What happened to the U. S. Life-Saving Service?
A. Primarily as an economic move, the U. S. Congress merged the U. S. Revenue Cutter Service with the U. S. Life-Saving Service to form the present day Coast Guard. The “Act to Create the Coast Guard” was approved on January 20, 1915 thus ending the U. S. Life-Saving Service as a separate agency. However, many of the basic functions of the present-day Coast Guard remain similar to that of the old Life-Saving Service. The law which created the U.S. Coast Guard by combining the two services, also provided for the retirement of Kimball and many of the older keepers and surfmen. The U.S. Life-Saving Service performed nobly over its forty-four years of existence. During this period, 28,121 vessels and 178,741 persons became involved with its services. Only 1,455 individuals lost their lives while exposed within the scope of Life-Saving Service operations.
