USRC Moccasin

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USRC Moccasin was a United States Revenue Cutter built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and launched in 1864. It cost $14,000 to build and displaced 192 tons. The cutter was acquired from the Navy on September 18, 1865 and first served in Norfolk, Virginia, with Leonard G. Shepard, who would become a future chief of the Revenue Marine Service, serving as a third lieutenant at commissioning. In May 1866 its homeport moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, where it served until 1869, when it went to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for repairs. After repairs, Moccasin served in Newport, Rhode Island (1869–1872) and then Charleston, South Carolina. In 1881 the ship was sent to Slater and Read Shipyard in New York City and lengthened by 23.5 feet, bringing its length to about 128 feet. On April 10, 1882 it was recommissioned as USRC George Bibb and moved to the Great Lakes. The George Bibb was named after George M. Bibb, the seventeenth U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, and wintered at Ogdensburg, New York, with postings in Duluth, Minnesota; Detroit, Michigan; and Oswego, New York. After decommissioning in November 1890, the cutter was sold in Buffalo for about $2,500 and renamed Pentagoet, continuing as a merchant vessel. Pentagoet later foundered in November 1898.