Semper Paratus!
"Semper Paratus"
(Latin for "Always Ready") is the official
march of the United States Coast Guard.
Semper Paratus is also the official
Coast Guard motto. The origin of the
phrase is obscure, although the Coast
Guard Historian's Office notes the first
use was by the New Orleans Bee newspaper
in the 1830s, in reference to the actions of the Revenue Cutter Service. The original lyrics (seen below) were written by Captain Francis Saltus Van Boskerck in 1922, in the cabin of the cutter Yamacraw, in Savannah, Georgia; he wrote the music in 1927, on a "beat-up old piano" in Unalaska, Alaska.
The current verse, as well as a second chorus, were written by Homer Smith, 3rd Naval District Coast Guard quartet, Chief Cole, Walton Butterfield in 1943. In 1969, the first line of each verse was changed.
Official Lyrics
From Aztec Shore to Arctic Zone,
To Europe and Far East,
The Flag is carried by our ships
In times of war and peace;
And never have we struck it yet,
In spite of foemen's might,
Who cheered our crews and cheered again
For showing how to fight.
We're always ready for the call,
We place our trust in Thee.
Through surf and storm and howling gale,
High shall our purpose be,
"Semper Paratus" is our guide,
Our fame, our glory, too.
To fight to save or fight and die!
Aye! Coast Guard, we are for you.
"Surveyor" and "Narcissus,"
The "Eagle" and "Dispatch,"
The "Hudson" and the "Tampa,"
These names are hard to match;
From Barrow's shores to Paraguay,
Great Lakes or Ocean's wave,
The Coast Guard fights through storms and winds
To punish or to save.
Aye! We've been "Always Ready"
To do, to fight, or die!
Write glory to the shield we wear
In letters to the sky.
To sink the foe or save the maimed
Our mission and our pride.
We'll carry on 'til Kingdom Come
Ideals for which we've died.
