What is United States Life-Saving Service?
[[File:Seal of the United States Life-Saving Service.png|thumb|right|Seal of the United States Life-Saving Service]] [[File:Pennant of the United States Life-Saving Service.svg|thumb|right|Pennant of the United States Life-Saving Service, flown at U.S. Lifesaving Service stations.]] The '''United States Life-Saving Service''' (USLSS) was a [[Federal government of the United States|United States government]] agency that grew out of concerns for saving the lives of [[shipwreck]]ed [[sailor]]s and [[ship]]'s [[passenger]]s. The federal life-saving service was established on June 28, 1848 as an [[agency]] of the [[United States Department of the Treasury]].<ref name=Ostrom26>Thomas P. Ostrom; John J. Galluzzo, ''United States Coast Guard Leaders and Missions, 1790 to the Present'' (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2015), pp. 26–28</ref> In 1915, the USLSS merged with the [[United States Revenue Cutter Service]] to form the [[United States Coast Guard]].<ref name=USLSSheritage>{{cite web |url=http://uslife-savingservice.org/education-resources/ |title=Education & Resources |publisher=U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association |access-date=18 October 2016}}</ref> == Background == Large [[wikt:area|area]]s of the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic coast]] of the [[United States]] were relatively [[Population density|unpopulated]] during the [[18th century|18th]] and [[19th century|19th centuries]].<ref name=uslssUSCG>{{cite web |url=http://www.uscg.mil/tcyorktown/ops/nmlbs/Surf/surf1.asp |title=U.S. Lifesaving Service, p. 1 |publisher=United States Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Homeland Security |access-date=18 October 2016}}</ref> Any ship that ran [[wikt:aground|aground]], even within sight of land, could not expect much help.<ref name=uslssUSCG/> Even if people saw a ship in trouble they did not have organizations or the equipment to go out and rescue those who were in trouble.<ref name=uslssUSCG/> Even in places like [[New York Harbor]] ships could run aground on [[sandbar]]s during storms and not