Active was a revenue cutter in commission in the United States Revenue Cutter Service from 1816 to 1825. She was the third Revenue Cutter service ship to bear the name. The Revenue Cutter Service purchased Active at Baltimore, Maryland, in August 1816. Although she worked in New York for a short time in 1817, Active served on the Chesapeake Bay for most of her career. During her first year of service, another USRC Active, chartered in 1812, was in commission, meaning that in 1816-1817 the Revenue Cutter Service had two ships named Active in commission at the same time.