Signed copy! by local author and historian Bonnie Hurd Smith. From the Nelson Dionne Salem History Collection at Salem State University. On February 15, 1935, Coast Guard Air Station Salem opened on Winter Island to respond to emergency calls off the Atlantic Coast from as far south as Connecticut and as far north as Halifax. Two years later, the Salem Evening News reported that the air station in 1937 had “established one of the most progressive records for flying and participating in mercy errands of any Coast Guard air station in the country.” A few years later, during World War II, the men patrolled the coast in search of German U-boats. Until the Air Station closed in 1970 during a Coast Guard consolidation, Air Station Salem played a vital role in Salem and far beyond for thirty-five years. The men bravely saved dozens of lives at sea, and risked their own. The City of Salem seized control of the vacant Coast Guard property in 1972. Sadly, vandals had taken over the area and some of the buildings had to be destroyed for safety reasons. Of the buildings that remain today, in 2015, City officials and citizens alike are keenly aware of their potential. Funding has recently been secured, and the multi-year task of restoring and improving Winter Island was underway in June 2015. Drawing upon the archive of Salem collector Nelson Dionne, this book presents a brief chronological history of Coast Guard Air Station Salem and photographs of its story. Although the station is no longer active, it will always be remembered. So must the men of Coast Guard Air Station Salem who lost their lives in the line of duty.
