Coast Guard Day in the United States is this Sunday, August 4th, commemorating the founding of the U. S. Coast Guard as the Revenue Marine on August 4, 1790, by the Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton.

On the ex-USCG Cutter Lilac, however, they will be celebrating the 229th birthday of the Coast Guard all weekend with programs and activities. The ship is open from 2:00 to 6:00 PM Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free. Lilac is berthed at Hudson River Park’s Pier 25 at West Street and N. Moore Street, in lower Manhattan.

Visitors will be able to watch a new video documentary of Seaman Steve Vani reminiscing about his days working onboard Lilac in the 1970s, shown on the new screen in the Petty Officers’ Quarters. (Filming and editing were generously donated by Alex Cox.) There will also be free tours of the ship by our volunteer crew where visitors will learn about the job of a Lighthouse Tender. 

Color images of the Coast Guard at work with crayons and coloring sheets will be available for kids in the Crew Mess. 

Also on display is an exhibit of photos by Jean Miele. If you would like one, order a print for your wall. Forty percent of the price goes to the restoration of the ship and our public programs. There will also be a drawing for a Lilac t-shirt and other goodies.

The USCGC Lilac (WAGL/WLM-227) is a former Coast Guard lighthouse tender located in New York City. The Lilac is America’s only surviving steam-powered lighthouse tender. She was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 7, 2005. She is a museum ship, docked at Pier 25, near North Moore Street in Manhattan.