“My name is Commander Shigi Tanaka, of the Japanese Coast Guard.  I have been in the Coast Guard for 19 years, 3 as commander of this short-endurance cutter.  I have rescued everyone from pleasure boaters to whaling ships, and worked on oil tanker leaks.”

“But every time I feel I’ve seen the gamut of human idiocy, someone comes along and gives me something new to laugh about.  “

“I love my job”.

The world’s Coast Guards vary as much as the world’s nations.  Some are branches of their nation’s navies (the US, South Korea, Norway) with a paramilitary mission.  Others are more civil in nature (the UK, Japan), and still others are basically maritime police forces.

In most cases, a Coast Guard’s missions are:

• Rescue and lifesaving
• Law Enforcement (both criminal and commercial)
• In wartime, helping patrol and defend a nation’s coastline and trade routes

Coast Guard characters undergo Coast Guard basic training, and then select an appropriate branch of service - surface or aviation.  Coast Guard characters can also select Naval Support skills..