Dunleavy proclaims Aug. 4 Coast Guard Appreciation Day in Alaska

Gov. Mike Dunleavy proclaimed Tuesday as United States Coast Guard Appreciation Day in Alaska. The proclamation recognizes the 2,500 active-duty, reserve, auxiliary and civilian members of the Coast Guard's 17th District, along with their families, for keeping the state's coastal waters safe.

"Nearly three-quarters of Alaskans reside along our 47,300 miles of coastline, and the Coast Guard is vital to maintaining safe waters and shores throughout Alaska," Dunleavy said in the proclamation, which calls Alaska waters crucial to the economy, transportation and leisure.

The Coast Guard was established Aug. 4, 1790, and is the nation's oldest continuous seafaring service. President Harry S. Truman set aside the date as Coast Guard Day in a 1948 proclamation. A birthday video marking the 236th anniversary highlights the 1980 rescue of 520 people from the burning cruise ship Prinsendam in the Gulf of Alaska.

The service's role in Alaska extends to the state's hazardous maritime industries. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health puts the commercial fishing fatality rate at 44 times that of all U.S. workers, and the institute works with the Coast Guard to bring it down. Some smaller vessel operators view Coast Guard inspection and enforcement as burdensome, according to safety researchers and the service's own journal.