ALCOAST 238/26 - JUL 2026 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COAST GUARD ACADEMY

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FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC TO ALCOAST
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UNCLAS
ALCOAST 238/26
SSIC 1531
SUBJ: 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COAST GUARD ACADEMY
1. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the United States
Coast Guard Academy.
2. Established by an Act of Congress on 31 July 1876 as the
Revenue Cutter School of Instruction, the Academy began
without a traditional campus. On 25 May 1877, the first class
of nine cadets took to the sea aboard the USRC JAMES C.
DOBBIN, establishing an enduring standard: the sea is the
ultimate proving ground for a Coast Guard officer.
3. The school moved ashore to Curtis Bay, Maryland in 1900,
and relocated to Fort Trumbull in New London, Connecticut in
1910. Renamed the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1915,
it transitioned to its current campus in 1932.
4. Today, a corps of approximately 1,070 cadets, drawn from
across our Nation, prepares for the challenges of military
service. Guided by the motto Scientiæ Cedit Mare and tested
on the decks and in the rigging of the Barque EAGLE, they
emerge bound by a shared calling to serve as commissioned
officers with Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty. The
Academy reinforces our most foundational truth: our ships,
aircraft, and technology are nothing without ready crews and
the leaders of character who command them.
5. Upon graduation and commissioning, the chapter of cadet
life closes and service as a commissioned officer begins. As
they report to lead across our operating forces—aboard
cutters, at Sectors, in Deployable Specialized Forces teams,
and in our cyber operations teams—they are charged to lead
their crews to conduct disciplined operations to get the
mission done and safely return.
6. We thank the Academy's dedicated faculty and staff, past
and present, whose selfless devotion has prepared generations
of officers to succeed in the face of new and emerging
challenges. With recent investments transforming the Academy,
we are building for the future and look forward to the next
150 years of producing the best leaders our Nation needs.
7. Semper Paratus.
8. ADM Kevin E. Lunday, Commandant, sends.
9. Internet release is authorized.