A
Coast Guard is an organization devoted to saving the lives of shipwrecked
mariners or people in danger at
sea. In some countries it is part of the
military. In other countries it is a civilian or even volunteer organization.
In the United States, the United States Coast Guard is a Federal agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security in peacetime. In wartime it becomes part of the United States Navy.
See also: Navy, ship.
Someone from the UK write a bit on the unique volunteer // lifeboat squadrons, and how they started and some still are private.