"The U.S. Coast Guard suffered the highest percentage of losses of any American armed force in World War I, yet until now the extent of its involvement in the war remains little known. The author, an experienced coast guardsman himself, made extensive use of such primary sources as personal journals and letters, cutter logs, reports of commanding officers, personnel records, and interviews to compile this historic, first-time account. To bring the history to life Alex Larzelere draws on his extensive seagoing experience and fills the book with action narratives that document the heroism of men like Lt. Fletcher Brown, Warrant Officer Midgett, and their crews, men who rescued ships torpedoed by German U-boats." "The coast guard was transferred to the U.S. Navy when the United States declared war on 6 April 1917. A small service of fewer than five thousand officers and men with forty-seven cutters and 272 coastal stations, its highly experienced cuttermen were sorely needed for the navy's rapidly expanding fleet. This book describes the activities of the guardsmen and their units in the war zone and at home, from the time they were mobilized and transferred until Pres. Woodrow Wilson ordered the service returned to the Treasury Department in August 1919. As described by Larzelere, their many operations give readers a full appreciation of their contributions to the war effort."--Jacket.