Revenue Cutter Service: 1861-1866 USLHT Shubrick (1865)

1 revenue cutter service: 1861-1866

1.1 port townsend incident
1.2 conspiracy seize shubrick
1.3 remaining service of uss shubrick

revenue cutter service: 1861-1866

on 23 august 1861, on outbreak of civil war, transferred revenue cutter service. commissioned on 15 october 1861 under command of revenue captain william cooke pease, served under revenue cutter service orders 4 years, performing customs , law enforcement duties, based first out of san francisco, , @ port townsend june 1862.

port townsend incident

in part of august 1862, victor smith, collector of customs, arrived take possession of customhouse @ port townsend. pacific coast had been alarmed advances of confederates in new mexico , arizona, secret negotiations secure cooperation of governments of sonora , chihuahua , belief secret organizations thought ready attempt seizure of west coast. these reasons lieutenant james h. merryman, acting collector, fearing such attempt declined turn on property unless presented papers of authorization. customs collector declined furnish them went shubrick, selected armed guard, returned , demanded customhouse given in fifteen minutes or taken force.

lieutenant merryman instead turned on customhouse , papers lieutenant wilson of shubrick, gave him receipt papers , placed them on board. threatening attitude assumed cutter, guns trained upon port. on 11 august, warrant issued arrest of lieutenant wilson , victor smith, when united states marshal boarded shubrick on return trip, lieutenant wilson refused obey warrant , sailed away. month later issue resolved when both smith , wilson agreed undergo investigation.

conspiracy seize shubrick

on 15 march 1863, schooner, called j. m. chapman, had been seized in harbor of san francisco, preparing put sea confederate privateer. seizure made union men everywhere along coast more alert other attempts vessel purpose. among papers 1 letter disclosing plans capture of uss shubrick scheme appeared have been abandoned. in 1863, allen francis, united states consul @ victoria, received information led him believe plot forming, seize shubrick, , convert confederate privateer.

captain pease, shubrick s commander , shubrick made occasional visits victoria. in victoria newspaper had printed report of plot attempt seize shubrick. caused consul francis have 2 private investigators observe movements closely, , learned enough justify conclusion shubrick seized, captain s consent, while on british side of straits, , provided new crew willingly go on privateering enterprise. consul communicated secretary william h. seward unsatisfied british denials such thing going happen.

word sent customs collector puget sound discharge pease , of crew, suspected southern sympathizers. accomplished lieutenant selden, second in command on shubrick, known loyal. on next visit of shubrick victoria, while captain , large part of crew on shore, selden threw off mooring lines, , 6 men on board, sailed away port townsend. captain pease made no effort rejoin ship, sailed victoria san francisco , panama, seeming confirm information consul francis had received.

remaining service of uss shubrick

on 15 february 1865, shubrick transferred navy department 90 days special service in bering strait supporting survey operations conducted colonel charles s. buckley, agent of russian telegraph company. returned san francisco, , revenue cutter service, in turn handed lighthouse board on 24 december 1866.