USC&GS Wildcat was a steam

Steam

Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...

 launch

Launch (boat)

A launch in contemporary usage refers to a large motorboat. The name originally referred to the largest boat carried by a warship. The etymology of the word is given as Portuguese lancha "barge", from Malay lancha, lancharan, "boat," from lanchar "velocity without effort," "action of gliding...

 that served in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1919 to 1941. She was the only Coast and Geodetic Survey ship to bear the name.

Wildcat spent her entire Coast and Geodetic Survey career operating in Alaskan

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

 waters.

On June 9, 1923, Wildcat helped refloat the merchant ship Anvil, which had run aground in Isanotski Strait.