Since I didn't see much posted here I thought I would share a little about my family history and the USCG.

USCG - USLSS LIFEBOAT STATIONS

I couldn’t help but wonder as I was writing this if any other Coasties had family history going back to the old U.S. Life Saving Service. I am a third generation Coastie. My grandfather Harold Wilkins served in the USLSS after it became part of the Coast Guard in 1915. My father Floyd Wilkins grew up at Coast Guard Stations #110 Island Beach, NJ and Station #111 Cedar Creek, NJ. My other grandfather Harry Newell served in the Navy during WWI and WWII and retired as an EMC. My Uncle Newt Mathis was a career Coastie and served at Station #109 Seaside Park during WWII and retired after 25 years as a BMCS. My Uncle Bud, my Mom’s brother served in the CG during Korea and I served during Vietnam.

My father Floyd Wilkins grew up at my grandfather's Coast Guard stations fashioning toys from items that would wash ashore. His three favorite toys were a wood wheelbarrow and a spinning wheel that had washed ashore and a slide the children of Station #110 had fashioned from old driftwood and a ladder that had washed ashore. Even the children helped out at the station by providing food for the dinner table by surf fishing for blues or stripers or they would wade the shores of Barnegat Bay to catch a basket of blue claw crabs.


A: District 5 Superintendent John S. Cole conducting annual inspection drills at Island Beach Station, circa 1919. Surfman
Russell Penn is in the middle observing while Surfman Harold Wilkins to the right is timing the drill with a stop watch.
B. Harold Wilkins' son Floyd at around 2 years old on the station front porch. C,D,E: Floyd Wilkins on the station front steps
with Keeper Henry Ware's daughter, and playing with his favorite toy a wooden wheel barrow. F: Harold Wilkins holds back
brush so his son Floyd can see a nest of baby rabbits. G: Floyd Wilkins at the age of eight on the beach.

LIFE AT THE STATON

Each day that a lifesaver was on duty was spent doing drills. USLSS founder Sumner Kimball believed that only training and repetition sharpened your lifesaving skills. That belief still exists today with rescue teams. A lifesaver's week began on Monday with training in the Beach Apparatus Drill including the firing of the Lyle Gun. Tuesday was devoted to boat practice, including the righting of surfboats. The crew practiced signal flag techniques on Wednesday and repeated the Beach Apparatus Drill on Thursday. On Friday the crew could be found practicing first aid and rescue breathing techniques. On Saturday, everyone pitched in and cleaned the station and their quarters.


Left: The men of Cedar Creek Station #111 haul out the surfboat following a surf drill. Right: The men of 111 in rank for inspection. (Left to right) Keeper Henry Ware, Rube Corliss, Bill Harvey, Alva Jones, Harold Wilkins and Leroy Frye.

Practicing the Beach Apparatus Drill meant the Lifesavers worked as a team to bring back victims from ships that were stranded or were sinking close to the shore. The drill had to be done in five minutes or less. The crewman who was found to be delaying the Drill's execution could be fired on the spot by one of the Service's inspectors. Kimball Sumner once stated he had seen a drill done in two and a half minutes.




1917: The Surfman of CGSTA #110 Cale Worth, George Worth, Harold Wilkins, Edgar Sexton and Russel Penn on the station steps straightening up their gear after a life saving drill. This is my favorite photo of my Grandpop and the crew of Station #110 which is featured in the credits of The Guardian. My Grandpop passed over the bar on 26 April 1983 at the ripe old age of 93.

My Uncle BMC Newt Mathis and CGSTA 109 Seaside Park, New Jersey. Today the old CG Station serves as Seaside Park's Borough Hall.




The crew of CGSTA #109 during World War II. The men had scheduled beach patrols and
had a lookout from the ocean beach tower 24/7. A German submarine was sighted from
the watchtower during a night watch causing quite a stir in the small resort community.
My uncle Newt, BMC Newt Mathis (inset) was stationed there during WWII until he was
transferred in 1950 as the OIC at the new CGSTA Santa Barbara, California.

Wow! How cool is that?
Great narration and information! Thanks for sharing with us...you put alot of time and effort into this!!!
Are these actual family photos? I really enjoyed reading about your family and the history from these Lifeboat stations.

IMPRESSIVE!
Definitely makes it that much more interesting. Hearing and seeing it from the living person...rather than from some book or magazine.
Your family will have an awesome piece of history to pass on!

Thank You for shareing this with us!

CG BuoyJumper, Great pics and story !!!

I live by Seaside Park and Island Beach, and Cedar Creek is only about 20 minutes from here.

I often walk the boardwalk in Seaside and pass by the old Lifesaving Station. I will take a picture and post it as soon as I can.

I'm not sure the Island Beach LSS is still standing. That area is now Island Beach State Park. We often walk along the beach in Island Beach all the way out to the Barnegat Inlet. There you get a great view from across the inlet of Barnegat Light.

CG BuoyJumper,

The Governers mansion is still standing, but I wasn't aware of the LSS. With Spring weather coming, I'm going to do some exploring over the next few weeks. Thanks again for all the info !!!

Thanks so much for sharing your family history and photos. Your family is surely to be commended on their many years of service. We are so fortunate that you have joined our forums as you have made such interesting and historical postings!

Neat stuff, thanks for sharing!
Bob

Wonderful narrative and photos. Particularly important to preserve the past for the future. Thanks for sharing and keep up the good works!!

Sandy

Last weekend we took a drive over to Seaside Park. Here are two current pics of the CGSTA #109 building.





As CGBouyJumper mentioned, it currently used as the Seaside Park Borough Hall.

Very cool pics! Thanks for sharing those! I live in NJ so I will try to see these sometime this summer!