USCS Meredith 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 served as a survey ship in the United States Coast Survey from 1851 to 1872.

Meredith was built in 1851 and entered service with the Coast Survey the same year. She operated along the United States East Coast during her career.

On the morning of 12 October 1856, Meredith was at anchor

Anchor

An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...

 in Portland Harbor at Portland

Portland, Maine

Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...

, Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

, when her crew spotted fishermen who were in danger of drowning when their boat was swamped while they were attempting to reach their fishing vessel

Fishing vessel

A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing....

. Merediths sailing master, Mr. John T. Hopes, with one of the crew, promptly pulled out and rescued the fishermen.

Meredith was retired from Coast Survey service in 1872.