coast guard air station san diego saw no radical changes as a result of the declaration of war in 1941. the unit continued to watch and report the activities of fishing boats in the area, to provide assistance in cases of distress, and to provide transportation by air for other government departments. air sea rescue operations were given primary focus from october 1943 on. between january 1 and december 1, 1944, a total of 124 aircraft went down in waters covered by this unit. of the 201 pilots and crewmen involved, 137 were saved, 59 were killed outright by mid-air collisions or impact with the water, two are missing, and three who might have been saved were lost because of improper equipment or the failure to locate them promptly.