"All Necessary Force": The Coast Guard And The Sinking of the Rum Runner "I'm Alone"

Passage of the Volstead Act in 1920 expanded the mission of the U.S. Coast Guard. Law enforcement directives required officers to use "all necessary force" should a liquor smuggling vessel refuse the order to stop. On March 22, 1929, the Coast Guard Cutter Dexter sank the Canadian-flagged rum runner I'm Alone in the Gulf of Mexico, triggering an international incident that centered on "hot pursuit" and treaty jurisdiction. International encounters occurred frequently during Prohibition. The I'm Alone incident was the first sinking of a foreign flagged vessel that cost the life of a foreign national. The I'm Alone affair reflected the barriers any federal law enforcement agency faced in making Prohibition effective. The rum runner captain became a celebrity in Canada, while the Coast Guard was vilified. The Coast Guard amended boarding procedures after the incident cautioning officers about the possibility of accidental deaths.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

History

Year

2011

Author dc:creator

• Ricci, Joseph Anthony

Contributors dc:contributor

• Millett, Allan R.
• Dupont, Robert L.
• Mizell-Nelson, Michael

• Maritime Law
• Rum War
• Treaty of 1924
• Three Mile Limit
• Twelve Mile Limit
• Tariff Act of 1922
• Sigsbee Deep
• Territorial Waters

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1342

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.uno.edu:td-2326