Featuring a white background with the Great Seal of the United States, the banner reads "United States Coast Guard", and above are the words "Semper Paratus"--Always Ready. It also incorporates the date, 1790, which is in fact the year that the predecessor of the Coast Guard, the Revenue Cutter Service, was founded. The Coast Guard was officially formed in 1915 when the Revenue Cutter Service merged with the US Life Saving Service.