USRC Vigilant (1791)

Vigilant was one of the original ten cutters built and used by the United States Revenue Cutter Service. Her name meant: On the alert; watchful. Vigilant was launched in 1791 in New York and was used to patrol New York waters.

 History 
Her design was that of a schooner.Horatio Davis Smith, Early History of the United States Revenue Marine Service, ed. Elliot Snow (Washington, DC: Coast Guard Bicentennial Publication, 1989), p. 34 She was rigged with fore-and-aft sails on two masts. She was  long and had a shallow draft of only . Vigilant, launched in March 1791, it was probably the first cutter in the water. She was not, however, the first to enter into active service. Her first patrol was in December 1791. Her first master was Patrick Dennis, appointed on 6 October 1790. He also supervised the construction. Dennis served as master until his death on February 9, 1798.

Her assigned waters included New York Harbor, the coast of New York and New Jersey, Long Island Sound and the Hudson River as far as Albany, New York. On November 14, 1798 Vigilant was sold for £348. The Revenue Cutter Service decided the Vigilant was not large enough to carry out her duties. Nothing further is known of the cutter after that date.

 Related pages 
 USRC Scammel (1791)
 USRC Active (1791)
 USRC General Green (1791)
 USRC Massachusetts (1791)
 USRC Argus (1791)
 USRC Virginia (1791)
 USRC Diligence (1791)
 USRC South Carolina (1791) 
 USRC Eagle (1791)

 Notes 

 References 

 Other websites 
 Alexander Hamilton Letter to the Revenue Cutter Service
 A Brief History of the Revenue Cutter Service

Category:Military of the United States
Category:1790s in the United States