The Star of Hope case was a United States Supreme Court case that dealt with the issue of maritime salvage. The case involved a ship called the Star of Hope, which had been abandoned by its crew in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was eventually found by a salvage vessel, which towed it to a port in the United States. The owners of the Star of Hope then sued the salvage vessel for the value of the ship, claiming that the salvage vessel had no right to take possession of the ship. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the salvage vessel, finding that the vessel had acted in good faith and had a right to take possession of the ship. The Court held that the salvage vessel was entitled to a salvage award, which was to be determined by the court. The Court also held that the owners of the Star of Hope were not entitled to any compensation for the value of the ship, as they had abandoned it and had no right to reclaim it. This ruling established the principle that a salvage vessel has a right to take possession of a ship that has been abandoned, and is entitled to a salvage award for its efforts.

In the case of Star of Hope, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a vessel that had been seized by Confederate forces during the Civil War and then recaptured by Union forces could be considered a prize. The majority opinion held that it could not because it had already been taken from its original owner before being re-captured. However, Justice Field dissented from this decision on two grounds: firstly, he argued that under international law vessels captured in war are subject to confiscation regardless of who has previously possessed them; secondly, he argued that Congress had authorized such seizures through legislation passed prior to the seizure in question. He concluded his dissent by noting that if Congress did not intend for vessels like these to be confiscated as prizes then they should have made their intentions clear when passing relevant laws or treaties.