The Claw of Knowledge

I've launched a new Kickstarter ! Best Cutters of the Best Coast Guard  tells the stories of 13 of the best ships that the Coast Guard ever owned. These boats not only helped shape America as we know it, but fought in every war, went to every continent, and saved thousands upon thousands of lives.  They played critical roles in our nation's history and have protected us since the days of George Washington, but no one - not even Coasties - recalls all their names or deeds. So, I hope to change that - with humor, history, and pictures of ships wearing hats. It's more important than ever to tell Coast Guard stories. It's easy for politicians to cut the Coast Guard's budget because they don't know what we do. They think we're lifeguards or mailmen or some offshoot of the Navy. And far too often, even we Coasties don't know enough of our own amazing history explain why we've been so crucial to U.S. history. This means that whenever someone ...

In the Coast Guard, we always talk about the EAGLE – the 3-masted sailing ship we stole from the Nazis at the end of World War II. But there’s another ship we talk about less – one even EAGLE aspires to be. That ship is the  Bear . Bear  was built in Scotland in 1874, for a company that hunted seals out of Newfoundland. She was a marvel of her time: a steam-powered proto-icebreaker with six-inch wooden planks on her hull and enough power to smash through solid ice. Her first voyage revolutionized the sealing industry forever, and she quickly earned a reputation as the best sealer on the waves. She could venture further and bring back more pelts than literally a hundred other ships combined. Which is a great reputation to have, unless you like seals.