I mentioned in a previous post about my research on the USCGC Cowslip and the lack of information. As I was digging for more information, I discovered that it is possible to submit requests for information to the US Coast Guard’s Historian’s Office. So I submitted a request for more information about the Cowslip. What I got back was a bit of a surprise.

The first thing I got back was an email stating, “I’ll make a copy of the file on Cowslip and mail it to you as soon as I can.” Very cool! A few days later I got a package in the mail from the Coast Guard. In it, was about 15 sheets of paper about the Cowslip. The majority of the sheets of paper were various press releases that the Coast Guard had published during her years of service. In addition, he included a couple of 5 X 7 black & white photos of the Cowslip when she was still in service. While this information was great, and I was grateful to get it, I was still surprised that the Coast Guard seemed to keep so little information on file about this vessel. Quite honestly, I was expecting a copy of the bill of sale when she was first sold. I was also expecting a copy of the program from the decommissioning ceremonies she participated in. I wonder if these documents still exist anywhere?

If anyone who reads this has any more documents about USCGC Cowslip or any of her 38 sister ships please get in touch with me. I’d love to have copies of whatever you have as I write more articles for Wikipedia.

–Pete