Curtis Is Always Ready For Action!
The Coast Guard's motto is "Semper Paratus" Always Ready and Curtis the Colossal Coast Guard Robot is always ready for action. First activated in 1974 Curtis benefitted from technological advances made during the Apollo Space Programme. Engineers who worked on the giant Saturn V Rocket used their knowledge to help create this Colossal Robot. The final design of his super efficient watertight batteries owes a lot to the technology used in British Designer Henry Greenwood's Metal Men. Thought to be lost at sea when the Colossus sank, one of Greenwood's creations walked out of the wreck and across the sea bed until it finally surfaced on Robot City Docks in 1972.
Curtis has proved his worth to the City time and time again and countless seafarers owe him their lives. In 1984 some bright spark in the Robot City Tourist Board used Curtis' image in a marketing campaign for the City. The image stuck and later that year the Robot City Council officially adopted the graphic image of Curtis the Colossal Coast Guard as their own Official City logo.
Curtis was designed to cope with large emergencies that would normally require a vast amount of Man and Robot Power to handle. He is fitted with many extraordinary features including extendable legs to cope with the uneven seabed, an emergency lifeboat compartment in both his forearms, high pressure fire hoses and of course powerful lighthouse torches to operate in the darkest conditions. He also has a highly advanced communications turret which is mounted above the main light on top of his head and is manned by two members of the Coast guard on all missions. Curtis can seal and pressurise his body compartments and cabins so that they are watertight and he can then submerge if needed to operate underwater.
Curtis the Logo
When the City Council was searching round for an emblem they sent their top Designers and Researchers out to find out what the general
populace felt best represented their City. By far and away the most iconic emblem of the City was felt to be Curtis the Colossal Coast Guard who has fearlessly protected all those who travel the waters around our great City.
Both the Robots and People of the City identified the painting of Curtis in one of the world famous City Hall murals painted by Frank Bellows as the image they most wanted to represent Robot City.
The top Designers in the City created the now familiar graphic version of this pose.
"The very first thing I saw that impressed me beyond belief when our ship arrived at the Port of Robot City was the colossal figure of Curtis the Coast Guard striding through the waters. He seemed so powerful, so grand and yet his movements were graceful like a dancer. Over the years I spent in the City working on many commissions I never failed to be impressed by the sight of Curtis. His very presence seemed to make everyone feel safe and protected. Despite his size and importance there was always a feeling that he was one of us…a citzen of Robot City. In the mural I painted for the south wall of the foyer of Robot City City Hall I put Curtis at the centre of everything…his arms outstretched in the pose of "every man"…for that is how I see him."
Frank Bellows - speaking at the unveiling of the City Hall Foyer murals.
The Graphic Version of this painting is now recognised the World over as the symbol of Robot City.
Remember…it's not officially endorsed by Robot City unless the stamp of approval bears the official logo.
If you are using the logo please refer to the Official Robot City Logo Style Guide. A copy of this document is available for free from the
Planning and Design Office at City Hall. This logo is copyright property of Robot City and must not be used without written permission from the Planning and Design Permissions Officer.
Curtis is 100m tall without extending his lower leg sections - that makes him just 10m short of an Apollo Rocket!
Curtis was first declared fully operational and fit for work as a Coast Guard in 1974. It had taken three years to build and test this Colossal Robot. It was the actions of the Awesome Threesome...three Giant Construction Robots who saved the Armstrong Dam in 1970 that helped Robot City Coast Guard Planners green light plans to build Curtis. They used NASA engineers who had worked on the SaturnV Rocket for the Apollo Space Programme and in 1972 they had a massive stroke of luck when a Robot that had thought to be lost at sea when the Colossus sank in 1912 walked out of the water onto Robot City Docks. Engineers were able to examine the amazing watertight battery that was inside "Greenwood's Indestructible Man" and create a modified version for Curtis.
Between missions Curtis gets repaired and refuelled in the Coast Guard's giant Dry Dock located down in the Harbour. Curtis relaxes on a seat as a team of specialist engineers ( known as "The Lighthouse Keepers" ) rush around checking all of Curtis' instruments. The Dry Dock can be filled with water if needed to float a boat but most of the time it is kept dry so that Curtis' circuits can be looked at without getting them wet.
This amazing facilty was built especially for Curtis. From the outside it looks like a normal Harbour building but inside it is a state of the art high tech Coast Guard Station.
There is a Communications Deck in the very top of Curtis' Head. This is normally manned by two Lighthouse Keepers on each mission. When the alarm bell sounds they enter the Communications Deck from an overhead gangway.