USS Chesapeake

Career (US)
Name:	USS Chesapeake
Namesake:	Chesapeake Bay[1]
Awarded:	27 March 1794
Builder:	Josiah Fox[1]
Cost:	$220,677[2]
Laid down:	10 December 1798[3]
Launched:	2 December 1799[1]
Commissioned:	1800[1]
Maiden voyage:	22 May 1800[4]
Captured:	1 June 1813[1]
Fate:	Broken up, 1820[1]
General characteristics
Class and type:	Chesapeake-class frigate[5]
Displacement:	1,244 tons[1]
Length:	152.8 ft (46.6 m) between perpendiculars[1]
Beam:	41.3 ft (12.6 m)[1]
Draft:	20 ft (6.1 m)
Depth of hold:	20.1 ft (6.1 m)[1]
Propulsion:	Sail (three masts, ship rig)
Complement:	340 officers and enlisted[1]
Armament:	28 × 18-pounder (8 kg) long guns 20 × 32-pounder (14.5 kg) carronades

USS Chesapeake was a 38-gun sailing frigate of the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France and the War of 1812. Chesapeake was one of the the six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794. The ship was at the center of the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair, when she was attacked and boarded by HMS Leopard in 1807. During the War of 1812 she was captured by HMS Shannon and later her timbers were sold and used to build the Chesapeake Mill.

Construction

Main article: Original six frigates of the United States Navy

The keel of "Frigate D" was laid down 10 December 1798 at the Gosport Navy Yard in Norfolk, Virginia where Josiah Fox had been appointed her naval constructor and Richard Dale as superintendent of construction.^[6] The Naval Act of 1794 had specified four frigates rated at 44-guns each and two frigates of 36-guns each. "Frigate D" had been planned as a 44-gun frigate. Joshua Humphreys's original design plan was altered by Fox resulting in "Frigate D" becoming a 36-gun frigate.^[6] The exact reasons for the alteration are not clear but can be attributed to construction materials that were diverted to complete Constellation and additionally, Fox and Humphreys had disagreed over the design of the six frigates, perhaps leading Fox to make the alterations to his own liking.^[7] This would result in "Frigate D" having the smallest dimensions out of all three 36-gun frigates.^[7] A length of 152.8 ft (46.6 m) between perpendiculars would contrast in length of the other two 36-gun frigates, Congress and Constellation which were built to 164 ft (50 m) in length.^[8][9]

During construction of "Frigate D", a sloop named Chesapeake was launched on 20 June 1799 but renamed Patapsco between 10 October and 14 November apparently to free up the name Chesapeake for "Frigate D".^[10] It was not recorded who chose the name Chesapeake for "Frigate D" but she was the only one of the six frigates not named by President George Washington, or after a principle of the United States Constitution.^[11]

Armament

The Naval Act of 1794 had specified 36-gun frigates however, at some point the 36's were re-rated as 38's.^[12] As a 38-gun frigate, Chesapeake's rating was meant only as an approximation, and she would often carry up to 50 guns at a time.^[13] In comparison, a British ship of the line, depending on rating, carried between 60 and 100 guns.^[14] Ships of Chesapeake's era had no permanent battery of guns as modern Navy ships carry. The guns and cannons were designed to be completely portable and often were exchanged between ships as situations warranted. Each commanding officer outfitted armaments to their liking, taking into consideration factors such as the overall tons of cargo, complements of personnel onboard, and planned routes to be sailed. Consequently, the armaments on Chesapeake changed many times during her career, and records of the changes were not generally kept.^[15]

During her engagement with HMS Shannon, Chesapeake was armed with a battery of 50 guns. On the gun deck, she carried twenty-eight 18-pounder long cannon, 14 on each side. This main battery was complemented by two long 12-pounders, one long 18-pounder, eighteen 32-pounder carronades, and one 12-pound carronade on the spar deck. Her broadside weight was 542 pounds (246 kg).^[13] Twelve men and a powder boy were required to operate each gun.^[16] If needed, some men were designated to take stations as boarders, to man the bilge pumps, or to fight fire. Guns were normally manned on the engaged side only; if a ship engaged two opponents, gun crews had to be divided. All of the guns were capable of using several different kinds of projectiles: Round shot, bar shot, chain shot, grape shot and heated shot.^[17] Each gun was mounted on a wooden gun carriage controlled by an arrangement of rope and tackle. The Captain ordered the gun crews to either open fire together in a single broadside, or allowed each crew to fire-at-will as the target came close alongside. The gun captain pulled the lanyard to trip the flintlock which sent a spark into the pan. The ignited powder in the pan sent a flame through the priming tube to set off the powder charge in the gun and hurl its projectile at the enemy. The marine detachment onboard were the naval infantry that manned the fighting tops armed with rifles to fire down onto the decks of the enemy ship.^[16]

Quasi-War

Main article: Quasi-War

Chesapeake was launched without ceremony on 2 December 1799 and her fitting-out continued through May 1800. In March, Josiah Fox was reprimanded by Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Stoddert for continuing to work on Chesapeake while Congress was fully manned with a crew drawing pay but still awaiting completion. Stoddert appointed Thomas Truxton to ensure that his directives were carried out towards Congress.^[18]

Chesapeake first put to sea on 22 May commanded by Captain Samuel Barron and marked her departure from Norfolk with a 13-gun salute.^[4] Her first assignment was to carry currency from Charleston, South Carolina to Philadelphia^[19] and on 6 June 1800 she joined a squadron patrolling off the southern coast of the United States and in the West Indies. A sailing contest with her sister ship President^[20] during this cruise would result in Chesapeake being soundly defeated.^[7] She captured the French privateer La Jeune Creole as a prize on 1 January 1801 thereafter being placed in ordinary.^[1][21]

First Barbary War

Main article: First Barbary War

In response to an 1801 demand from Yussif Karamanli, the Pasha of Tripoli, for $225,000 in tribute from the United States, President Thomas Jefferson had sent a group of frigates to defend American interests in the Mediterranean.^[22] The first squadron had been under the command of Richard Dale in President and the second was assigned to the command of Richard Valentine Morris in Chesapeake. Morris's squadron would eventually consist of the vessels Constellation, New York, John Adams, Adams, and Enterprise. Some months were occupied in getting the vessels ready for sea; and it was not until September 1802 that the last ship of the squadron would arrive on station.^[23]

Chesapeake departed from Hampton Roads on 27 April 1802, bound for the Mediterranean and arrived at Gibraltar on 25 May. Morris had brought along his wife, young son and housekeeper. Midshipman Henry Wadsworth would write that the crew of Chesapeake referred to Mrs. Morris as the "Commodoress"^[24] and others would believe that Mrs. Morris was the reason behind Chesapeake's remaining in Gibraltar for months at a time.^[25] It was not until July that Constellation was sent as a token gesture to begin the blockade of Tripoli. Captain Alexander Murray would keep Constellation far offshore and led an ineffective blockade; even allowing the American merchant ship Franklin to be captured by the Tripolines.^[26]

According to Consul William Eaton, Morris and the rest of the squadron spent time at Gibraltar sightseeing, and "dancing and wenching."^[26] In early 1803 Eaton returned to the United States and made his report on the state of affairs in the Mediterranean under Morris. Chesapeake would sail for home on 6 April, as the term of enlistments had expired for her crew. She arrived at the Washington Navy Yard on 1 June and was placed in ordinary.^[25] Morris would remain in the Mediterranean until being recalled from duty by Secretary of the Navy Robert Smith.^[27]

Chesapeake–Leopard Affair

Main article: Chesapeake-Leopard Affair

HMS Leopard fires upon Chesapeake

James Barron was ordered to command Chesapeake in January 1807 and prepare her for patrol and convoy duty in the Mediterranean, as her sister ship Constitution had been on duty there since 1803.^[28] Barron found Chesapeake in much disarray from her several year period of inactivity and he left Master Commandant Charles Gordon in charge of the preparations.^[29] Meanwhile, Lieutenant Arthur Sinclair was tasked with recruiting personnel for Chesapeake and among those he recruited were three sailors who had deserted from HMS Melampus. Barron noted the sailors were indeed from HMS Melampus but that they had been impressed into Royal Navy service from the beginning and therefore refused to release them back to HMS Melampus.^[30]

Chesapeake departed Hampton Roads on 21 June 1807 and passed a British squadron, HMS Melampus, HMS Bellona, HMS Leopard operating in the area to intercept French shipping.^[31] HMS Leopard followed Chesapeake to sea.^[30] There the Captain of HMS Leopard hailed Chesapeake and demanded the surrender of various Royal Navy deserters. When Barron refused, HMS Leopard fired a quick succession of broadsides, killing three men and wounding 18 (including Barron).^[32] Barron struck his colors and the British boarded and carried off four crewmen, and declined Barron's offer that Chesapeake be taken as a prize of war.^[33] Chesapeake had been completely unprepared to defend herself during the incident. None of her guns had been primed for operation and the spar deck was filled with stores that had not been stowed in the cargo hold.^[34] Only one retaliatory shot was fired, after hot coals from the galley were brought on deck to ignite the cannon.^[35]

Barron was later found guilty of "neglecting on the probability of an engagement to clear his Ship for action" and was suspended from the Navy for five years.^[36] Chesapeake returned to Norfolk for repairs, and then with Captain Stephen Decatur in command, cruised off the New England coast enforcing the laws of the Embargo Act of 1807. During this period Decatur would declare Chesapeake to "Sail uncommonly dull."^[7]

War of 1812

An 1830 representation of HMS Shannon leading the captured American Frigate Chesapeake into Halifax Harbour in June 1813.

Main article: War of 1812

The Chesapeake-Leopard Affair and later the Little Belt Affair were two incidents of prelude for the United States to declare war on Britain 18 June 1812.^[1] Chesapeake was prepared for duty in the Atlantic and beginning on 13 December under the command of Captain Samuel Evans,^[37] she ranged from Madeira and traveled clockwise to Cape Verde Islands to South America and then back to Boston. She captured four British ships,Volunteer, Liverpool Hero, Earl Percy, and Ellen, one American ship trading under a British license, brig Julia, and one American ship recaptured from British privateers, Valeria, as prizes. During the cruise, she was chased by an unknown British ship-of-the-line and frigate, but after a passing storm squall, the two pursuing ships were gone the next morning. The cargo of Volunteer was 40 tons of pig iron and copper, which sold for $185,000 (1813 dollars). Earl Percy never made it back to port as she ran aground off the coast off Long Island and Liverpool Hero was burned as she was considered leaky. Chesapeake returned to Boston on 9 April 1813 for refitting.^[13][38]

Captain James Lawrence took command of Chesapeake on 20 May but found affairs in poor condition.^[39] The term of enlistment for many of the crew had expired, and they were daily leaving the ship. Those who remained were sullen and drunk^[40] as some of the prize money from her previous cruise was held up in court. In order to appease the remaining crew, Lawrence began paying out the prize money due to them from his own pocket. Some sailors from Constitution joined Chesapeake and these, with the remnant of the frigate's old crew, formed the nucleus which was filled up with merchant-sailors of all nations.^[39] Lawrence had recently commanded Hornet during her victory over HMS Peacock and he was eager to put to sea and challenge Shannon to a battle.^[40]

The port of Boston was under blockade by HMS Shannon and HMS Tenedos. Congress and President had slipped out of the Harbor using heavy fog as a cover but Chesapeake and Constitution remained behind undergoing repairs.^[40] HMS Tenedos departed for Halifax, Nova Scotia on 25 May to replenish her drinking water leaving HMS Shannon the lone ship on blockade duty.^[41] HMS Shannon had been under the command of Captain Philip Broke since 1806 and under his direction, the crew held daily gun and weapon drills lasting up to three hours.^[42] Broke awarded a pound (454g) of tobacco to any crew member who could hit their bullseye.^[39]

Chesapeake vs Shannon

On the evening of 31 May, Lawrence was advised that Shannon had moved in closer to Boston and he began preparations to sail. The next morning, Broke wrote a challenge to Lawrence. Broke dispatched his message to Chesapeake but it did not arrive before Lawrence had set out to meet Shannon on his own accord.^[43]

During six minutes of firing, two full broadsides were fired. The Chesapeake was struck by 362 shots, while the Shannon was hit by 258. Chesapeake suffered early in the exchange of broadsides, having her helm shot away so she lost maneuverability. Lawrence himself was mortally wounded and was carried below. The crew struggled to carry out their captain's last order, "Don't give up the ship. Fight her till she sinks.", but were overwhelmed.^[44] The battle lasted thirteen minutes, killing or wounding 252 men. Shannon's Captain Broke was severely injured in fighting on the forecastle. Chesapeake and her crew were taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia where the sailors were imprisoned; the ship was repaired and taken into service by the Royal Navy. She was sold at Portsmouth, England in 1820 and broken up. Surviving timbers were used to build the nearby Chesapeake Mill in Wickham and can be seen and visited to this day.

Legacy

Her mess kettle and an officer's chest may be seen at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax. The figurehead for Chesapeake was formerly located outside the main administration offices of Olau Line in the old Royal Naval Dockyard of Sheerness, but was damaged by the Medway Ports Authority during a move in 1991.

Fictionalized accounts of the battle appear in the novel The Fortune of War by Patrick O'Brian, and The Key to Honor by Ron Wattanja. It is discussed briefly, with reference to the court martial of Third Lieutenant William Sitgreaves Cox, in Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers. This engagement also became the subject of a well-known British sea shanty, "The Chesapeke and the Shannon".

Notes

References

• Robert E. Cray Jr., "Explaining Defeat: The Loss of the USS Chesapeake," Naval History (August 2007), pp. 56–62
• This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

Bibliography

• Abbot, Willis J. (1896). The Naval History of the United States. 1. Peter Fenelon Collier. OCLC 3453791. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/22305. 
• Brighton, John George; Broke, Philip Bowes Vere (1866). Admiral Sir P. B. V. Broke ...: A Memoir. London: S. Low, son, and Marston. OCLC 719466. http://books.google.com/books?id=BfYavosFYLkC. 
• Calhoun, Gordon. "The Frigate Chesapeake's War of 1812 Raid on British Commerce" (PDF). The Daybook (Norfolk: Hampton Roads Naval Museum) XIII (II). OCLC 51784156. http://www.hrnm.navy.mil/daybooks/Volume13Issue2.pdf. 
• Chapelle, Howard Irving (1949). The History of the American Sailing Navy; the Ships and Their Development. New York: Norton. OCLC 1471717. 
• Cooper, James Fenimore (1856). History of the Navy of the United States of America. New York: Stringer & Townsend. OCLC 197401914. 
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• Jennings, John (1966). Tattered Ensign The Story of America's Most Famous Fighting Frigate, U.S.S Constitution. Thomas Y. Crowell. OCLC 1291484. 
• Poolman, Kenneth (1962). Guns Off Cape Ann; The Story of the Shannon and the Chesapeake. Chicago: Rand McNally. OCLC 1384754. 
• Roosevelt, Theodore (1882). The Naval War of 1812 or The History of the United States Navy during the Last War with Great Britain. OCLC 133902576. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/9104. 
• Toll, Ian W (2006). Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the US Navy. W. W. Norton. ISBN 978-0-393-05847-5. OCLC 70291925.