USRC Crawford (1830)

A Morris-Taney class Revenue Cutter
History
United States
Namesake	William H. Crawford
Builder	Webb and Allen, New York
Completed	1830
Commissioned	January 1830
Decommissioned	27 July 1835
Homeport	Norfolk, Virginia, Savannah, Georgia
Fate	Sold 1 April 1839, wrecked 15 December 1847
General characteristics
Class and type	Schooner
Displacement	112 tons
Length	73.4 ft (22.4 m)
Beam	20.6 ft (6.3 m)
Draught	9.7 ft (3.0 m) (aft)
Propulsion	sail
Sail plan	topsail schooner
Crew	20-24 officers and men
Armament	(4) 6-9 pndrs (typical of class)

The United States Revenue Cutter Crawford was the first of the 13 cutters of the Morris-Taney Class to be launched. These cutters were the backbone of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service for more than a decade. Samuel Humphreys designed these cutters for roles as diverse as fighting pirates, privateers, combating smugglers and operating with naval forces. He designed the vessels on a naval schooner concept. They had Baltimore Clipper lines. The vessels built by Webb and Allen, designed by Isaac Webb, resembled Humphreys' but had one less port^[1]

The Crawford, named for Secretary of the Treasury William H. Crawford, initially was assigned to the Collector of Customs in Norfolk, Virginia. In June 1831, she sailed for duty at Savannah, Georgia, arriving on July 1, 1835. The Government sold her in 1835 for $2,300.^[1]

The USRC Swiftsure (1825) was renamed Crawford on 31 December 1835 and sold 1 April 1839. USRC Jefferson (commissioned in 1832), was renamed Crawford in 1839 and served until 15 December 1847 when she was wrecked near New London, Connecticut^[2]

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This page was last edited on 23 July 2023, at 08:45