DISTRIBUTION – SDL No. 167
NON-STANDARD DISTRIBUTION:
Commandant
United States Coast Guard
U.S. Coast Guard Stop 7331
2703 Martin Luther King
Jr Ave SE
-7331
CG-741
) 372-2076
COMDTINST 1650.17
23 MAY 2016
COMMANDANT INSTRUCTION 1650.17
(a) Military Qualifications and Insignia Manual, COMDTINST M1200.1 (series)
(b) Invitational Travel Orders, COMDTINST 12570.3 (series)
(c) Joint Travel Regulations (JTR)
(d) Financial Resource Management Manual (FRMM), COMDTINST M7100.3 (series)
1. PURPOSE. This Instruction establishes policies, procedures, and standards for the administration of
the Ancient Trident Award (Gold and Silver).
2. ACTION. All Coast Guard unit commanders, commanding officers, officers-in-charge,
deputy/assistant commandants, and chiefs of headquarters staff elements will comply with the
provisions of this Instruction. Internet release is authorized.
3. DIRECTIVES AFFECTED. None.
4. DISCUSSION. The Ancient Trident Award is hereby established to honor the officer (Gold) and
enlisted (Silver) member with the longest time in the Marine Safety program. This award not only
recognizes Marine Safety longevity, but also extols the officer and enlisted member whose personal
character and performance standards honor the most venerable practitioners of Marine Safety and
reflect our core values.
a. The Steamboat Inspection Service was created in 1871 as an organized federal maritime
inspection service as a result of a significant number of deaths from a series of boiler explosions,
fires, and collisions involving steam driven passenger ships. Nine supervisory inspectors, each
responsible for a specific geographic region, were appointed to inspect commercial steam vessels
in order to safeguard lives and property at sea.
b. The Steamboat Inspection Service was combined with the Bureau of Navigation in 1932. This
new organization was renamed the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation in 1936. As a
wartime measure, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9083 on February 28,
