USS Revenge (1806)
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Acquired | by purchase, 1806 |
Fate | Run aground, 9 January 1811 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Schooner |
Length | 70 ft (21 m) |
Armament | 12 × 6 pdr (2.7 kg) guns |
The third Revenge was a schooner in the United States Navy during the years preceding the War of 1812.
Early service
The Navy purchased the Baltimore-built
Later service
In 1809, Lt.
In April 1810, the schooner entered the
Wreck
That winter, Revenge was charting coastal waters and harbours near Newport, Rhode Island, New London, Connecticut, and Gardiners Bay, Long Island, New York. On 9 January 1811, she ran aground on a reef off of Watch Hill, Rhode Island, while attempting to navigate a hazardous stretch of water known as 'The Race' in heavy fog. Cargo was unloaded onto other ships, and Revenge was pulled off the rocks. However, the tow rope parted and she began to drift, foundering, and eventually sank.[3] The records maintained by the Department of the Navy consider her to have been abandoned.[2]
Perry was cleared of responsibility for loss of the ship during the consequent court-martial proceedings. The court held the ship's pilot responsible for the wreck, as he had assured Perry of his ability to navigate Block Island Sound.[3]
Possible discovery
On 7 January 2011, local divers Charles Buffum and Craig Harger announced the discovery of a shipwreck that matched the location and size of the sunken Revenge, including the sighting of cannons and an anchor.[4] They had not, as of that date, been able to recover any artifact establishing the identity of the discovered vessel.[3]
In February 2012, the US Navy sent researchers to map the wreck, along with experts from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The Navy declined to speculate on whether the ship really was Revenge, but a representative said that if it were, the ship would be "an incredibly important part of American history."[5]
References
- ^
Footner, Geoffrey M. (1998). Tidewater Triumph: The Development and Worldwide Success of the Chesapeake Bay Pilot Schooner. Mystic, Connecticut: ISBN 0-913372-80-3.
- ^ a b c d e "Revenge (1806)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
- ^ a b c Mooney, Tom (7 January 2011). "Divers say they've found wreck of Oliver Hazard Perry's ship off Westerly". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 10 January 2011.
- ^ "Divers: 1811 Wreck of Perry Ship Discovered Off RI". The New York Times. Associated Press. 7 January 2011.[dead link]
- ^ David Klepper (8 February 2012). "Researchers Probe 200-Year-Old Shipwreck off RI". San Diego Union-Tribune. Associated Press.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.