USRC South Carolina was one of the first ten cutters operated by the United States' Revenue Cutter Service (later to become the US Coast Guard).

Operational service

South Carolina was not launched until 1793, however, due to the recalcitrance of state officials who were loath to support or enforce the United States' customs and navigation laws. Nevertheless, Cochran drew his pay during the time of her construction and so therefore probably chartered a private vessel to conduct patrols until the South Carolina entered service.

Little is known about this cutter other than that she was a schooner

Schooner

A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....

 that displaced 38 tons. Her journals and official correspondence have not survived and there is little mention of her in local papers. The only incident that garnered published notice was when the governor ordered the cutter to transport a company of soldiers (artillerists from Fort Johnson) down the waterway to protect a stranded British merchant vessel, the Aracabessa, from another vessel that may have been a French privateer

Privateer

A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...

. By the time the cutter got underway and arrived at the scene, the Aracabessa was burning from stem to stern. The privateer was nowhere to be seen and later captured two American vessels further out to sea.

The South Carolina State Gazette noted:

On Tuesday, the 17th inst. [1797] when the Revenue Cutter was ordered by the governor to go down to five fathom

Fathom

A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems, used especially for measuring the depth of water.There are 2 yards in an imperial or U.S. fathom...

 hole to protect the English ship Oracabessa from the French pirate who burned her, a detachment of 20 of Capt. Kaldensen's corps of Artillerists was put on board. By the time they got to Cumming's Point only five of the 20, and the commanding officer, Lieut. Robertson, were able to keep their feet, all the remainder were thrown down with sea sickness -- a clear proof that we stand in need of other marines for our celebrated cutter than the artillerists of a fort."

It would be a few years before the Marine Corps

Marine corps

A marine is a member of a force that specializes in expeditionary operations such as amphibious assault and occupation. The marines traditionally have strong links with the country's navy...

and the Revenue cutters cooperated but the suggestion was prescient. Depredations such as that which befell Aracabessa and the American merchant ships, among others, did motivate the government to begin building a navy.

South Carolina was sold on 5 June 1798 to Captain Oliver Pendleton for $630.00.