USRC ''Rush'' was one of 13 cutters of the to be launched. Named after

Secretaries of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

and Presidents of the United States, these cutters were the backbone of the Service for more than a decade. Samuel Humphreys designed these cutters for roles as diverse as fighting pirates, privateers, combating smugglers and operating with naval forces. He designed the vessels on a naval schooner concept. They had

Baltimore Clipper A Baltimore Clipper is a fast sailing ship historically built on the mid-Atlantic seaboard of the United States of America, especially at the port of Baltimore, Maryland. An early form of clipper, the name is most commonly applied to two-masted ...

lines. The vessels built by Webb and Allen, designed by Isaac Webb, resembled Humphreys' but had one less port. ''Rush''s official name was ''Richard Rush'', named after Secretary of the Treasury at the time of her launching. The cutter operated out of New York. In January 1840, she was severely damaged by ice and on 30 March 1840 the Treasury Department authorized her transfer to the Lighthouse Establishment. She has the distinction of being the "first" government-owned and operated lighthouse tender of the

Lighthouse Establishment The United States Lighthouse Board was the second agency of the U.S. federal government, under the Department of Treasury, responsible for the construction and maintenance of all lighthouses and navigation aids in the United States, between 1852 ...

although her design as a revenue cutter left much to be desired when it came to servicing aids to navigation. She was identified in the official records as USLHT ''Richard Rush''. She serviced aids to navigation in and around New York Harbor. The Lighthouse Establishment sold ''Richard Rush'' in 1848.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rush, USRC Cutters of the United States Navy Schooners of the United States Morris-Taney-class cutters Two-masted ships Ships built by William H. Webb 1831 ships Lighthouse tenders of the United States