The US Coast Guard on Monday celebrated 25 years of top-notch radio and rescue service out of CAMSPAC, their master Pacific communications command center, which is located near the Point Reyes Lighthouse.

At a ceremony on Point Reyes, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey jokingly scolded the Guard for not finding pilot Amelia Earhart (who vanished without a trace while flying over the Pacific in 1937), but praised the force for aiding "countless, untold ship disasters."

Woolsey, who fought to save the Coast Guard's Two Rock training facility in 1995, saluted the 60 officers who gathered in service-dress uniform for the commemoration in driving rain.

"You're the watchful, protective ears of the entire Pacific Basin," she said. "You add a great deal to our livelihood."

Indeed, the Coast Guard has historically watched over the West Coast's maritime commerce - which is likely to triple in the years ahead, noted Rear Admiral J. Timothy Riker, a senior reserve officer.

Current CAMSPAC Commander Jeffrey Kayser praised his staff for heeding even the faintest distress calls.

He recounted the story of the True Love, a 44-foot private sailboat that got lost in a storm three months ago en route from Hawaii to Washington state. The captain had no lifeboat, but he did have a radio, and his muffled SOS call was picked up by an attentive Coast Guard officer in Point Reyes.

"With the power of 10,000 watts, the officer called back to the sailboat," Kayser said, and with the help of a helicopter, succeeded in saving the three-man crew from their sinking ship.

Although the CAMSPAC crew aren't able to "reach out and touch" ships in danger, they are able to save mariners from mishap by relaying messages to surfmen manning rescue crafts, Kayser said.

As the oldest continuous seagoing service in the US, the Coast Guard dates from 1790 when Congress authorized 10 skippers to control smugglers. Guardsmen fought pirates, slave traders and ensured smooth sailing for merchant vessels in early 1800s. Later, they became seafaring private eyes, fishing out criminals and saving vessels in distress.

Locally, the Coast Guard has served as a beacon since 1870 when servicemen helped install the lighthouse at the Point. A decade later, the station was connected to San Francisco by telegraph wire.

Nowadays, guardsmen communicate with each other via satellite and "microwaved messages," said Executive Officer Len Ritter.

The Guard's command center and receiver site at Abbott's Lagoon is the country's "major player" for the Pacific Basin, Ritter said, adding that they have "remote control" over communication centers in Hawaii and Guam. By next year, he said, they hope to be wired into the Atlantic coast's signal centers in Boston, Miami, and New Orleans.

Clearing the way for coast-to-coast signals, the Point Reyes facility has been expanded 7,000 feet to accommodate additional consoles, Ritter said. "Eventually, we'll be able to serve as an emergency back-up for the Coast Guard's Atlantic master station at Chesapeake, Virginia."

Although the Coast Guard serves under the auspices of the US Department of Transportation, "we're still considered as the fifth armed force," Ritter noted. "We're in the business of saving lives and protecting property."

Indeed, during wartime some guardsmen are called upon to protect their country. They've fought side by side with the US Navy in every naval battle and served in major campaigns overseas, such as Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Their motto "Semper Paratus" means they're ever-ready - to launch a ship or a radio message. Although they no longer maintain their lifeboat station at the Point, guardsmen here relay weather information to ships, maintain a round-the-clock mayday watch, and keep in touch with their own cutters and aircraft.

And during last week's oil-spill cleanup off Limatour Beach and Drake's Bay, Coast Guard staff were on hand to relay information to state Fish and Game wardens, park rangers, private contractors, and wildlife volunteers.

"Our job was to establish a communications command center here to facilitate the cleanup. We've been able to check out the beach, and find out what's oiled and what isn't," said Carol McAllister, a junior grade lieutenant of the Bay Area Coast Guard Marine Safety office based in Alameda.

Although most of the shoreline was cleared by Friday, tarred murres and tainted snowy plovers will continue to wash ashore, McAllister said. The Coast Guard won't ease their watch on West Marin, she said, until the coast is clear.

The CAMSPAC site is one of four Coast Guard facilities hereabouts. Along with a transmitter station near Bolinas and a housing complex in Point Reyes Station, the Guard maintains its Two Rock training center on the Sonoma County line.

Known locally as "Coasties," the guardsmen have given generously to the community. They've rebuilt the Red Barn, spiffed up West Marin School's athletic field, and wired up that school's computer network. They swab the Point Reyes shoreline during the park service's annual Coast Week cleanup, and march in the annual Western Weekend Parade. And every Christmas, they make wooden toys for needy kids.

When asked what makes working at CAMSPAC meaningful, Mark Mueller of Point Reyes Station, a telecommunications specialist responded, "Helping people out - and giving them a life."