USS Beaufort was a row galley constructed by the citizens of Beaufort, South Carolina, and presented to the United States Government to be used to protect the coast of South Carolina from possible attack by warships of France, which was undergoing political instability following the French Revolution. Beaufort carried a powerful 24-pounder gun and because it had oars it had the advantage of being able to be rowed to various advantageous firing positions in becalmed seas.