She was purchased by the US Navy in December 1822 for use as a shallow water vessel operating against pirates along the coast of Cuba, and renamed Sea Gull.

In July 1824, Lt. Isaac McKeever assumed command and returned to the West Indies whence Sea Gull patrolled until March 1825.

At this time, with the barge Gallinipper she joined the British frigate Dartmouth and two schooners, HMS Lion and Union, in a raid on a pirate vessel.

She was subsequently surveyed, found unfit for further sea duty, and fitted out as a receiving ship at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

There is a painting of the USS Sea Gull at the Custom House Museum in Key West, FL by David Harrison Wright 2003.