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United States Coast Guard Academy
Motto: Scientiæ cedit mare
(The sea yields to knowledge)
Established: 1876/1915
Type: Federal military academy
Superintendent: Rear Admiral J. Scott Burhoe
Undergraduates: 990
Location: New London, Connecticut, USA
( 41°22′22″N, 72°06′06″W)
Nickname: Bears
Mascot: Objee the Bear
Website: www.uscga.edu

The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), located in New London, Connecticut is a U.S. military academy that provides education to future officers of the United States Coast Guard. A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group The date of establishment or date of founding of an Institution is the date on which that institution chooses to claim as its starting point The United States Service academies, also known as the United States Military Academies, are federal academies for the undergraduate education and training of Rear Admiral J Scott Burhoe assumed the duties of the 39th Superintendent of the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London Conn In some Educational systems undergraduate education is Post-secondary education up to the level of a Bachelor's degree. New London is a seaport city and a Port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The athletic nickname, or equivalently athletic moniker, of a University or College within the United States is the name officially adopted by The term mascot – defined as a term for any person animal or object thought to bring Luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages New London is a seaport city and a Port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The United States Service academies, also known as the United States Military Academies, are federal academies for the undergraduate education and training of

Contents

Description

Aerial view of Washington Parade field and campus
Aerial view of Washington Parade field and campus

Unlike the other Service Academies, admission to the Coast Guard Academy does not require a Congressional nomination. [1] The Academy is regularly cited as being one of the most difficult U. S. college-level institution to gain entrance into. [2] Each year some 400 students are selected from an applicant pool about eight times that size for appointments to the Academy. About 280 of those 400 selectees accept the appointment and report to the USCGA in early July for "swab summer," a basic military training program designed to prepare them for the rigors of their Fourth Class year. The United States Coast Guard Academy 's Swab Summer is a seven-week initiation through which all Cadets are required to pass Each cadet takes two semesters of classes during the school year and then spends the majority of the summer in military training. After four years of study and training, approximately 175 cadets will graduate with a B. S. degree and be commissioned as Ensigns in the United States Coast Guard, to begin serving their five years of obligatory duty. Ensign (ˈɛnsən is a junior rank of commissioned officer in the militaries of some countries normally in the infantry or navy Around 30% of the Corps of Cadets is female.

Mission

While Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy, in 1929 Vice Admiral Harry G. Hamlet composed the Academy's mission statement. All entering cadets must memorize the mission during their first few days of Swab Summer, the indoctrination period for new cadets.

The mission of the United States Coast Guard Academy is to graduate young men and women with sound bodies, stout hearts and alert minds, with a liking for the sea and its lore, and with that high sense of Honor, Loyalty and Obedience which goes with trained initiative and leadership; well-grounded in seamanship, the sciences and the amenities, and strong in the resolve to be worthy of the traditions of commissioned officers in the United States Coast Guard, in the service of their country and humanity. [3]

Course of study

First-class cadets take part in a pre-graduation ceremony
First-class cadets take part in a pre-graduation ceremony

Because all cadets earn commissions as Coast Guard officers as well as Bachelor of Science degrees, the Coast Guard Academy maintains a core curriculum of science and professional development courses in addition to major-specific courses. School work is interspersed with military training to produce officers of character with the requisite professional skills. Among these are courses in leadership, ethics, organizational behavior, and nautical science. Because the vast majority of all cadets report to their first units after graduating as deck watch officers, these nautical science courses help cadets master piloting, voyage planning, deck seamanship, and all aspects of shiphandling.

Academic majors

Academics at the Coast Guard Academy stress the sciences and engineering, but many different courses of study are available. In addition, several of the majors offer tracks of specialization (for example, Marine and Environmental Science majors can choose to focus on biology, chemistry, or geophysics). Cadets sometimes opt to take elective courses with Connecticut College (directly across the road) as part of an open exchange agreement. Connecticut College is a selective coeducational private liberal arts college located in New London Connecticut.

The Academy offers eight majors:[4]

Military training

USCGC Eagle (WIX-327), the United States' only active duty tall ship
USCGC Eagle (WIX-327), the United States' only active duty tall ship

Each summer, cadets participate in training programs according to their class. Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design construction and maintenance of the physical and naturally built Mechanical Engineering is an Engineering discipline that involves the application of principles of physics for analysis Design, Manufacturing Electrical engineering, sometimes referred to as electrical and electronic engineering, is a field of Engineering that deals with the study and application of Naval architecture is an engineering discipline dealing with the design construction and repair of marine vehicles Marine Engineers are the members of a ship's crew that operate and maintain the propulsion and other systems on board the vessel Operations Research (OR in North America South Africa and Australia and Operational Research in Europe is an interdisciplinary branch of applied Mathematics and Oceanography (from the greek words Ωκεανός meaning Ocean and γράφω meaning to write also called oceanology or Environmental science is the study of interactions among physical chemical and biological components of the environment. For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. Management (covering theory practice and scope of management and Manager' (covering the people who manage might help clarify and systematise A tall ship is a large traditionally rigged sailing vessel Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail Schooners Brigantines Brigs and The summers are organized as follows:[5]

Every week during the school year cadets participate in Regimental Review, a formal military drill. A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted In addition, cadets perform a variety of military duties at the Academy. Like all cadets and midshipmen at the United States service academies, Coast Guard cadets are on active duty in the military and wear uniforms at all times. Cadets receive a monthly stipend to pay for books, uniforms, and other necessities.

Organization of the Corps of Cadets

The Corps is organized as one Regiment divided into eight Companies, each of which is composed of about 120 cadets of all classes. Although the Corps of Cadets is supervised directly by the Commandant of Cadets (a Coast Guard officer with the rank of captain), the Coast Guard Academy operates on the concept of "the Corps leading the Corps. "

The highest-ranking cadet in each company is the Company Commander, a first class cadet – or "firstie. " Although each company has some leeway in their standards and practices, every company commander reports to Regimental Staff which plans and oversees all aspects of cadet life. At the top of the cadet chain of command is the Regimental Commander, the highest ranking cadet. Command positions, both in companies and on Regimental Staff, are highly competitive, and a cadet’s overall class rank is often a deciding factor in who is awarded the position.

Each of the eight companies – named for the first eight letters of the military phonetic alphabet – has a special focus in administering day-to-day affairs. The NATO phonetic alphabet, more formally the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet, is the most widely used Spelling alphabet. For instance, Charlie company is in charge of administering the honor system, Delta company is in charge of drill and ceremonies, Hotel company is in charge of morale events, and so forth. To accomplish these missions, each company is divided into three departments, each of which is divided into a variety divisions. Divisions are the most basic unit at the Coast Guard Academy, and each has a very specific duty. Each division is commanded by a firstie and contains several members of each other class.

This organizational structure is designed to give every cadet a position of leadership and to emulate the structure of a Coast Guard cutter, in which the division officer and department head positions are filled by junior officers. Third-class cadets directly mentor the fourth-class in their division, just as junior petty officers would be responsible for the most junior enlisted personnel (non-rates). Second-class cadets act as NCO's, and ensure that the regulations and accountability are upheld. A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer) also known as an NCO or Noncom, is an enlisted member of an Armed force Firsties (like junior officers) are in supervisory roles, and are responsible for carrying out the mission of their divisions and ensuring the well-being of those under their command.

History

Historic photograph of the USRC Dobbin
Historic photograph of the USRC Dobbin

The roots of the academy lie in the School of Instruction of the Revenue Cutter Service which was started near New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1876, using the Revenue Cutter Dobbin for its exercises. With changes to new training vessels, the school moved to Curtis Bay, Maryland in 1900 and then again in 1910 to Fort Trumbull, a Revolutionary War army installation near New London, Connecticut. Fort Trumbull was a fort built at New London, Connecticut. In 1775 Governor Jonathan Trumbull recommended the building of a fortification

The modern academy dates to the 1915 merger of the Revenue Cutter Service and several other marine services which formed the modern Coast Guard. The town of New London donated its current location above the west bank of the Thames River in 1932. The Thames River is a short River and tidal Estuary in the US In 1947, the academy received as a war reparation the German barque Horst Wessel, a magnificent 295 foot "tall ship". A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel History of the term The word barc appears to have come from Celtic languages Segelschulschiff Horst Wessel The ship was built in 1936 as the second of three similar vessels ( ''Gorch Fock'' class at the Blohm & Voss shipyard A tall ship is a large traditionally rigged sailing vessel Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail Schooners Brigantines Brigs and It was renamed the USCGC Eagle, and it serves as the main training vessel for academy cadets and officer candidates. Segelschulschiff Horst Wessel The ship was built in 1936 as the second of three similar vessels ( ''Gorch Fock'' class at the Blohm & Voss shipyard

Extracurricular activities

The USCGA Athletic Department offers 23 intercollegiate sports for cadets, and competes in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (with the exception of the Rifle and Pistol teams, which compete in Division I). The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations Cadets devote two hours per academic day to athletic activities, either on varsity teams, club teams, or other sports pursuits. The academy nickname is the Bears, after the US Coast Guard Cutter Bear, which made a dramatic rescue in Alaska in 1897 shortly after the opening of the academy. In 1926, then-cadet Stephen Evans (later Superintendent) brought a live bear to the academy and named it Objee for "Objectionable Presence". The tradition of keeping a live bear as the mascot was continued until the City of New London petitioned for its removal in 1984. The athletic facilities have been undergoing major upgrades since 2004, when the state-of-the-art FieldTurf synthetic surface was installed at Cadet Memorial Field (home of the football and soccer teams). FieldTurf Tarkett, a division of Tarkett Inc is a Peachtree City GA -based company that manufactures and installs Artificial turf playing surfaces identified Cadet Memorial Field is an outdoor athletic facility on the campus of the United States Coast Guard Academy, on the banks of the Thames River in New London Connecticut The Academy also maintains a sailing fleet of over 150 vessels to support the offshore sailing and dinghy sailing teams, in addition to the summer sail training programs. In 2007, a USCG Academy cadet, freshman sailor Krysta Rohde was featured in the "Faces in the Crowd" section of the December 24 edition of Sports Illustrated. Rohde gained such high recognition after winning the ICSA Women's Singlehanded National Championship in Seattle, WA last fall. She is the first cadet to win a national title in women's sailing and the second freshman to ever win the event.


Recently, the Coast Guard Academy Men's Rugby club won the 2006 Division II National Championship in Stanford, California after an intense match against The University of Northern Colorado. The University of Northern Colorado, often called UNC or Northern Colorado is a coeducational public institution of higher education and research located in Greeley

Non-athletic activities also abound. Principle among them are the musical activities, centered around Leamy Hall. Regimental Band, Windjammers Drum & Bugle Corps, various pep bands, and the NiteCaps Jazz Band are some of the instrumental programs. Chapel Choirs, Glee Club, the Fairwinds all-female a cappella group, and The Idlers all-male sea shanty group are some of the vocal programs. The Idlers of the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA are an all-male collegiate A cappella ensemble specializing in the performance of sea shanties Sea shanties (singular " shanty " also spelled " chantey " derived from the French word "chanter" 'to sing' were Shipboard

Also of note is the Coast Guard Academy's Model UN team, which was started in 2004, and has since been successfully competing around North America, and at the World Model UN Conference.

Notable graduates

External links

References

  1. ^ United States Code, Title 14, Section 182 (2002).
  2. ^ United States Coast Guard Academy (at a glance), from U. S. News and World Report.
  3. ^ Cadet Mission Statement, United States Coast Guard Academy.
  4. ^ Academics, United States Coast Guard Academy.
  5. ^ Cadet Life: Summer Training, United States Coast Guard Academy.
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