Oral history interview of Robert Arthur Gagnon

In this interview, Bob Gagnon recalls his experiences serving in the United States Coast Guard from 1960 to 1966. He describes his growing up years and his father's World War II service and explains his reasons for joining the Coast Guard when he was seventeen years old. His mother attended his high school in her efforts to educate herself, and he remembers his embarrassment at being disciplined by her on the school bus. His basic training was conducted by United States Marine Corps officers, and he describes his responsibilities at his first duty station aboard the United States Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba. The ship patrolled the North Atlantic on homeland security and weather patrol. He describes experiences with rough seas, including 100-foot waves and using the ship's 5" mounted cannon to break up icebergs. He recalls a humorous incident when the crew painted a "For Sale" sign on the beam of the ship while performing routine maintenance. Later assignments included "small boat" operations out of lifeboat stations including rescuing boaters and retrieving the remains of pilots whose planes ditched in the ocean. With the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II still a vivid memory, Coast Guard duties in the 1960's included making radio contact with every plane flying overhead and if the pilot did not respond, they were instructed to contact Washington, D.C., where military aircraft were scrambled to intercept. He describes one harrowing incident while attempting to de-ice the ship when they were forced below decks by a rogue wave that significantly damaged the ship. He describes how the Coast Guard uses some centuries-old practices such as the "bosun's pipe" and "leadlines." He explains his religious beliefs and how they have impacted his life. He remembers how he met and married his wife and describes his post-military activities.||United States Coast Guard Island Group; USCG Escanaba (WHEC-64); Cuttyhunk Lifeboat Station; Block Island Lifeboat Station; search and rescue; iceberg hunting; Boatswain's Mate (BM); Bosun's Mate; small boat operations; Jacob's ladder; lead line; Bosun's pipe;||Bob Gagnon served in the United States Coast Guard during the Cold War.