Coast Guard - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition coast-guard

Definition :

Coast-guard. See the (English) Coast Guard Service Act, 1856 (19 & 20 Vict. c. 83), 'to provide for the better defence of the Coasts of the Realm,. And the ready manning of the Navy; and th transfer' to the Admiralty 'from the Board of Customs the Government of the Coast Guard,' whereby the Admiralty may raise such number of officers or men from time to time up to 10,000 as it may think fit for the constitution of a Coast-guard. The force was originally formed merely for the prevention of smuggling, in connection with which it has many duties to discharge under the Customs Acts. The (English) Coast-guard Act, 1925 (15 & 16 Geo. 5, c. 88), transfers the control of the Coast-guard service to the Board of Trade but in case of emergency it can be transferred to the Admiralty.