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United States
Coast Guard Academy

Former names	Revenue Cutter Service School of Instruction (1876–1914) Revenue Cutter Academy (1914–1915)
Motto	Scientiæ Cedit Mare (Latin)
Motto in English	The sea yields to knowledge
Type	U.S. Service Academy
Established	1876; 149 years ago (1876)
Superintendent	Gregory C. Rothrock
Provost	Amy K. Donahue
Commandant of Cadets	Aaron Casavant
Academic staff	175
Students	1,113 cadets (As of fall 2023)[citation needed]
Location	New London,Connecticut , United States 41°22′22″N72°06′06″W / 41.37278°N 72.10167°W /41.37278; -72.10167
Campus	Suburban 103 acres (420,000 m2)[1]
Fight song	"Semper Paratus"
Colors	Blue and orange
Nickname	Bears
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division III –NEWMAC NEISA
Mascot	Objee the Bear
Athletics	24 varsity teams
Website	uscga.edu

TheUnited States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), located inNew London, Connecticut, is theU.S. service academy specifically for theUnited States Coast Guard. Founded in 1876, the academy provides education to future Coast Guardofficers in one of nine major fields of study.

Students are officers-in-training, and are referred to as cadets. Upon graduation, cadets receive aBachelor of Science degree and commission in the U.S. Coast Guard as anensign. In exchange for their debt-free education valued at over $500,000, graduates incur a five-year active-duty service obligation,^{[Notes 1]} with additional years if the graduate attendsflight school or subsequent government-fundedgraduate school. Out of approximately 300 cadets entering the academy each summer, around 250 graduate. Cadets choose from nine majors, with a curriculum that is graded according to their performance in a holistic program of academics, military bearing, physical fitness, character, and leadership.

Cadets are required to adhere to the academy's "Honor Concept," "Who lives here reveres honor, honors duty," which is emblazoned in the walls of the academy's entrance. The academy's motto isScientiæ Cedit Mare, which is Latin for "the sea yields to knowledge". Its academic programs areaccredited by theNew England Commission of Higher Education.^[2]

The roots of the academy lie in the "School of Instruction of the Revenue Cutter Service", the school of theRevenue Cutter Service. The School of Instruction was established nearNew Bedford, Massachusetts in 1876 and usedUSRC James C. Dobbin for its exercises. CaptainJohn Henriques served as superintendent from founding until 1883. The one civilian instructor was Professor Edwin Emery, who taught mathematics, astronomy, English composition, French, physics, theoretical steam engineering, history, international law, and revenue law, among other subjects.^[3] The school was a two-year apprenticeship, in essence, supplemented by minimal classroom work.

The student body averaged five to ten cadets per class. With changes to new training vessels, the school moved toCurtis Bay, Baltimore in 1900 and toFort Trumbull in 1910, a Revolutionary War–era Army installation in New London, Connecticut. In 1914, the school became the Revenue Cutter Academy, and then the Coast Guard Academy in 1915 with the merger of the Revenue Cutter Service and theUnited States Life-Saving Service to form the U.S. Coast Guard.

Land was purchased in New London on 31 July 1930 for the construction of the Coast Guard Academy. The 40-acre site was made up of two parcels from the Allyn and Payne estates and was purchased for $100,000. The $100,000 was not raised through a bond issue, as originally planned, but with a bank loan based on uncollected back taxes.^[4] The contract was awarded to Murch Brothers Construction Company of St. Louis and ground was broken in January 1931 by Jean Hamlet, daughter of Rear AdmiralHarry G. Hamlet, Academy Superintendent from 1928 to 1932. On 15 May 1931, Treasury SecretaryAndrew W. Mellon visited New London to lay the cornerstone of Hamilton Hall. Construction proceeded relatively on schedule and cadets moved in to the new buildings on 20 September 1932.^[4]

In 1946, the academy received the barqueHorst Wessel as awar reparation from Germany, a 295-foottall ship which was renamedUSCGC Eagle. It remains the main training vessel for cadets at the academy as well as for officer candidates at the Coast Guard'sOfficer Candidate School, which is located on the grounds of the academy.

The academy wasracially integrated in 1962 at the request of President Kennedy.^[5] The academy began admitting women in 1976 at the request of Congress.^[6]

In 2018, the academy emblem was redesigned by Nick Desjardins of theBiddeford Regional Center of Technology.^[7]

In December 2023, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs opened a probe into the USCG’s mishandling of serious misconduct, including racism, hazing, discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape, and the withholding of internal investigations into these offenses from Congress and the public.^[8] The Coast Guard had conducted Operation Fouled Anchor, an investigation that ran from 2014 to 2019 that reviewed more than 100 allegations of sexual assault at the academy made from the early 1990s to 2006 and how they were handled. Coast Guard officials, however, did not fully disclose its existence to Congress or the public until last year.^[9]

Unlike the other service academies, admission to the USCGA does not require a congressional nomination. This is due to the fervent objections of Captain John A. Henriques, the first Superintendent of the Revenue Cutter School of Instruction (later the Revenue Cutter Academy). His objection stemmed from years of poor political appointments in the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service's bureaucracy.

Each year more than 2,000 students apply and appointments are offered until the number accepting appointments to the incoming class numbers reaches approximately 400; the average entering class size is 300 cadets.^[10] Those who have received appointments ascadets report to the USCGA in late June or early July for "Swab Summer", a basic military training program designed to prepare them for the rigors of their Fourth Class year. After four years of study and training, approximately 250 of those cadets will graduate. About 40 percent of cadets are women.

All graduating cadets earncommissions as ensigns in the United States Coast Guard, as well as Bachelor of Sciencedegrees. For that reason the academy maintains a core curriculum of science and professional development courses in addition to major-specific courses. Each cadet takes twosemesters of classes during the school year and then spends the majority of the summer in military training to produce officers of character with the requisite professional skills. Among these are courses in leadership, ethics, organizational behavior, and nautical science. The majority of cadets report to their first units after graduating, which are either afloat units, shore units, or basic flight training asstudent naval aviators, with the training conducted under the auspices of theU.S. Navy. Those that are assigned afloat serve as either deck watch officers or student engineers. Professional maritime studies courses help prepare cadets in piloting, voyage planning, deck seamanship, and all aspects of ship-handling, as well as Coast Guard leadership and administrative duties.

Academics at the USCGA stress the sciences and engineering, but 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 withConnecticut College (adjacent the academy's campus) as part of an open exchange agreement.^[11]

Each summer, cadets participate in training programs according to their class. The summers are organized as follows:^[12]

• Swab Summer: The new class of freshmen report in to the academy, and are sworn into the military. They undergo a seven-week basic training program that culminates on a week-long voyage underway on thebarqueUSCGCEagle.
• Third-class (3/c) Summer: Five weeks aboard the USCGCEagle training under sail, five weeks aboard an operationalCoast Guard cutter or small boat station in the role of juniorenlisted (i.e.,standing watches as helmsman, lookout, quartermaster of the watch, or engineering watch).
• Second-class (2/c) Summer:damage control training,weapon qualifications,navigation rules certification,aviation internship,sail training program, and three weeks as members of thecadre, who train the incoming swabs.
• First-class (1/c) Summer: Ten weeks aboard an operational cutter in the role of ajunior officer (i.e., standing bridge watches conning the ship asOfficer of the Deck), or an optionalinternship for exceptional cadets who split their summer with five weeks at an internship and five weeks aboard a cutter.

Each week during the school year cadets participate in regimental review, a formalmilitary drill. 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 wearuniforms at all times. Cadets receive a monthlystipend to pay for books, uniforms, and other necessities. Cadets receive monthly pay of $1,017.00, as of 2015.^[13] From this amount, pay is automatically deducted for the cost of uniforms, books, supplies, services, and other miscellaneous expenses.

The Corps is organized as oneregiment divided into eightcompanies, 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 ofcaptain), the academy operates on the concept of "the Corps leading the Corps."

The Corps of Cadets is largely a self-directed organization that follows a standard militarychain of command:^[14]

• 1st class cadets lead the corps
• 2nd class cadets are cadre in swab summer training and are primarily responsible for leading and developing 4th class cadets. They serve as mentors
• 3rd class cadets are role models to 4th class cadets
• 4th class cadets are responsible for learning and applying Coast Guard core values such as leadership, teamwork, attention to detail, accountability, etc.

The highest-ranking cadet in each company is the company commander, a first-class cadet ("firstie"), equivalent to asenior. Although each company has some leeway in their standards and practices, every company commander reports to the 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 overallclass rank is often a deciding factor in who is awarded the position.

The eight companies are named for the first eight letters of theNATO phonetic alphabet. Each has a special focus in administering day-to-day affairs: Alfa Company manages health and wellness. Bravo Company runs training. Charlie Company administers thehonor system, Delta Company coordinates drill and ceremonies. Echo Company manages transportation and logistics. Foxtrot Company operates the cadet conduct system, organizes the watch rotations, and updates the cadet regulations. Golf Company is in charge of supplies for cleaning and repairing damaged rooms within Chase Hall. Hotel Company is in charge ofmorale events.

To accomplish their missions, each company is divided, along shipboard lines, into threedepartments, each of which is divided intodivisions with specific responsibilities. Divisions are the most basic unit at the Coast Guard Academy, and each has a very specific purpose. Each division is led 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 asnon-commissioned officers, and ensure that the regulations and accountability are upheld. 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. Exchange cadets from the other federal service academies are also a part of the corps, and take part in many activities alongside their USCGA counterparts.^[15]

The USCGA Athletic Department offers 24intercollegiate sports for cadets. The academy's athletics teams generally compete inDivision III of theNational Collegiate Athletic Association. Cadets devote two hours per academic day to athletic activities, either onvarsity teams, club teams, or other sports pursuits. The academynickname is the Bears, after theUSRCBear, which made a dramatic rescue in Alaska in 1897, shortly after the opening of the academy.

Principal non-athletic activities are musical centered on Leamy Hall. Regimental Band, Windjammers Drum & Bugle Corps, various pep bands, and the NiteCaps Jazz Band are instrumental programs. Chapel Choirs, Glee Club, the Fairwinds all-female a cappella group, andThe Idlers all-malesea shanty group are vocal programs.^[17]

The academy's Model UN team was started in 2004, and has since been successfully competing around North America, and at the World Model UN Conference.^[18]

The academy has clubs and teams dedicated to increasing campus morale. These include the cheer squad, dance team and Social Committee.^[19]

Alumni of the Coast Guard Academy are known collectively as the "Long Blue Line".^[20]

No.	Portrait	Name	Start	End	Notes	Ref
1		John A. Henriques	February 1877	June 1883	United States Revenue Cutter Service	[70]
2		Leonard G. Shepard	June 1883	April 1887	United States Revenue Cutter Service	[70]: 22
3		Daniel B. Hodgsdon	April 1887	May 1890		[70]: 22
4		Joseph W. Congdon	April 1894	June 1895		[70]: 22
5		Oscar C. Hamlet	June 1895	November 1898		[70]: 22
6		David A. Hall	December 1898	October 1902		[70]: 22
7		William E. Reynolds	October 1902	January 1908		[70]: 22
8		John E. Reinburg	January 1908	February 1910		[70]: 22
9		William V.E. Jacobs	March 1910	June 1914		[70]: 22
10		Frederick C. Billard	June 1914	August 1918		[70]: 22
11		Thaddeus G. Crapster	August 1918	March 1919		[70]: 22
12		Byron L. Reed	March 1919	October 1919		[70]: 22
13		William V.E. Jacobs	October 1919	March 1923		[70]: 22
14		Harold D. Hinckley	March 1923	May 1928		[70]: 22
15		Harry G. Hamlet	May 1928	June 1932		[70]: 22
16		Randolph Ridgely Jr.	September 1932	June 1935		[70]: 22
17		Edward Darlington Jones	July 1935	June 1940		[70]: 22
18		James Pine	July 1940	July 1947		[70]: 22
19		Wilfred N. Derby	August 1947	August 1950		[70]: 22
20		Arthur G. Hall	September 1950	August 1954		[70]: 22
21		Raymond J. Mauerman	September 1954	June 1957		[70]: 22
22		Frank A. Leamy	July 1957	February 1960		[70]: 22
23		Stephen H. Evans	February 1960	June 1962		[70]: 22
24		Willard J. Smith	June 1962	July 1965		[70]: 22
25		Chester R. Bender	July 1965	June 1967		[70]: 22
26		Arthur B. Engel	June 1967	June 1970		[70]: 22
27		John F. Thompson	June 1970	July 1973		[70]: 22
28		Joseph J. McClelland	July 1973	June 1974		[70]: 22
29		William A. Jenkins	June 1974	June 1977		[70]: 22
30		Malcolm E. Clark	June 1977	January 1981		[70]: 22
31		Charles E. Larkin	July 1981	June 1982		[70]: 22
32		Edward Nelson Jr.	June 1982	June 1986		[70]: 22
33		Richard P. Cueroni	June 1986	June 28, 1989		[70]: 22
34		Thomas T. Matteson	June 28, 1989	June 9, 1993		[70]: 22 [71]
35		Paul E. Versaw	June 9, 1993	June 20, 1997		[70]: 22 [72]
36		Douglas E. Teeson	June 20, 1997	June 2001		[70]: 22 [73]
37		Robert C. Olsen	June 2001	June 2005		[70]: 22
38		James C. Van Sice	May 27, 2005	January 2007		[70]: 22 [74]
39		J. Scott Burhoe	January 2007	June 3, 2011		[70]: 22
40		Sandra L. Stosz	June 3, 2011	June 1, 2015	First woman superintendent	[75]
41		James E. Rendon	June 1, 2015	May 30, 2019		[76]
42		William G. Kelly	May 30, 2019	May 26, 2023		[77][78]
43		Michael J. Johnston	May 26, 2023	July 16, 2025		[79][80]
44		Gregory C. Rothrock	July 16, 2025			[81]

TheU.S. Coast Guard Museum is located in Waesche Hall on the grounds of the United States Coast Guard Academy. The museum's artifacts reflect the history of the U.S. Coast Guard and include ship models, carved figureheads, cannons, uniforms, medals, weapons, memorabilia and paintings.^[82] Visitors must bring a government-issued photo identification to enter the campus, and foreign visitors must make an appointment with the Curator before visiting the museum.^[83]

• United States service academies
  • United States Air Force Academy (USAFA)
  • United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA)
  • United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA)
  • United States Military Academy (USMA; Army)
  • United States Naval Academy (USNA)
• Army University
• USCGC Eagle (WIX-327), a training ship originally built in Nazi Germany as theHorst Wessel
• United States Coast Guard Auxiliary University Programs, A Coast Guard Auxiliary ran program that does not guarantee a commission.

Notes

Further reading

• Lovell, John P. (1979)Neither Athens nor Sparta?: The American Service Academies in Transition

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