,768 14 4,887 34,529,615 4,728,980 1,037,745 59,065 589 2,934 2 33 Other causes-------------- 412 815,307 180 28,118 88,711,345 20,956,990 6,003,815 426,830 7,363 8,429 53 Total..------------- 754 1,563,615 281 64,271 159,802,350 33,895,080 11,868,880 1,565,580 8,789 15,209 2 116 Aggregate----------------------------------------- 193,697,430 13,434,460 23,998 118 Note.—2 vessels met with casualty in the Panama Canal Zone, their combined tonnage being 10,537; value of property involved, $1,170,000; loss $1,350; persons on board, 61. In addition to the number of lives lost as shown in the above tabulation, 9 passengers and 45 members of crews lost their lives on documented vessels suffering no casualty or where the property loss was less than $300. Since the closing of the annual report for the fiscal year 1931, a number of reports of casualties occurring within that fiscal year have been received. The following data have been obtained from these reports: Number of vessels involved in casualty, 108; tonnage, 209,436; number of vessels totally lost, 30; tonnage, 5,230; value of property involved—vessels $17,769,787; cargoes, $4,890,820; value of property lost—vessels, $988,744; cargoes, $63,532. Persons on board—passengers, 802; crews, 2,009. Lives lost—passengers, 1; crews, 15. REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 33 FUNCTIONS, DUTIES, ORGANIZATION, AND EQUIPMENT OF THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES The Coast Guard was created by the act of Congress approved January 28, 1915, by combining therein the former Revenue Cutter Service and the former Life Saving Service. The Revenue Cutter Service was originally established in 1790, at the second session of the First Congress, upon the recommendation of the first Secretary of the Treasury, as the result of the need for the services of a coast patrol for the enforcement of the customs laws and an organized armed force for the protection of the seacoast. By evolutionary processes coincident with the steady growth of the Nation, additional duties were successively added to this service to meet the ever-increasing demands of the maritime interests in so far as they were connected with governmental functions, so that at the time of the passage of the act above noted the Revenue Cutter Service had become essentially an emergency service, specializing in the performance of nearly all governmental maritime duties. The Life Saving Service was not the creation of a single legislative act, but the result of a series of enactments dating back to 1848—for many years desultory and fragmentary—which had in view the preservation of life and property from shipwreck on the coast. In 1871 a definite life-saving system was inaugurated and administered in conjunction with the Revenue Cutter Service, until June 18, 1878, when, as a consequence of the development and growth of the work and of its importance to commerce and humanity, Congress established the Life Saving Service as a separate organization. As the Life Saving Service was maintained for the purpose of saving life and property along the coast, and as one of the principal functions of the Revenue Cutter Service was to perform similar duties on the seas, the two services necessarily cooperated with and supplemented each other to a considerable extent in this work of conservation, and it became apparent to the Secretary of the Treasury that closer coordination and increased efficiency would result from the union of both services into one organization. This was accomplished by the act of January 28, 1915. It is interesting to note that the formation of the Coast Guard presents the somewhat unusual feature of an offshoot of an older service of the Government being developed independently, and, finally, with its parent organization, merged into a new branch of Federal activity, which, while preserving the primary object of conservation of life and property, is capable, by means of its broader foundation, of expanding its sphere of usefulness along both civil and military lines in all maritime functions connected with the Government. In general, the duties of the Coast Guard may be classified as follows: 1. Rendering assistance to vessels in distress and saving life and property. 2. Destruction or removal of wrecks, derelicts, and other floating dangers to navigation. 3. Extending medical aid to American vessels engaged in deep-sea fishing. 34 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 4. Protection of the customs revenue. 5. Operating as a part of the Navy in time of war, or when the President shall so direct. 6. Enforcement of law’ and regulations governing anchorage of vessels in navigable waters. 7. Enforcement of law’ relating to quarantine and neutrality. 8. Suppression of mutinies on merchant vessels. 9. Enforcement of navigation and other law’s governing merchant vessels and motor boats. 10. Enforcement of law to provide for safety of life on navigable w’aters during regattas and marine parades. 11. Protection of game and the seal and other fisheries in Alaska, etc. 12. Enforcement of sponge fishing law. 13. International ice patrol in the vicinity of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. While the foregoing represent the principal duties, it is difficult to enumerate all the tasks that fall to the service, for it is essentially an emergency service, and it seems to be generally recognized that all the great departments of the Government should call upon the Coast Guard for any special work of a maritime nature for which no other vessels are especially maintained. During all periods of the year a rigid system of military discipline, drill, and training is maintained to keep fit the personnel for the duty of operating as a part of the Navy. This function of the Coast Guard has always been of value, since in all wars to which the United States has been a party the Government has had at hand this force, properly disciplined and trained, ready to become a part of the regular naval forces as occasion required. ORGANIZATION AND EQUIPMENT The headquarters of the Coast Guard is at Washington, D. C. The ranking officer of the service is the commandant, who has the rank of rear admiral and is selected from the line officers of the service not below the rank of commander. He is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The service operates in time of peace under the Secretary of the Treasury, an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury having immediate supervision; it operates as a part of the Navy in time of war, or when the President shall so direct. PERSONNEL On June 30, 1932, there were in the Coast Guard the following permanent and temporary commissioned officers: Commandant_____________________________________________________________ 1 Captains______________________________________________________________ 20 Commanders____________________________________________________________ 41 Lieutenant commanders_______________________________________T_________ 52 Lieutenants___________________________________________________________105 Lieutenants (junior grade) and ensigns_______________________________157 Engineer in chief______________________________________________________ 1 Captains (engineering)________________________________________________ 16 Commanders (engineering)_______________________.______________________ 16 Lieutenant commanders (engineering)____________________________________ 5 Constructors___________________________________________________________ 5 District commanders___________________________________________________ 14 Lieutenants (temporary)________________________________________________ 3 Ensigns (temporary)____________________________________________________ 7 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 35 On June 30, 1932, there were under instruction at the Coast Guard Academy 84 cadets. By law the officers of the Coast Guard rank as follows: Commandant with major general, United States Army; rear admiral (upper half), United States Navy. Captain and engineer in chief with colonel, United States Army; captain, United States Navy. Commander and commander (engineering) with lieutenant colonel, United States Army; commander, United States Navy. Lieutenant commander and lieutenant commander (engineering) with major, United States Army; lieutenant commander, United States Navy. Lieutenant with captain, United States Army; lieutenant, United States Navy. Lieutenant (junior grade) with first lieutenant, United States Army; lieutenant (junior grade), United States Navy. Ensign with second lieutenant, United States Army; ensign, United States Navy. On June 30, 1932, there were 85 chief warrant officers, 507 regular warrant officers, and 265 temporary warrant officers. Warrant officers are appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury. The pay of commissioned and warrant officers is by law the same as that for officers of corresponding grade in the United States Navy. Officers are retired upon reaching the age of 64 years or upon becoming physically incapacitated for active service, and may, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, be retired after 30 years’ service. On June 30, 1932, there were 11,034 petty officers and other enlisted men. The pay of enlisted men is by law the same as for corresponding grades in the United States Navy. Original enlistments are made for a period of three years. Efficiency in the enlisted ranks is rewarded by promotion to the several rates of petty officers, and the warrant officers are selected from the petty officers as vacancies occur. Subsistence or an allowance therefor is provided by the Government, and enlisted men receive an allowance for uniform clothing upon original enlistment. Warrant officers and petty officers and other enlisted men are retired under the same conditions as commissioned officers. Offenses against discipline are dealt with by means of Coast Guard courts convened by or under the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury. These courts are by law organized and the procedure conducted substantially in accordance with naval courts, and the jurisdiction of the courts and the punishment to be imposed by them are defined by law. DIVISION COMMANDERS, ETC. One of the ranking officers of the service is detailed in command of each of the following organizations. The officer directs the movements and is responsible for the efficiency of such vessels as may be attached to his organization. Northwestern division, Pacific coast, headquarters at Seattle, Wash. 36 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD California division, Pacific coast, headquarters at San Francisco, Calif. Eastern division, headquarters at Boston, Mass. New York division, headquarters at New York, N. Y. Norfolk division, headquarters at Norfolk, Va. Gulf division, headquarters at Mobile, Ala. Lakes division, headquarters at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Coast Guard destroyer force, New London, Conn. Florida East Coast patrol area, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. FLOATING EQUIPMENT On June 30, 1932, there were in the service in commission 36 cruising cutters, 15 Coast Guard destroyers, seven 165-foot patrol boats, 34 harbor craft, thirty-three 125-foot patrol boats, thirteen 100-foot patrol boats, 5 special craft, six 78-foot patrol boats, one hundred and eighty-one 75-foot patrol boats, 34 miscellaneous patrol boats, 88 cabin picket boats, 61 open picket boats, and 17 other (Class A) picket boats. Cruising cutters in commission are attached to the appropriate divisions or act as independent units. The 15 destroyers constitute the Coast Guard destroyer force, under the immediate command of the commander, destroyer force. The patrol boats are, as a rule, attached to section bases and operate therefrom. The small picket boats are attached to section bases, or to Coast Guard districts, or to other units. In addition to the above-mentioned equipment there are 18 shore section bases and 1 subbase. The foregoing floating equipment does not include the primarily life-saving boat equipment attached to Coast Guard cutters and stations. DISTRICTS AND STATIONS The sea and lake coasts of the United States are divided into 13 districts, as follows, each district being in charge of a district commander, who is responsible for the efficiency of the stations in his district. There were on June 30, 1932, 254 active stations and 22 inactive stations. First district.—Coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts to the south end of Plum Island. District commander stationed at Portsmouth, N. H. (18 active stations.) Second district.—Coast of Massachusetts from the south end of Plum Island to Woods Hole, except the islands of Nantucket, Muskeget, and Marthas Vineyard. District commander stationed at Provincetown, Mass. (20 active stations.) Third district.—Coast of Massachusetts from Woods Hole west; coasts of Rhode Island and Connecticut to the Thames River, together with Nantucket, Marthas Vineyard, and Fishers Island. District commander stationed at Wakefield, R. I. (13 active stations.) Fourth district.—Coast of Long Island, N. Y. District commander stationed at Bay Shore, N. Y. (26 active stations.) Fifth district.—Coast of New Jersey. District commander stationed at Asbury Park, N. J. (38 active stations.) Sixth district.—Coast between Delaware and Chesapeake Bays. District commander stationed at Lewes, Del. (16 active stations.) Seventh district.—Coast from Cape Henry, Va., to Key West, Fla. District commander stationed at Elizabeth City, N. C. (38 active stations.) Eighth district.—Gulf coast of the United States. District commander stationed at Galveston, Tex. (8 active stations.) REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 37 Ninth district.—Embracing the coasts bordering on Lakes Ontario, Erie, and Huron, to Hammond Bay. District commander stationed at Buffalo, N. Y. (19 active stations.) Tenth district.—Embracing the coast bordering on Lake Huron west of Hammond Bay, and Bois Blanc, Mackinac, and Beaver Islands; the coast bordering on the east side of Lake Michigan; and a station at Louisville, Ky. District commander stationed at Grand Haven, Mich. (17 active stations.) Eleventh district.—Embracing the coast bordering on the west side of Lake Michigan and the coast bordering on Lake Superior. District commander stationed at Green Bay, Wis. (21 active stations.) Twelfth district.—Embracing the coast of California and the coast of Oregon to the south side of Umpqua River. District commander stationed at San Francisco, Calif. (9 active stations.) Thirteenth district.—Embracing the coast of Oregon from the south side of Umpqua River and the coasts of Washington and Alaska. District commander stationed at Portland, Oreg. (11 active stations.) COAST GUARD ACADEMY AT NEW LONDON, CONN. The academy is maintained for the education and training of cadets who, upon graduation, are commissioned in the Coast Guard. The prescribed course for cadets covers four years. Instruction is given in professional, technical, and academic subjects. Appointments to cadetships are -made after competitive examinations of applicants. COAST GUARD REPAIR DEPOT AT CURTIS BAY, MD. This plant is maintained for overhauling and repairing vessels stationed on the Atlantic coast, for constructing boats for the service, and for manufacturing hammocks, bags, and other minor articles of equipment. COAST GUARD STORES A general storehouse is maintained at South Brooklyn, N. Y., and another at San Francisco, Calif., for purchase and issue of supplies, etc., to vessels and stations. BOARD ON LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCES There is connected with the Coast Guard a board on life-saving appliances, for the examination of plans, devices, and inventions for use in the Coast Guard. The province of the board is to examine, test, and report upon such devices as may be referred to it by the commandant. VESSELS AND BOATS The development of the most efficient types of vessels and boats is an important problem in the Coast Guard. General characteristics of Coast Guard cutters are determined from a study of the service conditions under which they operate. As a further consideration, use of the vessels for national defense is involved, and Navy requirements receive careful study in the endeavor to obtain the requisite features in a consistent design. Inasmuch as the size of an efficient cruising cutter is limited, a combination of desirable qualities in proper proportions is a real problem. Seaworthiness, length, draft, displacement, speed, steaming radius, and accommodations must all receive attention, and Coast Guard essentials of ample boat equipment, strong anchor gear, towing gear, and wrecking equipment, as well as IN avy requirements for battery, ammunition, fire-control, and special devices must all be provided for. The foregoing pertains particularly to the requirements for cruising cutters, but the design of the small craft for inshore patrol duty and for duties in harbors must also receive careful attention. Endeavor is being made by the 38 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD Coast Guard in developing the designs to simplify and to standardize the vessels in order to reduce the first costs and to minimize upkeep and repair and operation costs. The standardization of small boats for vessels and stations to be used in wreck and rescue work has been accomplished and the principal classes are designated as follows: Motor lifeboats, motor selfbailing surfboats, motor launches, motor dinghies, self-bailing surfboats, surfboats, whaleboats, and dinghies. The simplification of the boat equipment has tended to a saving in first costs and in repair cost without any loss of efficiency in the boats themselves. EQUIPMENT OF STATIONS The equipment of Coast Guard stations consists of the beach apparatus—line-throwing guns, hawsers, breeches buoys, etc.—flag and pyrotechnic signals, heaving sticks and lines, life preservers, life cars and lifeboats, surfboats, and other types of boats. The outfits are practically the same at all the stations, but the boats are of various types, depending upon their suitability for rescue work on the different coasts. The lifeboats are too heavy to be launched from the beach into the surf, and launching ways are provided and located for them where comparatively smooth water prevails—on rivers, bays, and inlets. The surfboats are launched into the surf without the aid of launching ways. THE COAST GUARD FLAG The distinctive flag flown from the foremast on all Coast Guard cutters causes many inquiries as to its origin, and the following sketch of the history of this flag will therefore be of interest: Nine years after the establishment of the Revenue Cutter Service, Congress in the act of March 2, 1799, provided that— The cutters and boats employed in the service of the revenue shall be distinguished from other vessels by an ensign and pennant, with such marks thereon as shall be prescribed by the President. If any vessel or boat, not employed in the service of the revenue, shall, within the jurisdiction of the United States, carry or hoist any pennant or ensign prescribed for vessels in such service, the master of the vessel so offending shall be liable to a penalty of $100. Under date of August 1, 1799, the Secretary of the Treasury, Oliver Wolcott, issued an order announcing that in pursuance of authority from the President the distinguishing ensign and pennant should consist of “ 16 perpendicular stripes, alternate red and white, the union of the ensign to be the arms of the United States in dark blue on a white field.” This picturesque flag, with its vertical stripes, now so familiar in American waters, was arranged with historical detail, inasmuch as in the union of the flag there are 13 stars, 13 leaves to the olive branch, 13 arrows, and 13 bars to the shield, all corresponding to the number of States constituting the Union at the time of the founding of the Republic. The 16 vertical stripes in the body of the flag are symbolic of the number of States composing the Union when this flag was officially adopted. Originally intended to be flown only on revenue cutters and boats connected with the customs service, in the passage of time there REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD 39 grew up a practice of flying this distinctive flag from certain customhouses, and finally, by direction of the Secretary of the Treasury, in 1874, it was flown from all customhouses. From then until 1910 it was displayed indiscriminately on customhouses, customs boats, and revenue cutters. In order, therefore, that this distinctive ensign, the sign of authority of a cutter, should be used for no other purpose, as originally contemplated, President Taft issued the following Executive order on June 7, 1910: By virtue of the authority vested in me under the provisions of section 2764 of the Revised Statutes, I hereby prescribe that the distinguishing flag now used by vessels of the Revenue Cutter Service be marked by the distinctive emblem of that service, in blue and white, placed on a line with the lower edge of the union, and over the center of the seventh vertical red stripe from the mast of said flag, the emblem to cover a horizontal space of three stripes. This change to be made as soon as practicable. Upon the establishment of the Coast Guard, which absorbed the duties of the Revenue Cutter Service, the ensign described above became the distinctive flag of the Coast Guard cutters, which if flown from any other vessel or boat within the jurisdiction of the United States will subject the offender to the penalty of the law. Specifying definitely the distinctive seal and emblem to be used on the flag, the Secretary of the Treasury, under date of February 26, 1927, issued the following order: It is hereby prescribed that the distinctive seal and emblem of the United States Coast Guard shall be the approved design which accompanies this letter, in general terms, to wit, a shield having 13 vertical stripes and a field—the field and 7 stripes, commencing with the outer stripes, to be in solid color and the remaining 6 stripes in white—to be placed, with the words “ Semper paratus,” within the inner of two concentric circles, the word “ Semper ” above and the word “ paratus ” below the shield, both words to be curved and centered ; within the space between the two circles the words “ United States Coast Guard, 1790,” are to be p’aced, curved and centered, with the “ 1790 ” at the bottom; the whole of the above to be superimposed and centered upon two old-fashioned anchors, flukes downward, stocks in same plane as flukes, said anchors to be crossed so that the shanks are at an angle of 90° with each other. THE BEACH PATROL AND WTATCH At Coast Guard stations a fixed beat or patrol is laid out in each direction along the shore, varying, according to the conformation of the coast with respect to inlets, headlands, etc., from one-half mile to 2, 3, or 4 miles in length. The station crew is divided into regular watches of two men each, who during the hours from sunset to sunrise patrol these beats, keeping a sharp lookout seaward at all times. The usual schedule is: First watch, sunset to 8 p. m.; second watch, 8 p. m. to midnight; third watch, midnight to 4 a. m.; fourth watch, 4 a. m. to sunrise. At sunset the first man starts out on patrol in the same direction from all stations in a district, so far as practicable. While the patrolman is out, his watchmate takes the station watch, which is kept in the tower or on the beach abreast of the station, as conditions may require. If the station is connected with the service telephone line, the station watch makes it his business to be within hearing distance of the bell at regular intervals. In addition to keeping watch seaward, he is on the lookout for signals and telephone calls 40 REPORT OF THE COAST GUARD from the patrolman. Upon the return of the first patrol, he takes the station watch and the other man patrols in the opposite direction. At the proper time the man on station watch calls out the next two men, who must be dressed and ready for duty before the first two turn in. This routine is varied to meet local conditions. In harbors and seaports fixed lookouts are usually maintained instead of a beach patrol. Positive evidence of the integrity of the patrol and watch is required. Where stations are sufficiently close to one another to permit the entire distance between them to be patrolled, a halfway point is established. At this point each patrolman must deposit a brass check bearing the name of the station and his number in the crew. This is taken up on the next visit by the patrolman from the adjacent station, who in turn leaves his check. The first patrolman at night returns all checks of the previous night. Where the patrols do not connect, the patrolman carries a watchman’s clock or time detector in which there is a dial that can be marked only by means of a key which registers on the dial the exact time of marking. This key is secured in a safe embedded in a post at the limit of the patrol, and the patrolman must reach that point in order to obtain the key with which to register his arrival. In some cases telephones are located in halfway houses or at the end of patrols; in such cases the patrolman reports to his station by telephone. Each patrolman carries a number of red Coston signals with which to warn a vessel standing too close inshore or to notify a vessel in distress that he has gone to summon assistance. The same system of patrols is kept up in thick and foggy weather. It should be stated that the beach patrol is an institution of distinctly American origin. It was devised by the former Life Saving Service and inaugurated in that service in the early seventies. o