The USRC Snohomish was a 152 ft (46 m) seagoing tug built at the specific direction of Congress by Pusey & Jones, Wilmington, Delaware for service on the Pacific Northwest coast. She was fitted with latest lifesaving and property saving equipment available at the time of her construction and originally cost $189,000. She was commissioned by the United States Revenue Cutter Service on 15 November 1908 and arrived at her homeport of Neah Bay, Washington by way of passage around Cape Horn in 1909.