Coast Guard Will Honor Veteran on his 100th Birthday
The Coast Guard will host a celebration to honor a Coast Guard WWII veteran for his outstanding military career on his 100th birthday March 26th in the Portsmouth Federal Building. Linwood “Tick” Thumm was the commander of an 83-foot cutter based out of Little Creek. Thumm spent the first part of WWII escorting convoys from New Jersey to Cape Hatteras, N.C.
He and his crew are credited with a possible kill of a German U-boat and were also commended for saving the lives of an oil tanker crew during a fire. Thumm’s crew used a net they fashioned from sheets and blankets to catch survivors as they jumped from the burning tanker.
Coast Guard 5th District personnel will celebrate and honor Mr. Thumm’s service to his country on the day marking 100 years of his life.
A Brief History of the Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard was established by an act of Congress on January 28 1915, by combining the Revenue Cutter Service, founded in August 1790, with the Life Saving Service, founded in 1878. The act stated that the Coast Guard should constitute a part of the military forces of the United States, operating as part of the US Navy.
The Lighthouse Service, which was founded in 1789, was transferred to the Coast Guard on July 1 1939, as part of the President’s Reorganization Plan.
The US Coast Guard has varying roles ranging from aiding survivors of a natural disaster to engaging enemies on the United States coast.
During WWII the Coast Guard functioned as a watch for the enemy on U.S. coasts with a large role being looking for enemy German submarines in the Atlantic Theater.
The Coast Guard also rescued survivors and offered medical aid to attacked merchant ships or sunken U-Boats. The Coast Guard operates as a branch of the Navy.
