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Each and every day, Coast Guard aviation crews around the Nation
take part in nearly every Coast Guard mission. From assisting with
the establishment of crucial aids to navigation to conducting
medical evacuations of mariners at sea to transporting endangered
sea animals from coast to coast, Coast Guard aviation has a
footprint on everything the Coast Guard does.
But how did
aviation become a part of the Coast Guard?
While Coast Guard
aviation traces its roots to 1916 when then-Lt. Elmer Stone became
the first Coast Guard member to attend Naval Aviation School, the
Coast Guard first became exposed to aviation when crewmembers at
Kill Devil Hill Lifeboat Station assisted the Wright Brothers with
their famous first flight in 1903. In fact, it was a Coast Guardsman
that took that famous first photo, the only to detail the events of
that day.
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The first class of U.S. Coast Guard aviators, March 22, 1917.
(U.S. Coast Guard photo)
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Years later, Stone and Lt. Norman Hall first began to
conceive the use of aviation for Coast Guard missions and
approached their commanding officer with the idea. With his
backing, the two lieutenants began conducting experimental
flights with the Curtis Flying School in Newport News,
Virginia. The experiments proved successful, and in April
1916, Stone and five others became the first to attend Naval
Aviation School in Pensacola, Florida.
Coast Guard Cutter
Mackinaw and an Air Station Traverse City Sikorsky HO4S
conduct helicopter landing operations on the Great Lakes
circa 1953. U.S. Coast Guard photo.
Coast Guard
Cutter Mackinaw and an Air Station Traverse City Sikorsky
HO4S conduct helicopter landing operations on the Great
Lakes circa 1953. U.S. Coast Guard photo.
The work of
Stone and his classmates changed the Coast Guard forever as
aviation became an integral part of the missions of the
service. Throughout World War I and the years the followed,
Coast Guard aviators continued to prove their worth.
It was the Prohibition era – the same era that broadened the
Coast Guard's mission scope – that truly showcased the
potential of Coast Guard aviation.
As time went on,
milestones continued to come for Coast Guard aviation. As
the Coast Guard finally procured their own aircraft and air
stations as search and rescue efforts moved farther and
farther offshore, the aviation presence became significantly
more solidified within the service. Soon, Coast Guard
aircraft were able to launch from Coast Guard cutters
operating offshore and also tend to the growing need for
search and rescue efforts with the increase in recreational
boating.
Following World War II, the Coast Guard's
fixed-wing presence also became more pronounced with the
advent of the International Ice Patrol, which flew routes in
the North Atlantic to identify and track icebergs for
international shipping traffic.
Logo for the 100th
anniversary of Coast Guard aviation. U.S. Coast Guard
illustration by Seaman Kent Moore.
Logo for the 100th
anniversary of Coast Guard aviation. U.S. Coast Guard
illustration by Seaman Kent Moore.
In the decades
that followed, Coast Guard aviation continued to mature and
grow into a significant force within the service. Coast
Guard aviators were present in Vietnam, flying crucial
search and rescue missions for allied troops, and they have
continued to provide invaluable support to every other
mission the Coast Guard conducts. Now, with the Coast
Guard's Western Hemisphere Strategy, the efforts of Coast
Guard aviation are as important as ever – as aviators are
able to track and patrol the waterways surrounding the
United States and deter illegal maritime activity that
threatens safety at sea.
And for the past 100 years,
one name has stood out to Coast Guard aviators everywhere –
Elmer Stone. With Stone's initiatives to become the first
Coast Guard aviator and bring aviation to the Coast Guard,
he paved the way for the thousands of aviators that
followed.
Each year on January 22, Coast Guard
aviators everywhere celebrate Stone's birthday, which
signifies a milestone for Coast Guard aviation. Today, we
honor Stone's efforts and legacy, as we celebrate the 100th
year of Coast Guard aviation. And around the fleet, Coast
Guard aviators reflect on the impact Stone has had on their
journey.
“Cmdr. Elmer Stone was a true American
pioneer,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Clay Hill, the
Coast Guard's enlisted Ancient Albatross. “He laid the
foundation for everything Coast Guard aviation is today and
will be in the future. The first Coast Guard aviator, a
leading figure in the development of Naval aviation,
commanding officer of two air stations and two cutters,
establishing the first standards and procedures for Coast
Guard aviation missions while in his spare time setting
world speed records. I see his influence on our aviation
culture every time I hear someone ask how can we complete a
task with a greater margin of safety or efficiency. Elmer
Stone is the definition of a true hero.”
By U.S. Coast Guard LT Katie Braynard
Provided
through
Coast
Guard
Copyright 2016
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