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

Choppers, drug busts, and Jeff Bridges, oh my! Did you know the US Coast Guard saves 10 lives a day? Study up on these exciting facts and tune into Coast Guard Florida on The Weather Channel for more thrilling action.

1. The USCG Saves Lives Everyday

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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

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

3. It May Be Small, But It's Mighty

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

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

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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

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

6. And Helicopters

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210 airplanes and helicopters in all.

7. Arnold Palmer Was A Cadet

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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

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Before he was a music sensation.

9. And Jeff Bridges

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

10. Rescue Swimmers Are Super Badass

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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

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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.

12. The USCG Made A Cameo In "Jaws"

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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.

13. First To Golf Antartica

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

Inspired By Coast Guard Florida