The U.S. Naval Institute Chronicles series focuses on the relevance of history by exploring topics like significant battles, personalities, and service components. Tapping into the U.S. Naval Institute's robust archives, these carefully selected volumes help readers understand nuanced subjects by providing unique perspectives and some of the best contributions that have helped shape naval thinking over the many decades since the Institute's founding in 1873. The U.S. Coast Guard has long served this maritime nation in important and often vital ways, and has long been a recurring topic in the Naval Institute's open forum. Life-saving, ice-breaking, buoy-tending, and homeland security are just a few of the many functions of this diminutive service's mandated responsibilities.