USCG 30 years service retired 1928 discharge papers

[P-59A]

Photo and news paper clippings.

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News paper clippings and retirement letter.

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1915 discharge papers.

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1916 discharge papers.

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1917 discharge papers.

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1918 discharge papers.

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Another 1918 discharge paper for a different month, not sure why.

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1920 discharge paper.

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1921 discharge paper.

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1924 discharge paper.

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1925 discharge papers.

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Obit and grave.

[agate hunter]

Very cool! Love the early CG and lifesaving service stuff.

[MastersMate]

Very interesting that he was able to spend his entire career at Duluth Station.. The grade of Surfman was specific to the Coast Guard. It was carried forward in 1915 when the Lifesaving Service and Revenue Cutter Service were combined into the Coast Guard. The grade was not a petty officer. The number 1 Surfman (after 1920, the Boatswains mate 1st class and 2nd class ) and Motor Machinists mate were the petty officers of the Lifesaving branch. An open BM 1L billet may have occurred at Duluth and the opportunity to advance at that station presented itself.

 

For years in the old Coast Guard there was a service term used for those who managed a career in the same area, 'homesteaders'.. I think now they use the term 'geographic stability'..

[P-59A]

Lol "homesteader". I like that. So what is an open BM 1L BILLET?

[P-59A]

These papers and other letters and papers were in a satchel or canvas carry bag that belonged to a WW2 Navy Lt. Commander. This was his dad.

[MastersMate]

Each Lifeboat Station had a crew that usually consisted of a Warrant Boatswain (L) or Chief Boatswains mate (L) in charge. The Boatswains mate 1st Class (L) would be the second in charge. In order to be advanced from Surfman to BM 1c (L) there had to be a vacancy. The BM 1c at Duluth would either have been advanced to Chief Boatswains mate or Warrant Officer and transferred out, or retired. That would have created the open billet at Duluth. It looks like this fellow set up roots in Duluth and did not want a transfer to some station in a different area. The Officer in Charge would recommend him for advancement to fill the vacancy..

[P-59A]

Awww, that is what the paperwork indicates. He raised his family in Duluth. Being he was absorbed by the Coast Guard at a later date is there a chance that at that time he was grandfathered in any way by his prior contact with the Life saving service. I thought it odd that he had no paperwork prior to 1915 and that it looks like he had to reup every year.

[MastersMate]

Paraphrasing the law that created the Coast Guard on 28 January, 1915, ' The existing offices and personnel of the Life Saving Service will be directly absorbed into the new Coast Guard '. Life Saving Service employment contracts were for each season that the stations were activated.

[P-59A]

So that kind of gets to what I was asking. He had to reup every year in the Life saving service and the Coast Guard continued that for those people who served prior to the USCG taking controle.

[MastersMate]

Yup, a very tedious process. A civilian service organization at heart when it came to the personnel administration..

[P-59A]

Found these in the family photo album. It looks like he has hash marks on his sleeve.

[P-59A]

Another photo of his resting place.

[TheMariner]

Very cool grouping early coast guard paper work! I have found to be very very hard to find! Congrats on a great find and an even better piece of history!

[squidney86]

For years in the old Coast Guard there was a service term used for those who managed a career in the same area, 'homesteaders'.. I think now they use the term 'geographic stability'..

We still refer to them as such.

 

Very nice grouping and congrats to the OP!

 

Sydney