From 1790 to 1798, the Revenue Cutter Service was the country's only organised sea service. Names such as Vigilant, Active, Eagle, and Argus later became familiar in U.S. Navy history, although the revenue service used them first. Early American maritime power therefore rested on a customs service before the permanent Navy existed.
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A maritime service before the U.S. Navy
The Revenue Cutter Service filled the United States' maritime gap before a permanent U.S. Navy existed.