USRC Seminole, America’s Cup Races 1901, Library of Congress
I have seen relatively few photos of cutters from the turn of the century from 19th to the 20th and most of those were of the ships stopped or in port. I ran across the first three photos you see here of Seminole, Onondaga, and Gresham at the Historic Ship Geek Facebook page. and wanted to share them. (Thanks to Charley Seavey.) As you can see, when pushed, they pumped out a lot of black smoke. Several of these ships had interesting careers. I have linked additional information for each.
U.S.R.C. Onondaga, America’s Cup races, 1901. Library of Congress.
U.S.R.C. Gresham, flagship of the patrol fleet, America’s Cup races, 1901, Library of Congress.
A desire to provide a more complete picture prompted me to also post the few pictures I already had from this era and find more.
Six cutters from this era served as convoy escorts in European waters during the first World War, Seneca, Tampa, Ossipee, Manning, Yamacraw, and Algonquin (pictured immediately below).
USRC Seneca, 1908. Eleven Coastguardsmen were lost in an attempt to save the torpedoed steam ship Wellington.
USCGC Tampa (Coast Guard Cutter, 1912) photographed in harbor, prior to World War I. Completed in 1912 as the U.S. Revenue Cutter Miami, this ship was renamed Tampa in February 1916. On 26 September 1918, while operating in the English Channel, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German Submarine UB-91. All 131 persons on board Tampa were lost with her, the largest loss of life on any U.S. combat vessel during the First World War. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.
USCGC Ossipee Moored at the Boston Navy Yard in April, 1932, Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection
May 12 1898, USRC Manning in engagement off Cabanas, Cuba. This is the only photo the Coast Guard Historian’s Office has on file showing a cutter in combat during the Spanish American War. Property of Lieut. G. L. Carden, R.C.S., Lotos Club, 558 Fifth Ave., New York City. Photo No. MVF-152 #10, Acc. 526
USCGC Yamacraw, c. 1914.
Algonquin, no caption/date; Neg. No. 148-2; Marine Photo Shop-Joe D. Williamson photo.
From Wikipedia: “President Woodrow Wilson signed Senate Bill 2337 on 28 January 1915 creating the United States Coast Guard through the merger of the United States Life-Saving Service with the United States Revenue Cutter Service. On that date the newly formed service had 25 sea-going cutters and 19 harbor tugs and launches and 270 stations. The bill authorized 4093 officers, warrant officers, and enlisted men. The service also consisted of one headquarters at Washington, D.C., 17 regional commands, four depots and one academy. Source: King, Irving H. (1996). The Coast Guard Expands, 1865–1915: New Roles, New Frontiers. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN 978-1-55750-458-6” https://archive.org/details/coastguardexpand0000king/mode/2up
Some of the ships of this period continued to see service through WWII.
n 1914, USRC Cutter McCulloch was ordered to Mare Island Navy Shipyard where the cutter’s boilers were replaced, the mainmast was removed and the bowsprit shortened. In 1915, McCulloch became a US Coast Guard Cutter when the US Revenue Cutter Service and US Life-Saving Service were combined to create the United States Coast Guard. (Credit: Gary Fabian Collection)
USCGC Unalga at San Juan, PR, circa 1943, with two 3″/50 guns fore and aft. In 1941 the two 3″/50s were mounted abreast on the forecastle. The decks could not support a centerline gun, so in 1944 the forecastle was strengthened
Photo “U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft of World War II” by Robert L. Scheina
USCGC Tallapoosa, 7 April 1944, This photo affords an excellent view of her armament. She mounts two single 3″/50s fore and aft, two single 20mm guns elevated forward of the aft 3″/50, two Mousetrap ASW rocket launchers on the forecastle, four K-guns on the poop deck, and two long depth-charge tracks on the stern
Photo from “U.S. Coast Guard Cutters and Craft of World War II” by Robert L. Scheina
USCGC Snohomish (1908), Photo by J. B. Weed, From the collection of Arthur Heinickle
Wikipedia has an excellent list of Coast Guard cutters.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
Interesting story about Gresham here: Warship Wednesday October 22, 2014 the Overachieving Gresham | laststandonzombieisland