USRC ''Richard Rush'' was a of the

United States Revenue Cutter Service The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by an Act of Congress () on 4 August 1790 as the Revenue-Marine at the recommendation of the nation's first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. The federal government bod ...

which served in the coastal waters of the western United States and the

Department of Alaska The Department of Alaska was the designation for the government of Alaska from its purchase by the United States of America in 1867 until its organization as the District of Alaska in 1884. During the department era, Alaska was variously u ...

. With a displacement of 179 tons, the vessel was long, in beam, and drew . Propulsion was provided by both a steam engine driving a single propeller, and a

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

-rig of sail. ''Rush'' was built by the Atlantic Iron Works in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, launched 14 March 1874, and commissioned 21 July of that year. Fitting-out was completed in New York, and on 15 September the cutter sailed for San Francisco, arriving there 8 January 1875 after rounding

Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...

. Among the plankowners was then First Lieutenant Michael A. Healy who at the time had never been on Alaska cruise but would later become an experienced captain of the ''Rush'', ''Corwin'', and ''Bear'' and become known throughout Alaskan waters as "Hell Roaring Mike" Healy.Strobridge and Noble, p. 46 Healy assumed command of ''Rush'' in 1881 as a first lieutenant.

History

Service

From 1877 through 1881 ''Rush'' completed four cruises in Alaskan waters. Thereafter the cutter was based in

Port Townsend, Washington Port Townsend is a city on the Quimper Peninsula in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,148 at the 2020 United States Census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County. In addition ...

. In 1882 ''Rush'' was at San Francisco where the Royal Navy

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

took aboard the Marquis of Lorne, Governor General of Canada, and his spouse the

Princess Louise Princess Louise may refer to: People * Louise of Denmark (disambiguation), various princesses * Louise of Prussia (disambiguation), various princesses * Louise of Saxe-Meiningen (disambiguation), various princesses * Princess Louise of Schleswig-H ...

, daughter of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

, for their trip to

Victoria, Canada Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

."The Marquis of Lorne's Movements", The New York Times An anonymous note threatened the British ship with destruction when the couple boarded, but a search by the crew of ''Richard Rush'' yielded nothing, and ''Comus'' was escorted out to sea by the American cutter."The Marquis of Lorne Threatened", The New York Times

Retirement

On 31 August 1885 the cutter was decommissioned and the hull and other fittings sold.Canney, p 43 The machinery was used in the construction of USRC ''Rush'', a larger cutter, completed on 10 November 1885.Canney, p 47

Notes

Citations

References cited

* * * * *

External links

Teacher's Resource for U.S. Coast Guard History
pp. 20–21 {{DEFAULTSORT:Richard Rush Ships of the United States Revenue Cutter Service 1874 ships