Coast Guard Training Station

U.S.C.G. Training Station 1942-1945

On February 25, 1942, the Secretary of the Treasury charged the Coast Guard with safeguarding the nation’s port facilities and vessels during World War II. Baltimore was among the harbors placed under this vital protection. Just a few months later, on May 15, the Fort McHenry Training Station opened its doors to prepare the men and women who would take on this critical port security work. Twenty temporary buildings quickly rose along the east seawall grounds, stretching from the site of today’s Coast Guard tower to the park’s main gate.

 

The Duties

Because fire posed a constant threat along the waterfront, officials placed strong emphasis on a rigorous thirty‑day course in advanced firefighting and fire prevention. At Fort McHenry, the core of the training centered on a specialized program designed to teach firefighting and damage‑control techniques aboard ships.

To support this instruction, the Coast Guard obtained the U.S.S. Gaspar De Portolá, a damaged Liberty ship, and transformed it into a hands‑on training vessel. Trainees also received instruction in policing methods, sabotage prevention, and the laws of arrest.

After the War

When the war ended in August 1945, the station’s activities began to wind down. The final class graduated that September, bringing the total number of personnel trained at Fort McHenry during World War II to 28,053. Shortly thereafter, the station was decommissioned.

The temporary buildings associated with the training station were torn down. Today, no traces of the training facility remain.