Great Lakes Patrol facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Great Lakes Patrol
A postcard of USS Michigan after her name was changed to USS Wolverine in 1905
Objective	Suppress crime on the Great Lakes and protect the maritime border with Canada.
Date	1844–1920
Executed by	United States

The Great Lakes Patrol was carried out by American naval forces, beginning in 1844, mainly to suppress criminal activity and to protect the maritime border with Canada. A small force of United States Navy, Coast Guard, and Revenue Service ships served in the Great Lakes throughout these operations. Through the decades, they were involved in several incidents with pirates and rebels.

The patrol was ended in 1920 when the US Coast Guard assumed full command of the operations as part of the Rum Patrol. This was initiated during the Prohibition era to try to reduce or end liquor smuggling from Canada across the rivers and lakes, a difficult task: the Canada–United States border is 8,891 kilometers (5,525 mi) long.