USRC Levi Woodbury USRC " Levi Woodbury " was a screw steam revenue cutter built for the United States Revenue Cutter Service during the American Civil War . Built in 1863 – 64 , she became one of the longest - serving revenue cutters in the Service ' s history , and was the oldest active - duty ship in U . S . government service by the end of her 51 - year career . Originally named Mahoning , the ship spent almost her entire career operating off the coasts of Maine and Massachusetts , where through the course of several decades she accumulated an outstanding record for aiding ships in distress . Other highlights of her career included the foiling of a filibuster raid on Cuba in 1869 , and participation in the funeral pageant of renowned philanthropist George Peabody . She also briefly served as USS " Woodbury " in the Spanish - American War . After her final decommission in 1915 , " Levi Woodbury " was placed into service as the merchant Laksco . She disappears from shipping records in 1932 . Construction and design . " Levi Woodbury " — originally named " Mahoning " after a creek and a valley in Pennsylvania — was one of six " Pawtuxet " - class screw schooner s ordered by the Treasury Department in 1863 for the United States Revenue Marine . " Mahoning " was built in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania by J . W . Lynn . Among those aboard for the launch , on the afternoon of Wednesday , 29 July 1863 , were " a number of ladies , many officers of the Philadelphia Navy Yard , and other invited guests . " " Mahoning " was christened by Miss Rebecca B . Thomas , daughter of Philadelphia ' s Collector of Ports , Colonel W . B . Thomas . " Mahoning " was long , with a beam of and both draft and hold depth of . Like the other ships of her class , her contract called for a hull of oak , locust and white oak , strengthened with diagonal iron bracing . Her two - cylinder oscillating engine drove a single 8 - foot ( 2 . 4 m ) diameter screw propeller . " Mahoning " s speed is unrecorded but was probably similar to the 12 knots achieved by her sister ship USRC " Kankakee " . She was topsail schooner - rigged for auxiliary sail power . " Mahoning " s armament consisted of a single 30 - pounder Parrott rifle and five 24 - pounder howitzers . She was crewed by a complement of seven officers and 34 enlisted men . Service history . Civil War service , 1864 – 65 . " Mahoning " was commissioned into the Revenue Marine on 18 July 1864 . Among her first duties was the transport of a Congressional Committee in mid - August to Wiscasset , Fort Popham and Bath , Maine . On 29 September , " Mahoning " arrived in Boston , Massachusetts from Portland , Maine , on the same day as her sister ship " Pawtuxet " from New York , and a comparative trial between the two vessels announced . On 16 November , while attempting to enter the port of Castine , Maine during a gale , " Mahoning " was mistakenly fired upon by Battery White , which apparently mistook her for a Confederate privateer . " Mahoning " s Captain Webster reported that the Battery fired three rounds in total , at a range of 2½ miles : " one blank cartridge and two excellent line shots [ that ] fell short " . This reception persuaded the vessel to make for Seal Harbor instead . Awards , 1866 – 67 . A year later , at Portland in November 1866 , the British Government presented Captain Webster , commander of " Mahoning " , with " a fine gold chronometer and chain , in token of his services to British seamen in distress during last Winter . " In May 1867 , the United States Congress passed a resolution authorizing Captain Webster to receive a gold medal from Sir Frederick Bruck for aiding British vessels in distress . Foiled filibuster raid , 1869 . In July 1869 , " Mahoning " participated in the foiling of a planned filibuster raid on Cuba by " a motley collection of ex - officers and fanatics " known as the Cuban Liberators , who had gathered on Gardiners Island , New York , in preparation for their attack . " Mahoning " , still under the command of Captain Webster , initially approached the island with a force of 12 marines , but it was quickly realized this force was inadequate , and an additional party of 38 marines sent for , which arrived aboard the tugboat " Rocket " . After locating the filibusters ' camp and firing a few warning shots , the marines were able to capture most of them without incident . The captives , in a " dirty and disorganized condition " and numbering 125 in total , were then transported aboard the revenue cutter to Fort Lafayette , where they were held pending further orders from Washington . Peabody funeral pageant and other events , 1870 – 73 . On Saturday 29 January 1870 , " Mahoning " participated in ceremonies occasioned by the return from the United Kingdom of the remains of noted philanthropist George Peabody at Portland Harbor , Maine . The ceremonies began at 10 : 15 am when " Mahoning " conveyed members of the U . S . Legislature to , where they conducted an inspection of the ship and viewed Peabody ' s casket . The legislators then returned to " Mahoning " to be given a sightseeing tour of the assembled fleet from " Mahoning " s deck . " Mahoning " later joined the fleet as it formed a procession to escort Peabody ' s casket to shore . " Mahoning " participated in a second ceremonial passage on Tuesday , 5 August 1872 , when she escorted out of the harbor a Japan ese diplomatic mission departing Boston on the " Olympus " . On 5 June 1873 , " Mahoning " was renamed " Levi Woodbury " in honor of the Supreme Court Justice of the same name . Cable ship welcome , 1874 . In early June 1874 , " Levi Woodbury " was despatched from Boston to try and locate the SS " Faraday " , a cable - laying ship from Britain whose appearance at Boston was behind schedule . " Levi Woodbury " departed Boston with a large party of about 150 , including the Mayor , several ex - Mayors and other dignitaries . Thick fog however frustrated the expedition , and " Levi Woodbury " was obliged to return in the afternoon . On 8 June " Faraday " was finally located off White Island , where she had anchored due to thick fog , and " Levi Woodbury " despatched to greet the vessel . The party from " Levi Woodbury " were warmly greeted aboard " Faraday " and treated to a " sumptuous lunch " , after which various toasts were made celebrating the prospect of a new cable link between the two countries . A formal reception at Portland was organized the following day for " Faraday " s officers and electricians , to which the officers of " Levi Woodbury " were also invited . In December , " Levi Woodbury " was transferred to Eastport , Maine to take the place of revenue cutter " Mosswood " , which had been ordered to New York . Winter patrols , 1870s – 1890s . Over her many years of operation from New England ports , " Levi Woodbury " was regularly selected for the arduous duty of winter patrolling . The purpose of these patrols , which were carried out from 1 December to 1 April each year , was to cruise off " dangerous points " of the coastline in search of ships in distress and render them appropriate assistance : Many a poor mariner , with his sails blown away , ground tackle gone , leaking badly , heavily iced up , food lockers empty , or perhaps out of his reckoning , sights the revenue cutter in the distance bearing down upon him , and experiences feelings which a landsman cannot understand . These patrols , authorized directly by the U . S . President , were made " as close to the land as the safety of the vessel will permit " , and were as extended as possible , weather , supplies and emergencies allowing . Preparation for the patrols began in November , with all the ship ' s equipment , including masts , sails , rigging , boats , tackle , steering gear , pumps etc . being carefully inspected and repaired or renewed where necessary . New towing hawsers and heaving lines would also be procured . The ship would additionally be fitted over the cutwater with an iron , V - shaped icebreaker 3 / 8 of an inch thick and extending 18 inches above and below the waterline , secured by a number of heavy chains . Officers would discard their normal uniforms in preference for reefer jackets , fur cap and gloves . The extent of " Levi Woodbury " s contribution to maritime safety over this period can be gauged by the fact that she was one of only two cutters assigned to patrol the Maine coastline , and that these waters , with their " immense number of shoals , rocks , reefs and islands " , combined with the " very strong tides , high winds , fog , vapor and ice " typically accounted for about four fifths of the total number of ships aided by the Revenue Cutter Service each year . For example , in 1888 , of the 526 ships in distress aided by the Service during the year , 400 were assisted by the two Maine cutters . " Levi Woodbury " had already accumulated a " remarkable " record of assistance by 1883 ; by 1892 , it was being said of her that she had " battled with more ice " — and by extension , assisted more ships in distress — than any other steamer on the Eastern seaboard . Spanish - American War , 1898 . With the Spanish - American War on the horizon , " Levi Woodbury " was ordered to join the U . S . Navy ' s North Atlantic Fleet on 24 March . Two days later , she received orders to report to Norfolk , Virginia , arriving there 2 April . She subsequently participated in operations with the North Atlantic Fleet from 8 May to the end of hostilities in August , during which time she was referred to simply as " Woodbury " in naval records . Though " Woodbury " may have participated in troop convoys to Cuba , her primary duty in this period consisted of blockading the port of Havana . She took no prizes during her brief naval career and appears to have been involved in no engagements . Control of the cutter was returned to the Treasury Department on 17 August 1898 . She seems to have retained the name " Woodbury " in Revenue Service records following the transfer . Later service . After the war , " Woodbury " returned to her former base at Portland , Maine , on 16 November to resume patrols of the New England coast . That routine occupied her for the next 17 years . By 1912 , her armament had been upgraded to a single rapid - fire 3 - pounder . She also carried a 250 watt radio . By 1913 , " Woodbury " was not only the Coast Guard ' s oldest cutter , she was the oldest active - duty vessel in U . S . government service , as well as being the only ship to have seen active service in both the American Civil War and the Spanish - American War . Despite her age , she was still able to perform useful service . On 10 January 1913 , for example , the crew of " Woodbury " were able to effect temporary repairs to their ship ' s broken rudder to go to the aid of the steamer " Monhegan " , which , after breaking down on the Maine coast , was being driven to destruction by a gale . " Woodbury " was able to get a line to the stricken vessel and tow it to safety , albeit at the stately pace of 3 knots . In spite of such admirable efforts , however , " Woodbury " was clearly an obsolete ship , and in barely serviceable condition due to rotting timbers and worn out boilers . In 1913 , the Revenue Cutter Service succeeded in its request to Congress for a replacement vessel , which was slated to enter service in 1915 . " Woodbury " achieved one of her last triumphs when on 7 August 1914 , " in one of the most important . . . [ rescue ] incidents of the year " , she towed to safety the steamer " Bay State " , which , with 250 passengers and a crew of 104 , had run aground " in a very exposed position " at Portland Head . A little under a year later , on 19 July 1915 , " Woodbury " was placed out of commission , a few months after the creation of the United States Coast Guard , and a few days before the commission of her $ 225 , 000 replacement . " Woodbury " s decommission ended a remarkable 51 years with the Revenue Cutter Service , making her one of the longest serving cutters in the organization ' s history . " Levi Woodbury " was sold on 10 August to Thomas Butler & Co . , of Boston , Massachusetts , and later entered service as the merchant " Laksco " . She disappears from shipping records in 1932 .