---
type: "LegalText"
title: "14 U.S.C. § 3908"
description: "Vessel deemed public vessel"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 14
title_name: "COAST GUARD"
chapter_number: "39"
chapter_name: "COAST GUARD AUXILIARY"
section: "3908"
citation: "14 U.S.C. § 3908"
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_usc14@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t14/s3908"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-14/usc14.xml"
source_hash: "e7eb71a9945540ad8a0d66d6ef448575b4d2ebc2a9790f8de3b25cb9beced808"
raw_snapshot_hash: "0a287809467d795ac0e1a72d6743ea6b1d340c0f74c77c67bfeba10724006304"
text_hash: "587425d3071c5056052d510e23a44056f9335ccc8bcc25a5e6cc07f2d199b967"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 14 U.S.C. § 3908 - Vessel deemed public vessel

## Text

While assigned to authorized Coast Guard duty, any motorboat or yacht shall be deemed to be a public vessel of the United States and a vessel of the Coast Guard within the meaning of sections 937 and 938 of this title and other applicable provisions of law.

(Aug. 4, 1949, ch. 393, 63 Stat. 555, § 827; Pub. L. 104–324, title IV, § 406, Oct. 19, 1996, 110 Stat. 3924; renumbered § 3908 and amended Pub. L. 115–282, title I, §§ 119(b), 123(b)(2), Dec. 4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4236, 4240.)

## Notes

Historical and Revision NotesBased on title 14, U.S.C., 1946 ed., § 266 (Feb. 19, 1941, ch. 8, title I, § 7, 55 Stat. 10). Changes were made in phraseology. 81st Congress, House Report No. 557.

Editorial Notes

Amendments2018—Pub. L. 115–282, § 123(b)(2), substituted “sections 937 and 938” for “sections 646 and 647”. Pub. L. 115–282, § 119(b), renumbered section 827 of this title as this section. 1996—Pub. L. 104–324 reenacted section catchline without change and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “Any motorboat or yacht, while assigned to authorized Coast Guard duty shall be deemed to be a public vessel of the United States, and within the meaning of section 646 of this title shall be deemed to be a vessel of the Coast Guard.”