USS United States (1797)
USS United States by 1852
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History | |
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United States | |
Name | USS United States |
Namesake | United States[2] |
Ordered | 27 March 1794[2] |
Builder | Joshua Humphreys[4] |
Cost | $299,336[3] |
Launched | 10 May 1797 |
Nickname(s) | "Old Wagon"[1] |
Fate | Abandoned 20 April 1861 |
Confederate States | |
Name | CSS United States |
Acquired | 20 April 1861[2] |
Fate | Abandoned May 1862[2] |
United States | |
Name | USS United States |
Acquired | May 1862[2] |
Fate | Broken up December 1865[2] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | First class frigate[5] |
Tons burthen | 1576 tons[2] |
Length |
|
Beam | 43 ft 6 in (13.26 m)[2] |
Draft | 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m) aft[2] |
Decks | |
Propulsion | Sail |
Speed | 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph)[2] |
Complement | 400 to 600 officers, enlisted personnel and 50 Marines |
Armament | 32 × long 24-pounders (11 kg), 24 × 42-pounder (19 kg) carronades (War of 1812) |
USS United States was a wooden-
In 1861, United States was in port at Norfolk when she was seized by the Virginia Navy. She was subsequently commissioned into the Confederate navy as CSS United States, but was later scuttled by Confederate forces. The U.S. Navy raised United States after retaking Norfolk, Virginia, but the aged and damaged ship was not returned to service; instead, United States was held at the Norfolk Navy Yard until she was broken up in December 1865.
Design and construction
During the 1790s American
Joshua Humphreys' design was deep,[12] long on keel and narrow of beam (width) for mounting very heavy guns. The design incorporated a diagonal scantling (rib) scheme to limit hogging while giving the ships extremely heavy planking. This gave the hull greater strength than those of more lightly built frigates. Humphreys developed his design after realizing that the fledgling United States could not match the navy sizes of the European states. He therefore designed his frigates to be able to overpower other frigates, but with the speed to escape from a ship of the line.[13][14][15]
Originally designated as "Frigate A" and subsequently named United States by President
Fearing sabotage, Humphreys was concerned about the open nature of his ship yard which allowed anyone to wander in. He requested from the War Department a number of guards which were posted to keep out visitors but to little effect.[20]
Construction slowly continued until a peace treaty was announced between the United States and Algiers in March 1796. In accordance with the clause in the Naval Act, construction of United States was discontinued. President Washington requested instructions from Congress on how to proceed. Several proposals circulated before a final decision was reached allowing Washington to complete the three frigates nearest to completion; United States, Constellation and Constitution were chosen.[21][22]
On 10 May 1797 she was the first American warship to be launched under the Naval Act of 1794,[3] and the first ship of the United States Navy.[17] She was fitted out at Philadelphia during the spring of 1798 and, on 3 July ordered to proceed to sea. Relations with the French government had deteriorated, starting the Quasi-War.
Armament
United States's nominal rating was that of a 44-gun ship. However, she usually carried over 50 guns.[23] United States was originally armed with a battery of 55 guns: thirty-two 24-pounder (10.9 kg) cannon; twenty-two 42-pounder (19 kg) carronades; and one 18-pounder (8 kg) long gun.
Unlike modern naval vessels, ships of this era had no permanent battery of guns. Guns were portable and often exchanged between ships as situations warranted. Each commanding officer modified his vessel's armaments to his liking, taking into consideration factors such as the overall tonnage of cargo, complement of personnel aboard, and planned routes to be sailed. Consequently, a vessel's armament would change often during its career; records of the changes were not generally kept.[24]
Quasi-War
United States sailed with Delaware to Boston where they were to meet with USS Herald and
In the ensuing two months two French privateers were captured, Sans Pareil on 23 August
On 13 January, 1799 French batteries at
Returning to Guadeloupe, Barry made another attempt at a prisoner exchange. However, Governor Edme Étienne Borne Desfourneaux told Barry he held no prisoners because there was no war with the United States. Though skeptical, Barry released his prisoners.[40]
On 26 March, United States took the French privateer La Tartueffe
United States returned to Newport, Rhode Island, in September and Barry waited for further orders.[42] In October those orders were to deliver Oliver Ellsworth and William Davie as envoys to France to negotiate a settlement of the Quasi War.[43] United States departed on 3 November[44] and returned in April 1800. She remained in port for needed repairs until December when Barry was ordered to return to the West Indies.[45] The treaty of peace with France was ratified on 3 February 1801 and United States returned home in April.[46][47] An act of Congress, passed on 3 March 1801 and signed by President John Adams, retained thirteen frigates. Seven of those frigates, including United States, were to be placed in a reserve fleet.[48] Ordered to the Washington Navy Yard, United States was decommissioned there along with Congress and New York.[49]
War of 1812
United States remained in the Washington Navy Yard throughout the First Barbary War of 1801–1805 and up until 1809, when orders were given to ready her for active service.[2] On 10 June 1810, now under the command of Stephen Decatur, she sailed to Norfolk, Virginia, for refitting.[47]
While she was at Norfolk, Captain John S. Carden of the
The United States declared war against Britain on 18 June 1812. Three days later Decatur and United States sailed from New York City within a squadron under the command of Commodore
United States and the squadron returned to pursuing the Jamaican fleet and on 1 July began to follow the trail of coconut shells and orange peels the Jamaicans had left behind them.[54] United States sailed to within one day's journey of the English Channel but never sighted the convoy. Rodgers called off the pursuit on 13 July. During their return trip to Boston, the squadron captured seven merchant ships and recaptured one American vessel.[55][56]
After some refitting, United States, still under Decatur's command, sailed again 8 October with Rodgers but on the 12th parted from the squadron for her own patrol.[57]
Three days later, after capturing Mandarin, United States parted company and continued to cruise eastward. At dawn, on the 25th, five hundred miles south of the Azores, lookouts on board United States reported seeing a sail 12 miles (19 km) to windward. As the ship rose over the horizon, Captain Decatur made out the familiar lines of HMS Macedonian.[58]
United States vs Macedonian
Both ships were immediately cleared for action and commenced maneuvers at 0900. Captain Carden elected not to risk crossing the bows of United States to rake her, but chose instead to haul closer to the wind on a parallel course with the American vessel.[58] For his part, Decatur intended to engage Macedonian from fairly long range, where his 24-pounders (11 kg) would have the advantage over the 18-pounders (8 kg) of the British.
The actual battle developed according to Decatur's plan. United States began the action at 0920 by firing an inaccurate broadside at Macedonian.[58] This was answered immediately by the British vessel, bringing down a small spar of United States. Decatur's next broadside destroyed Macedonian's mizzen top mast, letting her driver gaff fall and so giving the advantage in maneuver to the American frigate. United States next took up position off Macedonian's quarter and proceeded to riddle her with shot.[58] By noon, Macedonian was a dismasted hulk and was forced to surrender.[59] She had suffered 104 casualties against 12 in United States, which emerged from the battle relatively unscathed.
The two ships lay alongside each other for over two weeks while Macedonian was repaired sufficiently to sail. United States and her prize entered New York Harbor on 4 December amid jubilation over the victory. Captain Decatur and his crew were received with praise from both Congress and President James Madison.[60]
Aftermath
Macedonian was subsequently purchased by the United States Navy, repaired, and placed in service. After repairs, United States — accompanied by
Decatur was transferred to the frigate President in the spring of 1814, and he took some of the officers and crew of United States with him to his new command.
Second Barbary War
Soon after the United States declared war against Britain in 1812, Algiers took advantage of the United States' preoccupation with Britain and began intercepting American merchant ships in the Mediterranean.[63] On 2 March 1815, at the request of President James Madison, Congress declared war on Algiers. Work preparing two American squadrons promptly began—one at Boston under Commodore William Bainbridge, and one at New York under Commodore Steven Decatur.[64][65] United States was assigned under Bainbridge but required repairs and refitting from her period in port for the latter part of the War of 1812. She was not ready for sea when Bainbridge departed Boston on 3 July.[66]
United States finally departed for the Mediterranean two months later under the command of Captain
The senior American naval officer in the region, Captain Shaw became commodore and commanded the squadron consisting of Constellation, Java, Erie and Ontario until Commodore Isaac Chauncey arrived 1 July 1816 and took overall command. Nevertheless, United States, despite losing her position as flagship, continued to serve in the Mediterranean until she sailed for home in the spring of 1819 and reached Hampton Roads on 18 May. The frigate was decommissioned on 9 June 1819 and laid up at Norfolk.[70]
Squadron duty
United States returned to duty in November 1823 under the command of Commodore
United States made a stop en route to the Pacific at Rio de Janeiro and reached Valparaiso, Chile by 7 March. Commodore Hull found that Chile was now independent and had been acknowledged by Spain, though hostilities still continued with Peru;
United States remained in the vicinity of Peru and her duty there was mostly uneventful. In the autumn of 1825, Hull placed Lieutenant
She put into the
Capture of Monterey
United States was repaired at Norfolk in 1841 and was designated the new flagship of the Pacific Squadron of Thomas ap Catesby Jones, now a commodore. On 9 January 1842 she sailed from Norfolk via Cape Horn under Captain James Armstrong. On the night of 6 September 1842, while lying in Callao, the British frigate HMS Dublin, flagship of Rear Admiral Richard Darton Thomas, appeared off the port, and, seeing the American fleet, at once put to sea. The suspicions of Commodore Jones were immediately aroused, and, having heard that war was about to be declared between the United States and Mexico, the Commodore suspected Dublin intended to run up the coast and take possession of California, a country that England had long had her eye upon. United States got under way, and in company with Cyane Jones hastened north. They captured Monterey on 16 October when Jones demanded a surrender. The next day he realized that the United States and Mexico were still at peace, so tried to make amends for his action.[70]
While waiting for further orders, Jones heard British Captain
Herman Melville
Herman Melville, the future author of Moby-Dick, enlisted as an ordinary seaman on board United States at Honolulu, Hawaii, on 18 August 1843.[78] In White-Jacket, the graphic portrayal of flogging is based on his own direct observation which began his first morning (18 August 1843) aboard. The official log entry simply states, "Commenced with moderate breezes from the Nd & Ed. and clear. Shipped Herman Melville. "O.S". and Griffith Williams "O.S". ... at 9 a m . mustered the crew at Quarters, Punished Jno Hall, "O.S" with 12 lashes with cats for striking sentry on Post. Geo Clark "OS" with 12 of cats for smuggling liquor, Bos. C. B. Stanly "App" with 12 lashes with Kittens for fighting and Wm B Ewing "App" with 6. for using provoking language. Suspended the Boatswain from duty for disrespectful – conduct to the Officer of the Deck,- by replying when ordered by same through – Midn [Midshipman] Key, to call all hands stand by their washed clothes “ that he would 'receive no more orders in this Ship", or words to that effect." The next day 19 August 1843 the log states "Punished Geo Davis, Wm Stewart and Antonio Guavella "Bandsmen" with 12 lashes each for drunkenness." Melville fictionalized these brutal events (chapters 33–35) by changing the seamen's names slightly and setting the punishment musters at sea.[79]
His novel White-Jacket, published in 1850, while fictionalized is based on his experiences on board with many actual members of the crew e.g. his hero Jack Chase Captain of the Maintop, Seaman John J.Chase (chapter 4. and thumbnail). Melville though is highly critical of others such as the captain of United States and of naval customs in general.[80] Melville observed that Armstrong often appeared on deck intoxicated.[78] From Hawaii, United States (which Melville refers to as USS Neversink) proceeded to the Marquesas Islands and lost a man overboard en route. From the Marquesas she visited Valparaiso, Chile; Lima and Callao in Peru.[80]
United States remained at Callao for 10 weeks and the crew was denied shore leave while Commodore Jones was in port with his flagship Constellation.[81] Jones inspected every ship under his command during the 10 weeks expecting formal ceremonies at each inspection. The only break in the crew's boredom came when United States challenged Constellation and the British ship HMS Vindictive to a race out of the harbor. United States handily defeated both of them.[82]
Setting a course back home in mid-1844, United States arrived at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for resupply.[82] Departing 24 August for Boston she challenged and won a race with the French sloop Coquette. United States arrived in Boston on 2 October[83] and decommissioned there on the 14th.
She was recommissioned there on 18 May 1846 and detailed to the African Squadron to suppress the illicit slave trade under command of Captain J. Smoot as the flagship of Commodore George C. Read. United States joined the Mediterranean Squadron in 1847 and served in European waters until ordered home late in 1848. She returned to Norfolk on 17 February 1849, was decommissioned on 24 February and placed again in ordinary.[84]
Civil War
United States deteriorated in Norfolk until 20 April 1861 when the navy yard was captured by Confederate troops. Before leaving the yard, Union fire crews failed to burn the vessel along with other abandoned ships,[85] thinking it unnecessary to destroy an older ship. The Confederates, pressed for vessels in any condition, pumped her out and commissioned the frigate CSS United States (though they often called her Confederate States) on 29 April. On 15 June, she was fitted out as a receiving ship with a deck battery of 19 guns for harbor defense.
Despite good performance, she was ordered sunk in the
Notes
- DANFSis the only source to mention Vermont; Allen puts the capture of La Tartueffe before the prisoner exchange; Hill is the only source to mention Le Bonaparte but makes no mention of the day it occurred.
References
- ^ Humphreys (1916), p. 391.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "United States". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
- ^ a b Hill (1905), p. 199.
- ^ Humphreys (1916), p. 390.
- ^ "Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the Navy of the United States, including Officers of the Marine Corps, &c. for the Year 1825". Way & Gideon. 1825.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ Pickering, Timothy (14 March 1795). Letter to George Washington. Founders Online, National Archives. Retrieved 25 September 2019
- ISBN 9781934757147.
- ^ Cooper, 1856 p. 125
- ^ Allen (1909), pp. 41–42.
- ^ Beach (1986), p. 29.
- ^ An Act to provide a Naval Armament. 1 Stat. 350 (1794). Library of Congress. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- OCLC 43456786.
- ^ Toll (2006), pp. 49–53.
- ^ Beach (1986), pp. 29–30, 33.
- ^ Allen (1909), pp. 42–45.
- ^ Toll (2006), p. 61.
- ^ a b Allen (1909), p. 48.
- ^ Humphreys (1916), pp. 390–391.
- ^ Toll (2006), pp. 74–75.
- ^ Toll (2006), p. 73.
- ^ Maclay and Smith (1898), Volume 1, p. 161.
- ^ Toll (2006), p. 62.
- ^ Roosevelt (1883), pp. 55–56.
- OCLC 1291484.
- ^ Allen (1909), p. 66.
- ^ Maclay and Smith (1898), Volume 1, pp. 169–170.
- ^ Allen (1909), p. 67.
- ^ "Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume 1 Part 2 of 3 Naval Operations February 1797 to October 1798" (PDF). U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ "Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume 1 Part 3 of 3 Naval Operations February 1797 to October 1798" (PDF). U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ a b Allen (1909), p. 69.
- ^ Cooper (1856), pp. 129–130.
- ^ Allen (1909), pp. 81–82.
- ^ a b Maclay and Smith (1898), Volume 1, p. 175.
- ^ "Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume 2 Part 1 of 3 Naval Operations November 1798 to March 1799" (PDF). U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ a b Allen (1909), p. 90.
- ^ a b Hill (1905), p. 200.
- ^ Allen (1909), p. 91.
- ^ Maclay and Smith (1898), Volume 1, p. 176.
- ^ LL №3070.
- ^ Allen (1909), pp. 91–92.
- ^ Allen (1909), pp. 108–109.
- ^ a b Allen (1909), p. 110.
- ^ Maclay and Smith (1898), Volume 1, p. 188.
- ^ Cooper (1856), p. 134.
- ^ Allen (1909), p. 220.
- ^ Allen (1909), p. 221.
- ^ a b Hill (1905), p. 201.
- ^ Allen (1909), p. 255.
- ^ Allen (1909), p. 258.
- ^ Malia, Peter J. (27 October 2002). "Soapbox; Ichabod Crane's Namesake? Or Not". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
- ^ a b Roosevelt (1883), p. 73.
- ^ Maclay and Smith (1898), Volume 1, p. 322.
- ^ Cooper (1856), pp. 244–245.
- ^ Roosevelt (1883), p. 77.
- ^ Cooper (1856), pp. 246–247.
- ^ Maclay and Smith (1898), Volume 1, pp. 325–326.
- ^ Roosevelt (1883), p. 106.
- ^ a b c d Hill (1905), p. 202.
- ^ Hill (1905), p. 203.
- ^ a b Hill (1905), p. 204.
- ^ Langley, Harold D. (1984). "Women in a Warship, 1813". Proceedings. 110 (1). United States Naval Institute: 124&125.
- ISBN 978-0-571-27319-5
- ^ Maclay and Smith (1898), Volume 2, pp. 4–5.
- ^ Maclay and Smith (1898), Volume 2, p. 6.
- ^ Allen (1905), p. 281.
- ^ Allen (1905), p. 292.
- ^ Allen (1905), p. 293.
- ^ Hill (1905), p. 205.
- ^ Allen (1905), p. 294.
- ^ a b c d Hill (1905), p. 206.
- ^ Grant (1947), pp. 320–321.
- ^ Grant (1947), pp. 321–322.
- ^ Grant (1947), p. 322.
- ^ Gapp (1985), p. 103.
- ^ Gapp (1985), pp. 104–105.
- ^ Grant (1947), p. 323.
- ^ Gapp 1985 pp 101–121
- ^ a b Robertson–Lorant (1998), p. 117.
- ^ John G.M. Sharp ”The Ship Log of the frigate USS United States 1843 1844 and Herman Melville Ordinary Seaman"2019,p.16-17 accessed12 May 2019 http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/portsmouth/shipyard/usunitedstates-hmelville
- ^ a b Robertson–Lorant (1998), p. 120.
- ^ "Constellation". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
- ^ a b Robertson–Lorant (1998), p. 122.
- ^ Robertson–Lorant (1998), p. 123.
- ^ Hill (1905), p. 207.
- ^ "BURNING OF GOSPORT NAVY-YARD; Eleven Vessels Scuttled and Burned, The Steam Tug Yankee Tows the Cumberland to Sea, Norfolk Not on Fire". The New York Times. New York City. 24 April 1861. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
The Government vessels had been scuttled in the afternoon before the Pawnee arrived, to prevent their being seized by the Secessionists … The following are the names of the vessels which were destroyed: Pennsylvania, 74 gun-ship; steam-frigate Merrimac, 44 guns; sloop-of-war Germantown, 22 guns; sloop Plymouth, 22 guns; frigate Raritan, 45 guns; frigate Columbia, 44 guns; Delaware, 74 gun-ship; Columbus, 74 gun-ship; United States, in ordinary; brig Dolphin, 8 guns; and the powder-boat … [plus] line-of-battle ship New-York, on the stocks … Large quantities of provisions, cordage and machinery were also destroyed — besides buildings of great value — but it is not positively known that the [dry] dock was blown up.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
Bibliography
- Allen, Gardner Weld (1905). Our Navy and the Barbary Corsairs. Boston, New York and Chicago: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 2618279.
- —— (1909). Our Naval War With France. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 1202325.
- OCLC 12104038.
- OCLC 197401914.
- Gapp, Frank W. (1985). ""The Kind-Eyed Chief": Forgotten Champion of Hawaii's Freedom". Hawaiian Journal of History. Vol. 19. Honolulu: Hawaii Historical Society. pp. 101–121. OCLC 451331453.
- Grant, Bruce (1947). Isaac Hull, Captain of Old Ironsides; The Life and Fighting Times of Isaac Hull and the U.S. Frigate Constitution. Chicago: Pellegrini and Cudahy. OCLC 1116348.
- Hill, Frederic Stanhope (1905). Twenty-Six Historic Ships. New York and London: G.P. Putnam's sons. OCLC 1667284.
- Humphreys, Henry H. (1916). "Who Built the First United States Navy?". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. XL (4). Philadelphia: OCLC 1762062.
- Maclay, Edgar Stanton; Smith, Roy Campbell (1898) [1893]. A History of the United States Navy, from 1775 to 1898. Vol. 1 (New ed.). New York: D. Appleton. OCLC 609036.
- —— (1898) [1893]. A History of the United States Navy, from 1775 to 1898. Vol. 2 (New ed.). New York: D. Appleton. OCLC 609036.
- Robertson–Lorant, Laurie (1998). Melville : a Biography. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press. OCLC 246192980.
- OCLC 133902576.
- Toll, Ian W (2006). Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the US Navy. New York: W. W. Norton. OCLC 70291925.
External links
- USS United States Logbooks (#1190), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University
- Watch, Quarter, and Station Bills of the U.S. Frigate United States, 1817-1818 MS 66 held by Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library at the United States Naval Academy
- Journal of a cruise on board the U.S.S. United States from New York to various ports on the Mediterranean Sea, 1832-1942 (bulk 1832-1833) MS 94 held by Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library at the United States Naval Academy