| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | USS Van Buren |
| Namesake | Martin Van Buren |
| Ordered | 26 June 1839 |
| Commissioned | 2 December 1839 |
| Decommissioned | 1 June 1847 |
| Fate | Sold for $1,200 on 1 June 1847 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type | Schooner |
| Tonnage | 112 |
| Length | 73 ft 4 in (22.35 m) |
| Beam | 20 ft 2 in (6.15 m) |
| Depth of hold | 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) |
| Armament | 4 12-pounder guns |
USS Van Buren was a schooner that served as part of the United States Revenue Cutter Service.[1] The ship was named after Martin Van Buren, the eighth president of the U.S.[1] The ship was commissioned and set sail on 2 December 1839, and served a regular tour of duty with the Revenue Service. During the Second Seminole War, the ship was transferred to the United States Navy, and served as a support ship to troops along the coasts of Florida's rivers.
After being transferred back to the control of the Secretary of the Treasury, the Van Buren began to sail out of its homeport of Charleston, South Carolina. Still under the command of the Revenue Cutter Service, the ship participated in the Mexican–American War, first in the Gulf of Mexico, and later as a member of a squadron under the command of Captain John A. Webster. With the squadron, the Van Buren aided in a blockade off the coast of Veracruz. On 4 October 1846, the ship's crew had the Van Buren declared unseaworthy. It was decommissioned, and then sold for $1,200 on 1 June 1847.
- ^ a b c "Van Buren". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Washington, D.C.: Naval History & Heritage Command. 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2010.