William H. Thiesen

Jul 31, 2024 | usni.org | Ensign Robert DeLillo |William H. Thiesen

In the vast expanse of the Arctic, the U.S. Coast Guard confronts an urgent challenge: how to check and manage the rapidly changing maritime domain while respecting the rights and knowledge of its indigenous communities.1 There is potential to integrate indigenous knowledge into Coast Guard operations, using technology and collaboration to achieve more comprehensive maritime domain awareness while safeguarding the Arctic’s ecosystems and cultures.

Apr 30, 2024 | usni.org | William H. Thiesen

For generations, the U.S. Coast Guard and its ancestor agencies, including the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, have played a mission-critical role in U.S. ice operations. That role has depended largely on the spread of U.S. strategic and commercial interests into icebound regions. It also has depended on the transition from sail- to steam-powered ships, with hulls evolving from wood to steel over the past 150 years.

Apr 2, 2024 | usni.org | William H. Thiesen

Among the first officers of the Revenue Cutter Service is a captain who fought with Paul Revere, worked closely with General Benjamin Lincoln, and sailed with Captain John Barry, one of the fathers of the U.S. Navy. He was even considered for command of the famous USS Constitution before Samuel Nicholson was chosen to be Old Ironsides’ first captain. Despite this, the name of Captain John Foster Williams is little known today.