The
U.S. Coast Guard's origins go back to 1790 when our countries first Secretary of
Treasury, Alexander Hamilton
was having difficulty paying off our nations war debt from the American
Revolution. Alexander Hamilton proposed
that Congress appropriate funds to build ten cutters to patrol the coastline and
enforce the tariff regulations.
On Aug 4, 1790 congress authorized the funds, the cutters were built, the first
being the Massachusetts. They
were called cutters due to the cutter sailing rig on these vessels. To this day
all Coast Guard vessels 65 feet and
larger are called cutters, The newly formed fleet was called the Revenue Cutter
Service.
