Established by a 1790 law that authorized the construction and equipment of cutters to enforce the payment of customs charges and tonnage duties on ships. The responsibilities of the Service in Alaska included: enforcing regulations concerning the killing of fur seals and otters; regulating traffic in firearms, ammunition, and liquor (until 1884); protecting salmon spawning grounds and access rivers; protecting Alaskan fishing grounds from foreign encroachment (with the U.S. Navy); and protecting game in Alaska. In 1915, the Revenue Cutter Service was combined with similar organizations, including the Lifesaving Services of the Treasury Department, to form the U.S. Coast Guard. See also Bering Sea Patrol.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.