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Historic Documents & Publications

Primary Sources of Coast Guard History, Including Historic Documents, Manuals, Reports, Regulations & Other Official Publications

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We would like to thank historian and retired Coast Guardsman William R. Wells, II and retired Coast Guardsman Dana Lewis for their work in compiling, scanning and editing much of the following.

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1789-1799:

• 1789: Lighthouse Act

• 1791: Alexander Hamilton's Letter of Instructions to the Commanding Officers of the First Revenue Cutters, June 4, 1791 (transcribed copy)

• 1791: Alexander Hamilton's Letter of Instructions to the Commanding Officers of the First Revenue Cutters, June 4, 1791 (a PDF copy of one of the original letters sent to the various Collectors for dissemination to the first commanding officers--this copy is in the National Archives and Records Administration Northeast Region Branch in Waltham, MA)

1800-1899:

• 1816: Captain Winslow Lewis's 1816 report of his visit to every lighthouse in the country.  He reported to the Commissioner of Revenue on every keepers' annual salary and noted if such salary was appropriate depending upon the location of the light.  (Copy provided by Ms. Candace Clifford.)

• 1819: Circular from the Treasury Department to the Commanding Officers of the Revenue Cutters "For your government in performing the duties of your station."

• 1829: Instructions to Officers in the United States Revenue Cutter Service, December 17, 1829.

• 1833: Revenue Cutter Dexter Shipboard Regulations, 1833

• 1834: Instructions to Officers in the United States Revenue Cutter Service, October 3, 1834

• 1834: Muster Roll for Revenue Cutters form

• 1841: Instructions to Officers in the United States Revenue Cutter Service, November 1, 1841

• 1862: Regulations of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, 1862

• The transcribed and illustrated "Seaman's Journals" of Captain Leonard S. Grant, a pilot with the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service & U.S. Coast Survey.  Read in his own words what it was like to sail & steam aboard the cutters Woodbury, McCulloch & Dallas & the Survey Schooner Benjamin Pierce, 1860-1877.

• 1871: Revised Regulations for the Revenue Marine of the United States, August, 1871

• 1873: Annual Report of the Chief of the Revenue Marine Bureau For the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1873 Showing the Operations of the Revenue Marine and the Life-Saving Service.  Courtesy of Google Books.

• 1874: Revenue Marine Honorable Discharge Letter for Master-at-Arms Edwin Francis, 1874.  A letter written by the commanding officer of the Revenue Cutter Campbell, 1st Lieutenant D. F. Tozier, regarding the honorable discharge of his master-at-arms upon Campbell being placed out of commission.

• 1875: "Register of the Commissioned Officers of the United States Revenue Marine To April 1, 1875. Printed by Permission of the Secretary of the Treasury, and Corrected to Date From the Latest Official Data. (New York: "The Nautical Gazette" Press, 1875).

• 1876: Annual Report of Operations of the United States Life-Saving Service for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1876. Courtesy of Google Books.

• 1876: Station List from the 1876 USLSS Annual Report

• 1877: Annual Report of Operations of the United States Life-Saving Service for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1877. Provided courtesy of Google Books.

• 1878: Report on Life-Saving Ordnance and Appurtenances by Lieutenant D. A. Lyle, Ordnance Department, U.S. Army. (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1878).  Provided courtesy of Google Books.

• 1883: Suggestions to the Keepers of the U.S. Life-Saving Stations, Light-Houses, and Light-Ships, and to Other Observers, Relative to the Best Means of Collecting and Preserving Specimens of Whales and Porpoises [for study by the Smithsonian Institution].

• 1884: List of the Persons Who Have Served as Members of the Light-House Board and as Inspectors and Engineers of the Several Light-House Districts.  (Appendix No. 2, 1884 Annual Report of the Light-House Board.)

• 1884: Report of the Cruise of the Revenue Marine Steamer CORWIN in the Arctic Ocean in the Year 1884, by Captain M. A. Healy, U.S.R.M.  Provided courtesy of Google Books.

• 1885: Report of the Cruise of the Revenue Marine Steamer CORWIN in the Arctic Ocean in the Year 1885, by Captain M. A. Healy, U.S.R.M.  Provided courtesy of Google Books.

• 1891: Uniform Regulations for the U.S. Revenue Marine, 1891

• 1893: U.S. Lighthouse Service Uniform Regulations, 1893

• 1894: Regulations for the Government of the Revenue Cutter Service, 1894.

• 1894: Missions & General Duties of the Revenue Cutter Service

• 1895: General Orders: U.S. Revenue Cutter Service.  July, 1895. (Treasury Department, Document No. 2020.  Office of Secretary.  Division of Revenue Cutter Service.  General orders modifying the 1894 regulations regarding enlistments, discharges, and the proper way to fly the Revenue Ensign)

• 1895: Steamboat Inspectors' Manual: Laws Governing the Steamboat Inspection Service, 1895

• 1897: U. S. Revenue Cutter Service General Order for Painting Ship, 1897

• 1899: U.S. Life-Saving Service Regulations, 1899; (Only Article VII which covers the authorized uniforms of the Service)

• 1899: Report of the Operations of the U.S. Revenue Steamer Nunivak on the Yukon River Station, Alaska, 1899-1901 by First Lieutenant J. C. Cantwell, R.C.S., Commanding (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1902).  Provided courtesy of Google Books.

1900-1945:

• 1902: "Care of [Lighthouse] Lights and Their Appurtenances," Chapter III, excerpted from Instructions to Light-Keepers and Masters of Light-House Vessels 1902 Instructions to Lighthouse Keepers, U.S. Lighthouse Establishment: by Authority of the Light-House Board (Washington: GPO, 1902)

• 1904: U.S. Lighthouse Service Discharge Certificate, Light-House Board Form 77

• 1907: U.S. Revenue Cutter Service Regulations, 1907 (excerpt of relevant sections of the 1907 Regulations regarding the painting of all cutters and small boats)

• 1907: Missions of the Revenue Cutter Service

• 1908: U.S. Revenue Cutter Service Uniform Regulations, 1908

• 1912: Medical Handbook for the Use of the Revenue-Cutter Service, revised by W. J. Pettus, M.D., Assistant Surgeon General, United States Public Health Service (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1912).  Provided courtesy of Google Books.

• 1913-1915: Creation of the Coast Guard: A Bill: To Create the Coast Guard By Combining Therein The Existing Life-Saving Service and Revenue-Cutter Service, May 26, 1913

• 1914: U.S. Lighthouse Service Tender Painting Regulations (only excerpt of relevant sections of the 1914 U.S. Lighthouse Service Regulations regarding the painting of tenders and lightships)

• 1914: U.S. Revenue Cutter Service Honorable Discharge Certificate, USRCS Form 2012

• 1915: U.S. Coast Guard General Order No. 1, 28 January 1915.

• 1915: U.S. Coast Guard Seal Design, approved 30 January 1915.

• 1915: Sumner Kimball's request for retirement soon after the creation of the Coast Guard, dated 30 December 1915 to Secretary of the Treasury William G. McAdoo.

• 1916: The official letter that led to the creation of Coast Guard aviation.  (Written by CGC Onondaga's commanding officer, Captain Benjamin Chiswell, to the Chief Constructor of the Coast Guard, asking for plans for a flying lifeboat).

• 1916: The official report of Revenue Cutter Service First Lieutenant J. F. Hottel, commanding USRC Tallapoosa, describing his cutter's experience during and after the 1916 Hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.

• 1916: U. S. Coast Guard Uniform Regulations, 1916

• 1916: U.S. Coast Guard Regulations (only excerpt of relevant sections of the 1916 U.S. Coast Guard Regulations regarding the painting of cutters and small boats).

• 1916: Coast Guard Aviation: The letter that began the Coast Guard's long association with aviation, dated 18 April 1916.

• 1916: Steamboat Inspection Service: Hearings Before the Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 1916

• 1917: United States Coast Guard Roll of Honor, April 6, 1917 - - November 30, 1918 (list of officers and men who were killed in action and those decorated during World War I--a supplement to the Report of the Secretary of the Navy, 1919)

• 1917: "In Memorum": an official Canadian commendation to Surfman Mason B. McCune and the crew of Life-Saving Station men who rescued a drowning Canadian boy in the Niagara River.

• 1918: United States Navy Certificate of Identification for Captain Frederick C. Billard, USCG, dated 12 August 1918.

• 1920: U. S. Lighthouse Service Uniform Regulations, 1920

• 1920: "Transfer of the Coast Guard to the Navy": Congressional Hearings, 66th Congress, May, 1920 (courtesy of Google Books)

• 1920: General Order 43 establishing the warrant officer grade and the ratings for enlisted personnel of the Coast Guard.

• 1921: General Orders 77 and 90 modifying the established ratings for enlisted personnel and the warrant officer grade of the Coast Guard first promulgated by General Order 43 (1920).

• 1921: Instructions For United States Coast Guard Stations (Provided courtesy of Google Books)

• 1923: U.S. Coast Guard Regulations (only excerpt of relevant sections of the 1923 U.S. Coast Guard Regulations regarding the painting of cutters and small boats).

• 1927: U.S. Lighthouse Service Tender Painting Regulations (excerpt of sections on painting lighthouse tenders and lightships)

• 1930: U.S. Coast Guard Uniform Regulations

• 1934: Instructions For United States Coast Guard Stations

• 1935: Instructions For Painting U.S. Coast Guard Vessels

• 1936: Coast Guard Doctrine: Headquarters Circular No. 126 of 16 October 1936.

• 1938: Coast Guard Circular from the commandant, RADM R. R. Waesche, entitled "Management of Personnel" which addresses concerns regarding leadership within the service.

• 1939: Index to Lighthouse Service Bulletin, Volumes I-V (1912-1939)

• 1941: Treasury Department memos regarding the Coast Guard, transfer to the Navy, duties and responsibilities on the eve of the U.S. entrance into hostilities during World War II.

• 1942: U.S. Coast Guard Recruiting Handbook

• 1944: U.S. Coast Guard Enlisted Ratings Guide

1946-1980:

• 1947: Official Memo regarding the suitability of the 311-foot Casco-Class Navy AVPs for Coast Guard use.

• 1948: Ebasco Services Incorporated Study of U.S. Coast Guard, 21: Summary; January 1948

• 1949: Official Memo regarding the poor characteristics of the 255-Foot Owasco ("Fiasco") Class cutters.

• 1949: "It's Your Coast Guard: What Ever Coast Guardsman Should Know" CG-211

• 1952: Paint and Color Manual, CG-263

• 1952: Helicopter Training Manual, NAVAER OO-80-41

• 1965: "Revised Memorandum of Agreement Between The Department Of The Navy And The Department Of The Treasury On The Operation Of Icebreakers"

• 1965: Paint and Color Manual, CG 263 (Revised)

• 1973: Coatings and Color Manual, CG-263

• 1968: Sunken Tanker Project Report, 1968: The Coast Guard surveyed a number of tankers that had been sunk during World War II to assess their possible environmental impact.

1981-1999:

• 1989: Coast Guard Organizational Charts, 1790-1989

• 1991: The U.S. Coast Guard's After-Action Report for Desert Shield & Desert Storm

• 1994: U.S. Coast Guard Heraldry: COMDINST 5200.17

• 1995: A National Plan for Streamlining the United States Coast Guard, circa 1995.

• 1995: The Deepwater Mission Analysis Report (MAR) reviewed all missions performed in the deepwater environment and provided and estimate of what capabilities the Coast Guard required to carry out those responsibilities effectively.

• 1996: The Identification of Mission Need Statement (MNS) documented a continuing need for deepwater assets, current interconnectivity and interoperability difficulties and the current decline of missions capability.  The MNS stated that the Deepwater Project would be developed as an "integrated system of surface, air and sensor components."  The project was designated as a major system acquisition and authorized to proceed.

• 1997: COMINST M5440.2N: Operating Facilities of the U.S. Coast Guard (OPFAC), 1997.

• 1998: Request for Proposals (RFP) for Phase 1 of Deepwater Project (16 March 1998).

• 1998: GAO Report 99-6: COAST GUARD'S ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT: Deepwater Project's Justification and Affordability Need to Be Addressed More Thoroughly (October 1998).

• 1999: GAO Report B-281829 (161799) Coast Guard: Review of Administrative and Support Functions "to identify areas of possible budget savings and to determine if additional opportunities for cost savings exist."

• 1999-2000: GAO Report 99-83: COAST GUARD: Key Budget Issues for Fiscal Years 1999 and 2000, Testimony (11 February 1999).

• 1999: GAO Report 99-116: COAST GUARD: Strategies for Procuring New Ships, Aircraft, and Other Assets, Testimony (16 March 1999).

• 1999: "A Coast Guard for the Twenty-First Century": an executive summary of a report from the President's Interagency Task Force on Coast Guard Roles and Missions that focused on long-term maritime issues facing the nation and the challenging environment in which the U.S. Coast Guard expected to operate in in 2020.

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2001-Present:

2000:

• GAO Report 00-103: COAST GUARD: Budget Challenges for 2001 and Beyond, Testimony (15 March 2000).

• System Performance Specification: report provided a baseline performance specification for the Deepwater Program.

2001:

•  GAO Report 01-564: COAST GUARD: Progress Being Made on Deepwater Project, but Risks Remain (May 2001).

2002:

•  Spill of National Significance (Gulf SONS) Joint After Action Report

•  Coast Guard Publication 1

•  Maritime Strategy For Homeland Security, December, 2002

• GAO Report 02-538T: COAST GUARD: Budget and Management Challenges for 2003 and Beyond, Testimony (19 March 2002).

2003:

•  Commandant's Direction

•  GAO Report 03-467T: HOMELAND SECURITY: Challenges Facing the Coast Guard as it Transitions to the New Department, Testimony (12 February 2003).

•  GAO Report 03-594T: COAST GUARD: Challenges During the Transition to the Department of Homeland Security, Testimony (1 April 2003).

2004:

• GAO Report 04-636T: COAST GUARD: Key Management and Budget Challenges for Fiscal Year 2005 and Beyond, Testimony (7 April 2004).

• Coast Guard Revised Mission needs Statement (MNS, June, 2004).

•  California Spill of National Significance (California SONS) After Action Report (10 September 2004).

2005:

•  Coast Guard Contributions to National Defense (Power Point)

•  GAO Report 05-364T: COAST GUARD: Observations on Agency Priorities in Fiscal Year 2006 Budget Request, Testimony (17 March 2005).

2006:

•  GAO Report 06-546: COAST GUARD: Changes to Deepwater Plan Appear Sound, and Program Management Has Improved, but Continued Monitoring Is Warranted (April 2006).

•  GAO Report 06-764: COAST GUARD: Status of Deepwater Fast Response Cutter Design Efforts (June 2006).

•  GAO Report 06-903: COAST GUARD: Observations on the Preparation, Response, and Recovery Missions Related to Hurricane Katrina (2006).

2007:

•  USCG: Strategy for Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship

• USCG: Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Statement of Admiral Thad W. Allen, Commandant, on the Recent Setbacks to the Coast Guard Deepwater Program Before the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries & Coast Guard, Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, U.S. Senate, 14 February 2007.

•  DHS OIG Report 07-27: 110'/123' Maritime Patrol Boat Modernization Project, United States Coast Guard, (OIG-07-27; February 2007).

• CRS: Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report [RL 33753] for Congress: Coast Guard Deepwater Program: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress, Updated April 30, 2007, Ronald O'Rourke, Specialist in National Defense.  CRS Report RL 33753.

• Spill of National Significance Exercise (SONS 07) After-Action Report (18 December 2008).

2008:

• USCG: FY 2008 Budget in Brief

• USCG: FY 2008 Performance Report

• CRS: Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report [RL 33753] for Congress: Coast Guard Deepwater Program: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress, Updated June 5, 2008, Ronald O'Rourke, Specialist in National Defense.

• CRS: Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report [RL 34391] for Congress: Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background Issues, and Options for Congress (26 February 2008), Ronald O'Rourke, Specialist in National in Naval Affairs.

• GAO: GAO Report 07-489T: COAST GUARD Observations on the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget, Performance, Reorganization, and Related Challenges, Testimony (18 April 2007).

• GAO: GAO Report 08-531T: COAST GUARD Deepwater Program Management Initiatives and Key Homeland Security Missions (5 March 2008).

• GAO: GAO Report 08-270R Deepwater Program: Status of Selected Aspects of the Coast Guard's Deepwater Program (11 March 2008).

• GAO: GAO Report 08-660: COAST GUARD Strategies for Mitigating the Loss of Patrol Boats Are Achieving Results in the Near Term, but They Come at a Coast and Longer Term Sustainability Is Unknown (June 2008).

• GAO: GAO Report 08-745: COAST GUARD Change in Course Improves Deepwater Management and Oversight, but Outcome Still Uncertain (June 2008).

2009:

•  USCG: FY 2009 Posture Statement

• USCG: FY 2009 Performance Report

• GAO: GAO Report 08-494T: COAST GUARD: Observations on the Fiscal Year 2009 Budget, Recent Performance, and Related Challenges, Testimony (6 March 2008).

• GAO: GAO Report 09-462T: COAST GUARD: Observations on Changes to Management and Oversight of the Deepwater Program (24 March 2009).

• GAO: GAO Report 09-620T: COAST GUARD Update on Deepwater Program Management, Coast, and Acquisition Workforce (22 April 2009).

•  DHS OIG Report 09-75: U.S. Coast Guard's Plan to Improve Deepwater Accountability (Letter Report), OIG-09-75, (OIG-09-75; June 2009).

• GAO: GAO Report 09-497: COAST GUARD: Better Logistics Planning Needed to Aid Operational Decisions Related to the Deployment of the National Security Cutter and Its Support Assets (July 2009).

• GAO: GAO Report 09-530R: Coast Guard: Observations on the Genesis and Progress of the Service's Modernization Program (24 June 2009).

• GAO: GAO Report 09-682: COAST GUARD: As Deepwater Systems Integrator, Coast Guard is Reassessing Costs and Capabilities but Lags in Applying Its Disciplined Acquisition Approach (July 2009).

2010:

• USCG: FY 2010 Posture Statement

• USCG: GAO Report 09-810T: COAST GUARD Observations on the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget and Related Performance and Management Challenges, Testimony (7 July 2009).

• GAO: GAO Report 10-411T: COAST GUARD Observations on the Requested Fiscal Year 2011 Budget, Past Performance, and Current Challenges, Testimony (25 February 2010).

• DHS: Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Report: A Strategic Framework for a Secure Homeland (February 2010).  DHS QHSR Executive Summary (February 2010).

• DHS: DHS OIG Report 10-77: Information Technology Management Letter for the United States Coast Guard Component of the FY 2009 DHS Integrated Audit (OIG-10-77; April 2010).

• DHS: DHS OIG Report 10-84: Coast Guard's Blueprint for Acquisition Reform Needs Improved Oversight (OIG-10-84; April 2010).

• USCG: Coast Guard Publication 2.0: Intelligence, May, 2010.

• GAO: GAO Report 10-790: COAST GUARD Deepwater Requirements, Quantities, and Cost Require Revalidation to Reflect Knowledge Gained (July 2010).

• CRS: Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report [RL 33753] for Congress: Coast Guard Deepwater Acquisition Program: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress, July 29, 2020, Ronald O'Rourke, Specialist in Naval Affairs.  CRS Report RL 33753.

• GAO: GAO Report 10-870: COAST GUARD: Efforts to Identify Arctic Requirements are Ongoing, but More Communication about Agency Planning Efforts Would Be Beneficial (September 2010).

• GAO: GAO Report 10-940T: Maritime Security: DHS Progress and Challenges in Key Areas of Port Security (21 July 2010).

• GAO: GAO 11-140R: Maritime Security: Responses to Questions for the Record (22 October 2010).

• USN: Naval Operations Concept 2010: Implementing the Maritime Strategy

• DHS: DHS OIG Report 11-17: United States Coast Guard's Reported Anti-Deficiency Violations for Shore Construction and Improvement Projects for Fiscal Years 2003 through 2009 (OIG-11-17; December 2010)

2011:

• USCG: U. S. Coast Guard Heraldry (COMDINST M5200.14A, 2011)

• USCG: Great Lakes Maritime Strategy: A Strategic Framework for the Coast Guard on the Great Lakes, 2011-2016.

• DHS: Small Vessel Security Implementation Plan Report to the Public, January 2011.

• DHS: DHS OIG Report 11-31: The Coast Guard's Polar Icebreaker Maintenance, Upgrade, and Acquisition Program (OIG-11-31; 19 January 2011).

• USCG: Commandant's Direction 2011.

• USCG: FY 2011 Posture Statement

• USCG: FY 2012 Budget Fact Sheet

• DHS/USCG: FY 2012 Congressional Justification

• House of Representatives: Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Sub-Committee Hearing Briefing Memo: "A Review of the Administrations Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Requests for the U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Maritime Commission, and Federal Maritime Administration: Finding Ways to Do More with Less."; 25 February 2011 (Hearing held 1 March 2011).

• USCG: "Testimony of Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr. Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard on the Coast Guard Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Request Before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, March 10, 2011."

• GAO: GAO-11-535T: Observations on Acquisition Management and Efforts to Reassess the Deepwater Program (13 April 2001).

• GAO: GAO-11-743: COAST GUARD: Action Needed As Approved Deepwater Program Remains Unachievable (July 2011).

• CRS: Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report [RL 34391] for Congress: Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background Issues, and Options for Congress (3 November 2011), Ronald O'Rourke, Specialist in National in Naval Affairs.

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