The present day Coast Guard has a number of qualification insignia worn on the dress and service dress uniforms. The CG had generally followed the USN uniform regulations concerning sewn on distinguishing marks since the 1930s. By 1970 the USN was shifting to the use of pin on insignia to indicate qualifications. Some information points to the coming change to the style of the USN uniforms in the early 1970s and that the use of sew on distinguishing marks would not be appropriate to the CPO style of uniform.
The CG was also going to be forced into a unifoum change with the loss of supply from the USN. During the early 1970s and onward, the CG created a number of qualification insignia.
First of the CG insignia was the Boat Coxswain Insignia,,