USRC ''Virginia'' was one of the first ten
cutters operated by the United States'
Revenue Cutter Service (later to become the
US Coast Guard).
Operational service
''Virginia'' was preceded by two ''state'' revenue vessels, the ''Liberty'' and ''Patriot'', that had active careers on
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...
well before the establishment of the "system of cutters," as the first ten Federal cutters were known. President
George Washington
George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
appointed Richard Taylor, a veteran of the navy of the state of Virginia who was twice wounded during the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
, as master of the ''Virginia''.
As with her sister cutters, little documentation has survived regarding ''Virginia''s service. It is known that she was ordered to prevent all vessels hailing from
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Tobago
Tobago, officially the Ward of Tobago, is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger islan ...
, or the
Grenadines from sailing into Chesapeake Bay during an outbreak of
yellow fever at those locations in 1793. She probably also enforced the Embargo instituted by President Washington in 1794. Enforcing the Embargo included preventing the arming and fitting out of
privateer
A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...
s, either French or British, in American ports. ''Virginia'' was involved in one such enforcement action when she attempted to seize the French-flagged privateer ''Unicorn''. By this time, ''Virginia''s master, Richard Taylor, had resigned his commission due to his failing physical condition brought on by his war injuries. First Mate John Lurty had taken command of the cutter although for unknown reasons he never received a promotion to the position of master.
References
''Virginia'', 1791 US Coast Guard website.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Virginia
First ten Revenue Service cutters
1791 ships