Sinbad: The Only Dog to Hold Coast Guard Rank Alongside Stubby

Sergeant Stubby usually gets the headline as America’s most decorated military dog. Sinbad is the other one — and he actually held real Coast Guard rank.

Smuggled aboard, then enlisted

In 1937, the crew of the Coast Guard cutter Campbell found a mixed-breed dog on the streets of New York and smuggled him aboard. He was formally enlisted with his pawprint on the paperwork, given his own service number and Red Cross identification, and assigned a bunk. His title, Chief Dog (K9C), carried the rank of Chief Petty Officer.

War in the North Atlantic

Sinbad served aboard Campbell throughout WWII convoy escort duty in the Atlantic. On February 22, 1943, during the battle for convoy ONS-166, Campbell rammed the German submarine U-606, helping sink it alongside the Polish destroyer ORP Burza. Campbell earned the Presidential Unit Citation and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four battle stars for the engagement. The crew half-joked that as long as Sinbad was aboard, no real harm would come to the ship.

Retirement and legacy

After roughly 11 years mostly at sea, Sinbad was taken ashore at the Barnegat Light station in New Jersey and honorably discharged on September 21, 1948. He died on December 30, 1951, and is buried beneath a granite monument at the base of the lighthouse’s flagpole. He remains one of only two dogs — alongside WWI’s Sergeant Stubby — ever given non-commissioned-officer status by the U.S. military before regulations barred the practice.

Sinbad’s Coast Guard service sits alongside Stubby and Chips in our hero dogs guide.

Frequently asked questions

What breed was Sinbad the Coast Guard dog?

Sinbad was a mixed-breed dog of undetermined heritage — contemporary accounts jokingly described him as part bulldog, part Doberman pinscher, and “what-not.”

What rank did Sinbad hold?

Sinbad held the title Chief Dog (K9C), equivalent to Chief Petty Officer — one of only two dogs, alongside WWI’s Sergeant Stubby, ever given non-commissioned-officer status by the U.S. military.

What was Sinbad’s most famous wartime action?

Sinbad was aboard the USCGC Campbell on February 22, 1943, when it rammed and helped sink the German submarine U-606 during the Battle of Convoy ONS-166.