World War II port security guard. 



In World War II 



its manpower 



hit the peak 



In World War II the Coast Guard hit its 

 peak strength. It had 802 vessels (over 65 

 feet) of its own, and in addition manned 

 351 Navy and 288 Army craft. Shore sta- 



tions increased from 1,096 to 1,774. And 

 at the end of June 1945, its personnel 

 numbered 171,168. Of these nearly half 

 served on ships. There were only 10,000 

 more men ashore than at sea, many of the 

 shore billets having been taken over by 

 45,000 temporary reservists and 10,000 

 Spars. Killed in action were 572. 



Between World Wars the Coast Guard 

 had grown. This was due in part to pro- 

 hibition, for, though enforcement of the 

 laws against smuggling liquor was unpop- 

 ular, unpleasant, and dangerous, the Coast 

 Guard had never before enjoyed such 



13 



