E.A. (Eugene Auguste) Coffin was born March 10, 1888 in Foochow, China. He joined the U.S. Revenue-Cutter Service in October 1907. During his time in the Coast Guard Coffin served in Alaska on three occasions.

• 12 April, 1919 to 19 April, 1920 – served as commissary and watch officer on Unalga at San Francisco, Calif., and Unalaska, Alaska, under Capt. F.G. Dodge. – relief mission to influenza-stricken Aleutian Islands. • 1 April, 1921 to 20 September, 1922 – served as commissary and watch officer on Unalga, at San Francisco, Calif., Unalaska, Alaska, and Juneau, Alaska, under Capt. B.L. Brockway and Capt. John Boedeker. • 10 November, 1922 to 8 March, 1924 – served as executive officer and navigator of Algonquin, at Astoria, Oregon, and Unalaska, Alaska, under Capt. C.M. Gabbett.

E.A. Coffin retired from the Coast Guard, as a Rear Admiral, on April 1, 1950 after forty-two years of service.

RADM Coffin passed away on January 20, 1972 in Santa Barbara, California. His ashes were flown out to sea from Santa Barbara in a U.S. Coast Guard plane.

Biographical information from: http://www.uscg.mil/history/people/Flags/CoffinEBio.pdf