Happy 225th to the United States Coast Guard!

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Happy Birthday to the United States Coast Guard! Today marks the 225th year of service to the nation.

On August 4, 1790, President George Washington gave the green light for 10 revenue cutters to be constructed for enforcement of tariffs and trade laws to prevent smuggling. Over the years it evolved into the life saving service we know as the United States Coast Guard.

We caught up with Seaman Christopher Kingsley who has been on the Cutter Diligence for about a year and a half.

“The mission of the Coast Guard is maritime safety, maritime stewardship, and maritime security,” Seaman Kingsley said. “That’s just the broad spectrum. It’s broken down in to further subcategories of those three.”

The Coast Guard Cutter Diligence was commissioned in 1964, and the Coast Guard says it’s the only active cutter named after one of the original 10 revenue cutters. Its home port is Wilmington, which is one of 16 official Coast Guard Cities in the United States.

For more information on the history of the USCG, click here.