UNITED STATES COAST GUARD ACADEMY Houston, Texas ).~ ··· by Clark R. Edgecomb 111 ~ Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Architecture in the Department of Architecture and Allied Arts of Texas Technological College 1966 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS CHAPTER . Page · I. History of the Coast Guard Service----------- II. History of the Coast Guard Academy----------- 7 rii. Military Academy Architecture---------------- 10 United States Military Academy United States Naval Academy United States Coast Guard Academy United States Air Force Academy IV. The Problem and its Requirements------------- 18 The Client The Scope The Site ·Financing Parking Publio Visitation Regimental Organization Curriculum Class Distribution v. Building Requirements----------------------- 28 VI. The Solution-------------------------------- 36 Plot Development Cadet Area Cadet Dormitory VII. The Conclusion------------------------------ 44 APPENDIX BIBLIOGRAPHY LIST OF ILLUSTfu\TIONS t. United States Military Academy Chapel 2. United States Militar y Academy Campus Plan 3. United States Naval Academy Chapel 4. United States Naval Academy Library 5. United States Naval Academy - Aerial View 6. United States Naval Academy Campus Plan 7. United States Coast Guard Academy Campus Plan 8. United States Coast Guard Academy Administration Buifding 9. United States Coast Guard Academy Chapel . 10. United States Coast Guard Academy Chapel- Interior 11. United States Coast Guard Cutter EAGLE 12 . United States Air Force Academy Campus Plan 13. United States Air Force Acad emy - Aerial View 14. United States Air Force Academy Chapel 15. United States Air Force Academy Chapel Plan 16 . United States Air Force !caderny - General Views 17. Aerial View of Site 18. Aerial View of Site 19. - 28. Photostats of the Problem PREFACE The mission of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy is, "To graduate young men with sound bodies, stout hearts, and alert minds, with a liking for the sea and its lore, and with that high sense of honor, loyalty, and obedience which goes with trained initiative and leadership; well grounded in seamanship, the scie~ces, and the amenities and strong in the resolve to be worthy of the traditions of commissioned officers in the United states Coast Guard in the service of their country and humanity." The United States Coast Guard Academy was not the first of the service academies, but like its counter­ parts, it has played an important role in the growth and improvement of the training of officers for our services. As our nation has grown, so have our service academies. The Coast Guard Academy has had a growth rate of expanding proportions. T'oday, its facilities are undergoing an extensive program of reconstruction, in order to provide for the increasing number of applicants. The construction of a new academy to reflect the new, and honor the past accomplishments of its history and development would seem to be valid. Just as the construction of the Air Force Academy reiterrates the science of the aerospace age, so should the architecture of the Coast Guard Academy reveal the sense of the sea and t he age in which we live. There is though, a major difference which cannot be overlooked in making a comparison. The Air Force Academy, like its benefactor, the Air Force, was born into this age and shares only the traditions of it. The Coast Guard Academy was born with our Nation and its traditions are deep and tied strongly to the sea. Therefore, with this in mind, a new academy reflecting the rich traditions of its heritage, but embracing the technology of today, should be built to provide our nation with a continuing supply of officers with a love for the sea, a search for knowledge, and an eye on the future. CHAPTER I HISTORY OF THE COAST GUARD SERVICE "The Coast Guard, a part of the Armed Forces of the United States, is the principle federal agency for maritime law enforcement and marine safety. 11 1 The history of the Coast Guard begins with the history of the United States. In 1790, by the hand of the Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, the Revenue Cutter Service was founded for the suppression of smuggling and the collection of tariffs. The first American Congress accepted twelve lighthouses built by the colonies along the Atlantic coast and authorized ten light, fast, 50 foot two-masted schooners to carry out the duties of t he Revenu·e Cutter Service. K. E. Williams, Running Light (New London, 1965), p, 2. -2- The control of the lighthouses and the management of the cutter service were operated independently under the Treasury Department until in the early 1900•s they were made a part of. the pre~ent day Coa~t Guard Service. The Coait Guard was tae only seagoing force the United States had prior to the Quasi war with France in 1798. It was during this conflict that the service first served with the Navy Department, establishing a precedent which still exists today. The Revenue Cutter service as it was known at this time, accounted for the capture of 16 of the 20 French raiders along the coast and the West Indies. The service saw action again during the war of 1812 and recorded a distinguished record of service to our country. One of the outstanding incidents was the conflict between the Cutter EAGLE and the British Brig DISPATCH. At the conclusion of the war the service returned to its duties of stopping piracy and stamping out the slave trade. The service was instrumental in the control and capture of the pirate strongholds in the Gulf coast. In 1836, when the Seminole Indians were on the warpath the service was sent to help. They aided in the first amphibious landing of the combined u.s. Forces on the Florida coast to rescue the besieged Fort Brook. It was not until the Mexican war did the United States begin experiments in the use of steam driven cutters. Although the original sidewheelers were of poor construction, -3- some did see service. The first shot from a naval vessel during the Civil War was fired from the Cutter HARRIET LANE in blockading a southern port. As before, the Revenue Cutter Service fought under the Navy during the Civil war period. In 1831 the cutter Service was given the duties of search and rescue by the Treasury Department. The GALLATIN was ordered to cruise the coastal waters in search of persons in distress. Then in 1837 the patrol of winter waters was added to the already long list of seagoing duties and law enforcement work. As time went on, the authority to police harbors and control cargo loading was extended to the service. Finally in 1915, with the list of activities ever increasing and the conflic· of duties between similar coastal rescue services, the Revenue Cutter Service and the Lifesaving Service were combined under the present day United states Coast Guard Service. The First World war saw the Coast Guard engaged in antisubmarine patrol work, port security and the escort of convoy vessels. The Prohibition period plUnged the Coast Guard into one of its largest law enforcement efforts. The control of rum runners gained the service much publicity by its efficient coastal patrols. New developments in icebreaking techniques and -4- oceanographic research were advanced by the service prior to the advent of World War II. Aircraft also became an ever increasing aid in search and rescue activities along with the installation of radio-direction­ finding stations. The Pearl Harbor disaster and the advent of World War II placed the Coast Guards facilities and men under the Navy's jurisdiction and command. The Coast Guard's cutters and planes searched out Nazi submarines, patrolled the frozen coast of Greenland, and initiated the search and rescue of the survivors of torpedoed ships. During this time Coast Guard research developed the use of amphibians for the Pacific campaign. The shore Patrols landed by one man German submarines. Techniques in the use of landing craft assaults was enhanced by the services knowledge of surf conditions and their reactions. In the years following the war the service again resumed its basic duties. It was during this time tnat the loosely knit fabric of responsibilities and authority of the service was reviewed and a long range program was undertaken to tie the ends together. In 1949, the u.s. Code Title 14 was enacted by Congress to set down the services f.unctions, responsi bil1 ties and s pheres of activity. The basics of the code were sound, but it failed to lay down any details of operation, funding or programming of the cooperating agencies. Finally in 1962, under an inter-departmental study of the service, -5- a document containing the rules and missions were set down. This document brought to the Coast Guard the ability to make alterations and repairs to its facilities which today provide an irreplaceable service to man's safety at sea and in our coastal waters. COAST GUARD DUTIES The duties of the individual officers, as outlined in the Coast Guard Regulations, are many and varied, but may be classified under the several headings as shown in the outline below: 1. Law Enforcement (a) prevent smuggling (b) enforce customs, navigation, immigration, quarantine, and motorboat regulations (c) enforce the whaling treaty and the conservation laws concerning the North Pacific seal and otter fisheries {d) enforce regulations concerning Merchant Marine requirements for licensing, safety equipment and selection of crew (e) port security details 2. Promotion of safety and Life at Sea (a) maintenance of a system of aids to navigation (b) ice patrol (c) weather patrol (d) training of seamen and yachtsmen in safety procedures 3. Protection of Life and Property (a) removing of obstructions and derelicts (b) icebreaking activities (c) supervising loading of explosives and dangerous cargoes -6- 4.