A while ago my son, Academy class of 2010, asked me what Coast Guard models were available on the market.
When I answered him I realized that is a hard topic to get your mind around.
Can a Fletcher Class DD be a "Coast Guard Model"?
How about a Boeing B-17 or a Curtiss SB2C Helldiver?
The Gloucester fishing schooner Gertrude L. Thebaud?
A Liberty Ship or a tramp steamer?
WWII Army combat troops?
An Edsall Class DE or an LST?
A New England fishing trawler?
Ernest Hemingway's or William Vincent Astor's personal yacht?
A Mississippi river boat?
An E-2C Hawkeye?
A NASCAR Monte Carlo?
How about a Lindberg model of a "Blockade Runner" or "War of Independence Schooner"?
Or an Iron Shipwright resin model of a Barnegate Class seaplane tender or an Apache class fleet tug?
How about the Mamoli Black Prince?
A Loose Cannon Cargo Ship or a Battlefleet Models Barrage Baloon?
Revell's Sport fisherman or Monogram's Seabreeze Sloop?
And is the Revell "Sound and Lights" Huey REALLY a "Coast Guard" model?
The answer to all of the above questions, (except for the Huey), is
YES!!
There are several factors to consider when looking for "Coast Guard Models"
The Lighthouse Service was established in 1789 to maintain navigation buoys and lights.
The Revenue Cutter Service was established in 1790 to enforce customs laws.
The Lifesaving Service was established in 1879 to man stations along the coast to respond to sinkings and groundings.
In 1915 the Revenue Cutter Service and the Lifesaving Service were merged to form the Coast Guard.
In 1939 the Coast Guard assumed the missions of the Lighthouse Service.
All RCS vessels and LHS vessels and lighthouses are "Coast Guard Models"
The Coast Guard manned several Navy ships in WWII including DEs, PFs, LSTs, AKAs, etc
Same with Army tugs and freighters
The Coast Guard pressed many civilian boats into emergency WWII Service
Coastguardsmen conducted infantry-style raids and pounded the beaches on horseback in WWII
Coasties wore combat fatigues in Vietnam and BDUs in Desert Storm
The Coast Guard acquired several classes of ships from the Navy including DDs, SCs, AVPs, ATFs, ATAs, etc.
The Coast Guard flew over 100 different aircraft types since 1916
There are 4 Navy ships named for Coast Guard heroes including a Fletcher Class DD
The Coast Guard sponsored NASCAR cars for several years in the late 90s and early 2000s
I think a few of you were surprised at the array of ships and aircraft associated with the Coast Guard?
In its simplest form this website creates a database of all models that fall into any of these categories
Beyond that the website presents
a summary of Coast Guard history
the classification schemes used for cutters and aircraft through the years
the paint schemes used for cutters and aircraft through the years
a list of acronyms
and a list of useful links for both modeling and history
If you are still interested
ENTER