"Regardless of rank or time in service, all Coast Guard personnel find this manual to be essential to their professional development. Its value as a ready source of guidance is attested to by generations of men and women who have made it a part of their personal libraries since 1952, when the first edition was published. Today, it remains the basic training manual for entry-level personnel at enlisted and officer training schools.

This ninth edition brings the reader into the Coast Guard of the twenty-first century. It contains new photographs that fully describe the modern Coast Guard and its equipment. It also provides updated information on shipboard life, maritime law enforcement, environmental health, shore duty, physical fitness, and other subjects, while it continues to emphasize safety of life, protection of national assets, and enforcement of federal statutes.

Appendixes include a brief history of the Coast Guard, a glossary of nautical terminology, and the Armed Forces Code of Conduct."--BOOK JACKET.