Rescue Men ~ African American Coast Guardians

Owen James Burke at The Scuttlefish honors The Little Known Story of North Carolina’s African American Rescue Crew...

"After the Civil War, maritime traffic increased along the eastern seaboard of the United States as industrialization proliferated, and as a result, so did the number of casualties at sea. In an effort to curb the loss of life, the United States Lifesaving Service was formed in 1871. [After a] failed rescue in 1879 [...] Richard Etheridge, a former slave and Civil War Buffalo Soldier, was appointed and effectively became the first African American keeper of a lifesaving station [and] the station became the first (and perhaps only) all-African-American lifesaving station. [And one with a stellar record]"

Here's trailer for the Rescue Men – The Pea Island Life Savers...