| English: Always Ready | |
|---|---|
 Sheet music cover, 1928 | |
Organizational anthem of the  United States Coast Guard | |
| Lyrics | Homer Smith and Walton Butterfield, 1943 |
| Music | Francis Saltus Van Boskerck, 1927 |
| Adopted | 1928 [1] |
| Audio sample | |
U.S. Coast Guard Band performing the march | |
"Semper Paratus" (Latin for "Always Ready") is the official song and march of the United States Coast Guard. It was composed by U.S. Coast Guard Captain Francis Saltus Van Boskerck in 1927. It made its debut in 1928.
Semper Paratus is the title of the song and is also the U.S. Coast Guard's official motto. The precise origin of the phrase is obscure, although the U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office notes the first use was by the New Orleans Bee newspaper in 1836, in reference to the actions of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service during the Ingham incident. [2]
The original lyrics (seen below) were written by Captain Francis Saltus Van Boskerck in 1922, at the cabin of USCGC Yamacraw in Savannah, Georgia; he wrote the music in 1927, on a "beat-up old piano" in Unalaska, Alaska. [2] [3] [4]
During the run of A Girl in Every Port (1928 film) at the Fox Theater in Washington D.C., a detachment of 50 Coast Guard officers appeared at the theater for the debut of "Semper Paratus", the official song of the U.S. Coast Guard. The officers appeared at each performance during the playing of the song. [5] Rear Admiral Frederick Billard was the Coast Guard commandant at the time.
The current verse, as well as a second chorus, were written by Homer Smith, 3rd Naval District Coast Guard quartet; Chief Cole; and Lieutenant Walton Butterfield in 1943. In 1969, the first line of the chorus was changed from “So here's the Coast Guard marching song, We sing on land and sea.” to “We're always ready for the call, We place our trust in Thee.” [6]
Verse 1
Chorus
Verse 2
Verse 3
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Media related to Semper Paratus (march) at Wikimedia Commons"Heart of Oak" is the official march of the Royal Navy. It is also the official march of several Commonwealth navies, including the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy. It was the official march of the Royal Australian Navy, but has now been replaced by the new march, "Royal Australian Navy".
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Frederick Chamberlayne Billard served as the sixth commandant of the United States Coast Guard for an unprecedented three terms from 1924 until his death in 1932. Rear Admiral Billard died of pneumonia in May 1932 shortly after starting his third term. There were major changes to the organization during his career. The U.S. Revenue-Marine that was established on 4 August 1790 became the Revenue Cutter Service in 1894, the same year he enlisted. The Revenue Cutter Service that he had entered in 1894 merged with the United States Life-Saving Service to form the United States Coast Guard on 28 January 1915.
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Semper may refer to:
Semper Paratus is a Latin phrase, meaning "Always Ready". Sometimes shortened to Semper P. It is used as the official motto of some organizations, such as the United States Coast Guard. A 1928 march of the same name is also used as the U.S. Coast Guard's official march, and the phrase appears on the organization's flag.
"Mighty Oregon" is the fight song for the University of Oregon. Written in 1915 and officially known as "The Mighty Oregon March," music was written by Albert John Perfect with words by journalism student DeWitt Gilbert. Perfect led the Eugene Municipal Band in the first performance of the song on January 7, 1916.
"The U.S. Air Force" is the official song of the United States Air Force, adopted in the late 1940s, and is often referred to as "Wild Blue Yonder".
"Hail to Old OSU" is the fight song of Oregon State University. It is extracted from a song written by Harold A. Wilkins in 1914 and is played mainly at sporting events like football and basketball games. The lyrics have been slightly altered since being written "to conform to a changing culture", changing to conform to new initials, and the use of a more gender-neutral version.
The United States Revenue Cutter Ingham was one of the 13 Coast Guard cutters of the Morris-Taney class. Named for Secretary of the Treasury Samuel D. Ingham, she was the first United States warship to engage a Mexican ship in combat; and for her service in that battle, a newspaper called her Semper Paratus, which later became the motto of the United States Coast Guard. Ingham was sold in 1836 to the Republic of Texas and served in the Texas Navy until she was captured as a prize-of-war by Mexico and was rechristened Independencia.
Coats of arms of US Army units are heraldic emblems associated with units in the US Army. Under Army Regulation 840-10, each regiment and separate table of organization and equipment (TOE) battalion of the US Army is authorized a coat of arms to be displayed on the organization's flag, called the "colors." This coat of arms usually forms the basis for the unit's distinctive unit insignia (DUI), the emblem worn by all members of the unit on their service uniforms.
The "Marines' Hymn" is the official hymn of the United States Marine Corps, introduced by the first director of the USMC Band, Francesco Maria Scala. Its music originates from an 1867 work by Jacques Offenbach with the lyrics added by an anonymous author at an unknown time in the following years. Authorized by the Commandant of the Marine Corps in 1929, it is the oldest official song in the United States Armed Forces. The "Marines' Hymn" is typically sung at the position of attention as a gesture of respect, akin to a national anthem. However, the third verse is also used as a toast during formal events, such as the birthday ball and other ceremonies.
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USRCSurveyor was a ship of the United States Revenue Marine captured by the United Kingdom during the War of 1812. Despite the vessel's loss, the "gallant and desperate" defense of her crew against a superior force of the Royal Navy and the Corps of Royal Marines is commemorated by the United States Coast Guard. Along with the Royal Navy frigate which bested her in battle, HMS Narcissus, Surveyor is among six legendary ships memorialized in the lyrics of the Coast Guard march "Semper Paratus".
The defense of the cutter Eagle was a battle on and around Long Island New York, that took place from October 10 to 13, 1814, between the British Royal Navy and the United States' Revenue Marine. Early on in the engagement, the United States' only involved vessel, USRC Eagle, was beached near Negro Head. Despite the loss of their ship, her crew continued fighting the Royal Navy vessels from shore using cannon recovered from their wrecked vessel. Eagle's crew was ultimately able to repair and refloat her, but unsuccessful in their attempts to drive the British ships away. Once more she was beached, but after exhausting their ammunition over three days of fighting, the Eagle's crew was unable to prevent her from being towed off by the Royal Navy, which then sailed her back past the shoreline for a victory lap. Though there were no fatalities on either side in the battle, a cow grazing in the area died after being hit by a 32-pound (15 kg) round shot fired by one of the Royal Navy ships.
The Armed Forces Medley, also known as the Armed Forces Salute is today recognized as a collection of the official marchpasts/songs of the 6 services of the United States Armed Forces: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Space Force. The medley is usually played in increasing order of precedence:
Francis Saltus Van Boskerck was a United States Coast Guard captain known for writing and composing "Semper Paratus", the Coast Guard's official march. He held various senior positions within the Coast Guard.
"Semper Supra" is the official march of the United States Space Force, composed in 2022 by James Teachenor and Sean Nelson.
