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Normandy USCG Rescue Cutter - Omaha Beach - USCG-1....
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Sold on Jun 6, 2020 for:
$3,875.00
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Description
Normandy USCG Rescue Cutter - Omaha Beach - USCG-1. The USCG-1 was one of 230, 83-foot, wooden-hulled, gasoline powered, patrol boats (also called cutters) built for the United States Coast Guard during WWII. She was originally simply enumerated as the 83300. She was one of sixty cutters sent to Europe for the Normandy Invasion to form Rescue Flotilla One, based at Poole, England.The ensign of the USCG-1 is a cotton, approximately 36" X 60", 48-star, screen dyed, sewn stripe flag finished with a header and grommets, marked on the obverse hoist, "USCG-1" with a maker's mark & size label from the Valley Forge Flag Co.
According to USCG lore, sometime prior to the Normandy invasion, Winston Churchill lamented that the losses in the war would be prohibitive and it was too bad that the Allies did not have a dedicated rescue force. President Franklin Roosevelt declared "But we do-the Coast Guard!" The Coast Guard had 83-foot patrol boats, nicknamed the "matchbox fleet," on anti-submarine duty along the East Coast of the United States. Sixty of the 83-footers were selected, renamed with the USCG prefix, and then transported, piggy-back on larger vessels to the U.K.
At D-Day, Rescue Flotilla One was split. Half cutters were assigned to the British and Canadian beaches and the rest to the American beaches. USCG-1 was assigned to Omaha. She formed up with the Omaha assault force and escorted the first group of LCVPs to the beach. A lookout spotted men from a sunken British landing craft in the water and the USCG-1, in the best tradition of the Coast Guard, went to their assistance. The Coast Guardsmen had to jump overboard and tie lines to the freezing survivors as they were too cold to help themselves aboard. The cutter's crew succeeded in pulling 24 soldiers and four Royal Navy sailors from the frigid waters.
They sailed back to the transport area and transferred the survivors to the USS Samuel Chase; then returned to the waters off Omaha. At 9:45 a.m., they recovered 19 survivors from the LCI(L)-91, 14 of whom were part of the LCI's Coast Guard crew. They transferred these men to the Chase and, once again, returned to their station. They spent the rest of the day within 2,000 yards of the beach under enemy machine-gun, mortar, and artillery fire. No crewman was injured and the crew returned to Britain unscathed. The cutters of Rescue Flotilla One saved more than 400 men on D-Day.
This an ensign for an advanced D-Day collector as Omaha Beach rescue cutters rarely come to market.
USCG Cutters did not accrue individual awards.
Condition: The ensign of the USCG-1 is in good condition. It is used, worn, and soiled, but is otherwise complete.
This flag was formerly in the collection of Dr. Clarence Rungee, and is accompanied by his original museum inventory sheet with identifying information.
Auction Info
2020 June 6 Historic Flags of WWII and other Historic Flags Signature Auction - Dallas #6226 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
June, 2020
6th
Saturday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 4
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 888
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% on the first $300,000 (minimum $49), plus 20% of any amount between $300,000 and $3,000,000, plus 12.5% of any amount over $3,000,000 per lot.
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