Subtitled Heroes, Rescues and Architecture of the Early Coast Guard, this very complete record of the people, technology, architecture and exploits of the U.S. Life-Saving Service is a large-format book illustrated with 446 photographs and maps. It is especially strong on the wonderful and regionally varied architecture of the Service's stations, of which there were more than today's mariners or beachcombers can imagine -- 41 on the New Jersey coast, 31 on Lake Michigan, 13 on Cape Cod alone. In the last half of the nineteenth century, when coasting vessels numbered in the tens of thousands, the stations and their beach patrols were a necessity, and the surfmen managed dramatic rescues, many of which are recounted here.

From 1878 to 1915 the U.S. Life-Saving Service was a small federal maritime organization that carried out amazing rescues of those in distress close to shore. Working from small stations scattered along the coastlines of the United States and using only oar-powered boats, none longer than 36 feet, crewmembers came to be known as "storm warriors" as they pulled off rescues that almost defied belief. Considered one of the most valorous organizations ever run by the U.S. government, the service carried out thousands of rescues, and many of its men lost their lives in the effort to save others. Yet since its incorporation into the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915, the feats of this life-saving service have been largely confused with those of its successor or forgotten altogether. Now for the first time in a full-length book, the author presents an operational history of the U.S. Life-Saving Service and places the agency within a national context, shedding light on a little-known aspect of maritime history. The book includes numerous photographs and other illustrations of the people, equipment, and exploits of this service and covers many out-of-the-way stations about which little has been published. Dennis Noble also examines the formation of the service, its organization, and its rescue equipment and explores the lives and routines of early watermen. In a clear and precise style, he describes how rescue efforts were conducted and includes gripping stories of the fate of such schooners as the George Taulane and J. H. Hartzell. These legendary sea rescues that presaged the modern-day Coast Guard were previously addressed only on a local or regional basis.

From the Civil War to the turn of the century, this is the true-life story of the original Coast Guard and one crew of African-American heroes who fought storms and saved lives off America's southeastern coast. 31 halftones.

Provides detailed history and technical design information on each and every type of small rescue craft ever used by the United States Life-Saving Service and United States Coast Guard.

Jutting out of Wisconsin into the blue waters of Lake Michigan, the scenic peninsula of Door County is endowed with the longest coastline of any county in the nation. Since the mid-1800s, the region has boasted a strong maritime industry, dependent on the constant vigilance and efforts of U.S. Coast Guard units. The county has been home to as many as 12 historic light stations, as well as three life-saving stations. Beginning with Pottawatomie Light in 1837 and Sturgeon Bay Canal Life-Saving Station in 1886, keepers and surfmen survived both boredom and peril to ensure safe navigation and commerce, while rescuing those in distress. Through archival photographs, stories of shipwrecks, rescues, service, and pride spring to life. Rare rescue images of the Otter, a schooner which wrecked in 1895, are especially noteworthy.

Argues that for the first time in history we're in a position to end extreme poverty throughout the world, both because of our unprecedented wealth and advances in technology, therefore we can no longer consider ourselves good people unless we give more to the poor. Reprint.

The Revenue Cutter Service, which later merged with the U.S. Life-Saving Service to form the Coast Guard, patrolled South Texas as early as 1846. In 1852, the first lighthouse was built in Point Isabel, followed by the first lifesaving station in 1881. Salute the heroes who responded to the devastating hurricane of 1919 and stand watch with Chief Pablo Valent, the first Hispanic American to command a rescue station. From Commander Charles R. Wilson's oral history of World War II boot camp to the legacy of station keeper Wallace L. Reed, the longest-serving officer in charge, Dr. Jackie Kyger preserves the heritage of the men and women whose unofficial motto was "Law and Order, on the Border."

Driven from his home by the Ku Klux Klan and still reeling from the death of his mother, Nathan moves with his father and grandfather to the desolate Pea Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina to start a new life. Fortunately, life on Pea Island at the end of the 19th century is far from quiet. The other island residents include the surfmen--the African American crew of the nearby U.S. Life-Saving Station--and soon Nathan is lending an extra hand to these men as they rescue sailors from sinking ships. Working and learning alongside the courageous surfmen, Nathan begins to dream of becoming one himself. But the reality of post-Civil War racism starts to show itself as he gradually realizes the futility of his dream. And then another dream begins to take shape, one that Nathan refuses to let anyone take from him.