National War Memorial Registry, War Memorial Catalog Of United States

The Coast Guard monument at Arlington National Cemetery (Section 4), is made of white marble and is pyramid-shaped. It stands 12-feet high and was dedicated May 23, 1928 as a tribute to the Coast Guardsmen who lost their lives in World War I. The foundation and pyramid are suggestive of rocks standing in the sea along the coast, or marks of danger to navigation and represent the service ideals of steadfastness and endurance. The front of the monument has the USCG emblem on it and a sea gull, symbolic of the Coast Guard's watchful untiring spirit. The names of those in the Coast Guard who lost their lives in World War I are inscribed on the monument. The southeast side is dedicated to CGC Tampa, sunk by an enemy submarine in Bristol Channel Sept. 26, 1918. All 115 on board were lost. The northwest side is dedicated to CGC Seneca, which lost 11 Coast Guardsmen while endeavoring to salvage the torpedoed British Steamer Wellington in the Bay of Biscay Sept. 17, 1918. The architect was George Howe and the sculptor was Gaston Lachaise. Carved on the foundation: Thy Way Is In The Sea.