---
type: "LegalText"
title: "1 U.S.C. § 3"
description: "“Vessel” as including all means of water transportation"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 1
title_name: "GENERAL PROVISIONS"
chapter_number: "1"
chapter_name: "RULES OF CONSTRUCTION"
section: "3"
citation: "1 U.S.C. § 3"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc01@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t1/s3"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-01/usc01.xml"
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text_hash: "958d512010b088e5dec0265d5c99609cab7025387eeb5428d7e1cd376717d1ce"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 1 U.S.C. § 3 - “Vessel” as including all means of water transportation

## Text

The word “vessel” includes every description of watercraft or other artificial contrivance used, or capable of being used, as a means of transportation on water.

(July 30, 1947, ch. 388, 61 Stat. 633.)