13 Awesome Things You Didn’t Know About The Coast Guard

Choppers, drug busts, and Jeff Bridges, oh my!

1. The USCG Saves Lives Everyday

On average, 10 lives per day. They also perform 109 search and rescues and assist 192 people in distress.

2. The USCG Is Really Old

222-years-old to be exact. The USCG was founded in 1790 to prevent smuggling and enforce trade laws.

Via: uscg.mil

3. It May Be Small, But It’s Mighty

The USCG has fewer members than the NYPD, however, they cover 3.4 million square miles of Exclusive Economic Zones (sea and coast) daily.

Via: cdn2.funnycorner.net

4. They Find Drugs. Lots And Lots Of Drugs.

Everyday the USCG seizes on average 169 pounds of marijuana and 306 pounds of cocaine. That’s $9,589,000.00 worth of drugs!

5. The USCG Has a Ton Of Boats

1,400 of them. However, this number doesn’t include cutters which are boats longer than 65 feet.

6. And Helicopters

210 airplanes and helicopters in all.

7. Arnold Palmer Was A Cadet

That’s right, one of the greatest golfers of all time (and the genius behind mixing lemonade and iced tea) served as a cadet for three years.

8. So Was Tom Waits

Before he was a music sensation.

9. And Jeff Bridges

Bridges enlisted in the Coast Guard Reserves at the age of 18 and served for eight years.

Via: cdn.twentytwowords.com

10. Rescue Swimmers Are Super Badass

Rescue swimmers are like Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, and Air Force Pararescuemen rolled into one. These are the brave young people jumping out of helicopters into dangerous seas to carry out daring rescues.

11. Becoming A Rescue Swimmer Is Near Impossibe

With one of the highest student attrition rates of any special operations school, around 75 students enlist in rescue swimmer training school and less than half make it out.

Via: milpages.com

12. The USCG Made A Cameo In “Jaws”

Toward the end of the movie while hunting the shark, the crew radioed for the Coast Guard. The Voice on the Coast Guard end of the line was played by director Steven Spielberg.

Via: radiotimes.com

13. First To Golf Antartica

Crew members aboard the Cutter Northwind completed the first ever golf tournament on Antartica.

Inspired By Coast Guard Florida

Video available at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=js7Wd-YaVAI.