What was the U.S. Life-Saving Service?
A. The United States Life-Saving Service came into being between the years 1871 and 1878 after the U. S. Congress reluctantly realized that prior efforts with a largely volunteer service had been a failure. The purpose of the Service was to have a government supported system in place on the East Coast of the United States to aid mariners in distress at a time when most vessels were still powered by sail.
