United States Coast Guard (Revenue Cutters, Life Saving Services, and Lighthouse Service) - Photos, Film, Maps, and Electronic Records
Special Media Collections
Still Photographs and Graphic Works
The Still Pictures Branch has many images of U.S. Coast Guard ships, aircrafts, bases, lighthouses, and personnel. Some date back to the earliest days of photography.
Military Images and Posters is a general guide to the military records held by the Still Pictures Branch and includes general information on how to research U.S. Coast Guard topics. The Guide to the Still Pictures Branch Holdings provides more specific information about U.S. Coast Guard photographs.
Also, a number of digitized records relating to the U.S. Coast Guard are available in the National Archives Catalog. Below is a list of some commonly requested records and hyperlinks to more images online:
See also Searching the National Archives Catalog for Still Photographs (April 21, 2020).
The Still Pictures Branch also has an extensive digital collection of images relating to the U.S. Coast Guard interaction during Hurricane Katrina.
Cartographic and Architectural Records
Front Elevation, Plan, and Vertical Section of Saint Simon's Lighthouse, Georgia
The Cartographic Branch holds many architectural plans of modern U.S. Coast Guard and older Revenue Cutter and Life-Saving Service ships and bases, as well as Lighthouse Service plans and drawings. This NARA branch also holds maps and charts produced by the U.S. Coast Guard and its predecessors.
Many digitized drawings, maps, and charts are accessible through the National Archives Catalog. Below is a list of some commonly requested records and hyperlinks to more images online:
- Coast Guard Vessel and Craft Engineering Plans, 1885–1994
- Cutter Ship Plans, 1915 –1987
- Lighthouse Plans and Maps, 1793 –1939
- Maps and Plans for Lighthouses, Beacons and Rescue Stations, 1967–1988
- Cutter and Lightship Plans, 1883 –1914
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Cartographic Coast Guard Records in the National Archives Catalog
Guides and descriptive articles about lighthouse and life saving station records held by the Cartographic Branch include:
- Lighthouse Plans in the National Archives—Special List 57
- Lighthouse Drawings in celebration of National Lighthouse Day—The Unwritten Record (Aug. 5, 2016)
- Life-Saving Stations of Maryland: Drawings from RG 26, Maps and Plans for Lifesaving Stations—The Unwritten Record (Jan. 5, 2021)
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Lighting the Way: RG 26 Lighthouse Plans & Maps Now Digitized—The Unwritten Record (April 28, 2020)
- Ship Plans held by the Cartographic Branch
- Cartographic and Architectural Records at the National Archives in College Park, MD
- Cartographic Holdings of the National Archives
Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Recordings
The Moving Image and Sound Branch has many films, videos, and recordings created by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Many digitized films and sound recordings are accessible through the National Archives Catalog. Links to these digital resources are below. (Note: You can refine these searches by record group in the “Refine By” section in the left-hand column of the Catalog search results page.)
There is also a specific page devoted to World War II motion pictures, which includes a number of U.S. Coast Guard films.
Electronic Records
The U.S. Government has been creating electronic records since World War II, and many more of these records are coming to the National Archives as we accession records from the digital age. The Electronic Records Division preserves and provides access to these records.
Descriptions of the various series of electronic records from the U.S. Coast Guard can be found in the National Archives Catalog. See Coast Guard Electronic Records Search.
Documentation of Life Saving Stations and Lighthouses listed on the National Register of Historic Places is included in the record series: National Register of Historic Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records. Some of these records are highlighted in The Text Message blog post “From Sea to Shining Sea: Lighthouses of America in the Records of the National Register of Historic Places” (June 20, 2020).
See also Accessing Electronic Records Online via the National Archives Catalog.
Access to Archival Databases (AAD)
The Access to Archival Databases (AAD) is a collection of searchable databases of electronic records created by different agencies of the U.S. Government.
For records relating to the U.S. Coast Guard, you can browse by category or enter a search parameter. For example, see Access to Archival Databases (AAD)—Coast Guard Records Search.