USRC ''William H. Seward'' was a
Revenue Cutter Service schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
built in
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...
and purchased in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
for $34,600 in April 1864. Initially ordered to New York for temporary duty, she was then assigned to
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States.
With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...
in July 1864. In 1874, she was moved to
Key West, Florida
Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Isla ...
and transferred to
Galveston, Texas
Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...
the following year.
On 7 April 1880, ''Seward'' was assigned to
Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Bay St. Louis is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Mississippi, in the United States. Located on the Gulf Coast on the west side of the Bay of St. Louis, it is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of ...
where she primarily patrolled from
Mobile Bay to
Port Eads
Port Eads is a populated place at the southern tip of the Mississippi River, also known as South Pass, in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. The Mississippi River in the 100-mile-plus stretch between the Port of New Orleans and the Gulf ...
. She was also ordered to "cruise to
occasionally." On 30 September 1885, her patrol area was extended into the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
, as far south as "Port Eads and the Passes." On 13 July 1895 her cruising grounds were "from
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
to West End,
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain ( ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from west ...
, with occasional visits into the Mississippi River to the
Head of the Passes."
On 12 June 1897, she was ordered to
Ship Island
Ship Island is a barrier island off the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, one of the Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands. Hurricane Camille split the island into two separate islands (West Ship Island and East Ship Island) in 1969. In early 2019, t ...
to aid in
quarantine
A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...
duty with the
Marine Hospital Service
The Marine Hospital Service was an organization of Marine Hospitals dedicated to the care of ill and disabled seamen in the United States Merchant Marine, the U.S. Coast Guard and other federal beneficiaries. The Marine Hospital Service evolved ...
ship MH ''Surgeon''. She was then repaired and
fumigated at
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
in September 1897. In February 1898, she was ordered to Mobile for the
Mardi Gras Carnival. On 12 April 1898 she was ordered to be laid up at Mobile, where she remained until recommissioned on 1 July. On 20 May 1901 she was ordered sold and was decommissioned a final time on 10 June 1901 at Mobile. She was sold for $1,015 to Lee Kimball, who renamed her ''Eugenia'' and refitted her as a merchant barge.
References
*Canney, Donald (1995). ''U.S. Coast Guard and Revenue Cutters, 1790-1935'', Naval Institute Press,
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:William H. Seward
Ships of the United States Revenue Cutter Service