P a ge 59 t opside V olume 79 , I s s u e 1
USCG Auxiliary District 5 NR USCG Station Histories Written by 5NR Historian Steve Marthouse
I have been asked to write a few historical articles for the Topside Magazine . Being my passion is the history of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary as well as the US Life-Saving Service ; I thought I would try to merge both . My plan is to provide the readers the background history of the active duty Coast Guard Small Boat Stations that remain within the boundaries of the 5NR . I will try to cover a significant event or individual associated with the station and then look at what services we as Coast Guard Auxiliarists have in the past or currently are providing to those units . To lay the foundation , it ’ s important that I provide some background information prior to digging in to the individual stations . Some of you may be familiar with the US Life-Saving Service but for those that aren ’ t here is a snapshot of its history .
Prior to 1848 , any mariner in distress along the coast of New Jersey or Delaware could not expect to receive any help from shore . Basically they were on their own should they run aground or become dismasted usually a result of a Nor ’ easter . With both New York and Philadelphia being major ports , large numbers of sailing ships also known as “ Coasters ”, were transiting both north and south . They relied on celestial navigation and lighthouses to establish their location on charts . Vessels arriving from Europe also faced the hazard of heading directly towards the shore to determine their position and required direction towards their destination . During storms , cloud cover , and poor visibility establishing a ships position was extremely challenging . Now add to the mix offshore shoals and sandbars where water depth rapidly decreases and waves build up you can understand the potential problems . Keep in mind also a sailing vessel cannot sail into the eye of the wind , so trying to steer away from shore quickly is almost impossible especially with the wind from the north east .
Even with the number of wrecks and loss of life increasing each year , calls on Congress to act fell on deaf ears until New Jersey Representative , William Newell , a native of Manahawkin , NJ , succeeded in obtaining a $ 10,000 appropriation for lifesaving stations to be built between Sandy Hook and Little Egg Harbor , NJ . By the way , Representative Newell was born and raised in Manahawkin , NJ .
Photograph of a shipwreck
USCG Auxiliary 5NR Historian File
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