Coast Guard celebrates 224 years at sea

The U.S. Coast Guard celebrated its birthday today and the Marquette station celebrated by hosting an open house.

The public had the opportunity to come by between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and receive a tour of the station and observe demonstrations. Officers showed off some of the equipment and methods they use during search and rescue operations.

Executive Petty Officer Christopher Connolly said, “What we’ve got set up is the pump, which is a de-watering, and/or fire suppression pump that we can use out on the water; it’s portable and it gives us a good flexibility with executing search and rescue for different types of missions. We’ve also got a Stokes litter, which is a method that we utilize to get people out of the water in a stable fashion.”

There are several Coast Guard stations throughout the Upper Midwest, with three in the U.P. at Houghton, Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie.

Alexander Hamilton commissioned the Coast Guard on August 4th 1790 as the Cutter Revenue Service, which handled customs along the United States’ eastern seaboard. It has since grown to include law enforcement, search and rescue, and environmental protection duties.