| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS John Hancock |
| Namesake | John Hancock (1737–1793), early American patriot |
| Builder | Boston Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Launched | 26 October 1850 |
| Commissioned | 6 September 1851 |
| Decommissioned | Late 1851 |
| Recommissioned | 19 March 1853 |
| Decommissioned | 23 August 1856 |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics as U.S. Navy tug (before 1853 rebuild) | |
| Type | Steam tug |
| Displacement | 230 long tons (234 t) |
| Length | 113 ft (34 m) |
| Beam | 22 ft (6.7 m) |
| Draft | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
| Propulsion | Steam engine, screw-propelled |
| Speed | 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) |
| Complement | 20 officers and enlisted |
| Armament | 1 × 6-pounder gun |
| General characteristics as commercial fishing vessel | |
| Type | Topsail schooner |
| Tonnage | 167.62 tons |
| Length | 143.7 ft (43.8 m) |
| Beam | 23.5 ft (7.2 m) |
| Depth | 8.5 ft (2.6 m) |
USS John Hancock was an armed steam tug in the United States Navy during the 1850s. She was named for Founding Father John Hancock and saw action against rioters in Massachusetts, filbusters in Cuba, rebels in China, and Native Americans in the Washington Territory. She took part in a hydrographic surveying expedition to East Asia and the Pacific Ocean.
After her U.S. Navy service ended, John Hancock operated under the United States Department of State, served as floating powder magazine, and entered commercial service as a cod-fishing schooner before she was wrecked in 1893.