USRC ''Diligence'' was one of the first ten
cutters operated by the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
'
Revenue Cutter Service
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(later to become the
US Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi ...
).
Operational service
''Diligence'' was built at
Washington, North Carolina
Washington is a city in Beaufort County, North Carolina, United States, located on the northern bank of the Pamlico River. The population was 9,744 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Beaufort County. It is commonly known as "Original Wa ...
and was based out of
New Bern
New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...
after entering service in the summer of 1792. She transferred to
Wilmington in October that same year. Her first commanding officer was William Cooke. In 1793, Benjamin Gardner was appointed as the
first mate
A chief mate (C/M) or chief officer, usually also synonymous with the first mate or first officer, is a licensed mariner and head of the deck department of a merchant ship. The chief mate is customarily a watchstander and is in charge of the ship ...
and James Sandy was appointed as the cutter's
second mate. Little is known about her history during this time other than the fact that she was involved in the ''San Jose'' affair of 1793. The ''San Jose'' was a Spanish vessel with some gold on board as cargo; she was captured illegally by the French
privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...
''Amiable Margaretta''. Cooke and his crew seized the ''San Jos''e from the ''Amiable Margaretta''.
In 1796 Cooke disappeared and was replaced by John Brown, who served as her commanding officer until the cutter was sold in 1798 for $310.
Commanding officers
William Cooke, Master; 1792-1796.
John Brown, Master; 1796-1798.
References
''Diligence'', 1792 US Coast Guard website.
*Canney, Donald, 1995: ''U.S. Coast Guard and Revenue Cutters, 1790-1935''. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press.
*Stephen H. Evans, 1949: ''The United States Coast Guard, 1790-1915: A Definitive History'' (With a Postscript: 1915-1950). Annapolis: The United States Naval Institute.
*Kern, Florence, 1979: ''William Cooke's U.S. Revenue Cutter Diligence, 1792-1798: "One in North Carolina"'', Washington, DC: Alised Enterprises.
*U.S. Coast Guard, 1934: ''Record of Movements: Vessels of the United States Coast Guard: 1790 - December 31, 1933'', Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office (reprinted 1989).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diligence
First ten Revenue Service cutters
1792 ships