In 1790, President George Washington signed the Tariff Act, which authorized the construction of ten vessels to enforce tariff and trade laws, prevent smuggling, and protect federal revenue collection. This set the formation of the United States Coast Guard in motion. Until the establishment of the Navy in 1798, the Coast Guard was the only armed force at sea.
The Coast Guard protects the public, the environment, and US economic interests in the nation’s waterways, along the coast, on international waters, or in any maritime, region to support national security.
The Coast Guard is a federal law enforcement agency and a military force, a protector of the United States in peacetime and war.
It defends more than 100,000 miles of U.S. coastline and inland waterways and safeguards an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) encompassing 4.5 million square miles stretching from North of the Arctic Circle to South of the equator, from Puerto Rico to Guam, encompassing nine time zones.
There are over 57,000 Coast Guard members.
Hero’s Bridge’s own Field Battle Buddy, Sean Hagerty, is a Coast Guard veteran.
Honor the Coast Guard veteran in your life with a Hero’s Bridge t-shirt.
Read more about the U.S. Coast Guard.