The USRC Kewanee was a Pawtuxet-class screw steam revenue cutter constructed in Baltimore, Maryland, by J. A. Robb & Company. Launched on August 23, 1863, she measured approximately 130 feet in length, with a beam of 26 feet 6 inches and a hold depth of 11 feet. Her hull was built from oak, locust, and white oak, reinforced with diagonal iron bracing, ensuring durability. Powered by a pair of oscillating engines driving an 8-foot diameter screw propeller, her design likely allowed her to reach speeds comparable to her sister ship, approximately 12 knots. She was also rigged as a topsail schooner for auxiliary sail power. Commissioned on August 15, 1864, under Captain William C. Pease, Kewanee served during the final months of the American Civil War, primarily on convoy and patrol duties along the U.S. East Coast. Notably, she escorted cotton convoys from South Carolina to New York and performed patrols around Massachusetts and Georgia. Her service included participation in the Union effort during the Civil War, and she paid tribute to President Lincoln with a 36-minute gun salute following his assassination in April 1865. Postwar, Kewanee resumed typical revenue cutter duties such as boarding ships for inspection, searching for contraband, and assisting vessels in distress. In December 1865, she rescued fifteen shipwreck victims off Bulls Bay, South Carolina. Her commanding officer, Captain William Cooke Pease, died of typhoid fever in December 1866. Throughout her service, she operated from Charleston and was involved in towing and rescue operations, exemplified when she towed a stranded brig in March 1867. However, due to dissatisfaction with her machinery, the Revenue Marine deemed her engines too complicated for ongoing service. She was sold on July 10, 1867, for $25,100. She then entered merchant service as Musashi, going to Japan, where she was destroyed by an explosion in Yokohama in 1869, ending her maritime career. The Kewanee’s brief but active service reflects her role during a pivotal period in U.S. maritime history, serving both military and civil functions during and immediately after the Civil War.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.