A great kick-off

On Wednesday, the Board of Directors and several key supporters ventured to Washington DC for the kick-off reception of the War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemorations. The event, hosted by the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History in front of the original Star Spangled Banner (Kenneth E. Behring Center) featured guest speakers Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Dr. Jose Fuentes, Chairman of OpSail. The event lasted from 7 to 9 pm and was capped off by libations at the Old Ebbet Grill with the Navy Commemorations Office and OpSail staff a few blocks away.

Photos of the event have been posted on Facebook - both the official photos, here, but also the blooper reel on my personal page as well. Some faces have been blurred to protect the innocent.

The NHS team was received very graciously by Secretary Mabus, who took a few minutes to share with me a few recollections of his own sea duty as a surface warfare officer.

Chesapeake Day - Part 2

In the last entry, we looked at the stereotype of USS Chesapeake as an inferior ship, and pointed out that she wasn't. Unlucky, yes - and Sailors get that, even today. But poorly designed, inferior, no. Chesapeake was pretty standard, possibly very pretty, but about comparable to what the British brought to the fight.

So if the two ships were so similar, what made the difference? Training. It's a simple matter of preparedness that ultimately decided the conflict before it even began. Here's a good example of what Broke and the Shannon were up to for months prior to the fight:

"The weekly routine at sea was for the watch on deck to be exercised at the great guns on Monday and Tuesday afternoons, and in the afternoons the first division of the watch was exercised at small arms. Wednesday and Thursday forenoons saw the watch on deck at the carronades, and in the afternoons the second division of the watch at small arms. Friday was reserved for the Midshipmen – great guns in the morning, small arms in the afternoon. Thus each man had one morning at the 18-pounders, one morning at the carronades and two afternoons with musquets in every week.
Saturdays were reserved for washing clothes and scrubbing the berth deck in the afternoon. Sunday, apart from Church service and any necessary evolutions with the sails, was free."

Chesapeake, meanwhile had been trapped in port for more than a year, her crew was generally a mixed bag of experienced sailors and new recruits - including her officers. None of these elements had been afforded a chance to exercise together. I'm not sure if Lawrence ran drills dockside, but it seems from many of the accounts to remind me of Chesapeake's 1807 run-in with HMS Leopard - unprepared, disorganized and thoroughly confused. At any rate, the two ships were near polar opposites in that regard.

So why, then, did Lawrence choose to fight - and he had a choice, he was in port while Shannon beckoned from open water - if he knew himself to be facing a superior foe in a ship that was nowhere near ready? The answer is the bite of hubris.

Earlier in the year, while still commander of Hornet, Lawrence discovered a British warship, the HMS Bonne Citoyenne (why do they so hate the French but love their language?) loading with gold in San Salvador, Brazil. Though Hornet was in company with Constitution at the time, Bainbridge pledged to keep Constitution out of action as Lawrence chided his prospective opponent to come out and fight. When the British commander, Pitt Barnaby Greene, refused on the grounds of responsibility to the gold over his own personal honor, Lawrence claimed a victory and touted his success to the American public - who saw it the same way. Now, Lawrence was under the honor microscope, and with dire consequences.

You have to remember, this was a time when personal honor was paramount in personal and professional life alike. I'm sure - though I have no evidence of it - that Greene took a ribbing from his fellow British officers, even though by all considerations he seems to have done the right thing by his duties. Lawrence played the coward card, and now unless he sailed out to meet Broke in combat, he would more than likely be painted with the stain he had so vigorously applied himself just months before. In the early 19th century navy, this was a no-brainer - he had to go, ready or not.

There is no piece of evidence that shows this resignation more than the maneuver with which Lawrence opened the fight. Broke had Shannon hove to, waiting for Lawrence, and rather than cut to windward and attempt to gain the weather gauge he remained hove to as Chesapeake barreled down on him. With the ships in this position, it would have been a customary offensive maneuver for Lawrence to sail past Shannon, firing into her stern as he passed - a maneuver known as raking. It would have had a devastating effect on his challenger and given him an early upper hand. But instead, Lawrence wore hard and ground to a near stop with his ship alongside of, parallel to and to weather of Shannon before unleashing his first ragged broadside.

From that moment, it was no contest. Shannon battered Chesapeake and eventually boarded her to complete the victory. It was a bloody battle, and Lawrence himself was mortally wounded. Carried from the deck early in the engagement, he gave the command "Tell the men to fire faster and don't give up the ship, fight her 'til she sinks!" And later "burn her." In context, it was quite clear (at least to me) that Lawrence knew he was doomed, but elected to fight on and go out with a bang - and under no circumstances humbly submit to the drubbing, but rather prevent the British taking the prize by destroying the ship. When you really think about it, it was a fanatical act of dedication to the concept of honor in refusing to surrender. It is a sign, I think, of knowing that it was the only way to avoid his tremendous hubris.

James Lawrence was certainly brave, definately had an influence on the early Navy, and absolutely knew how to get the public on his side. But he was also human, and I believe his engagement with Shannon was more akin to a sad, hollow thud at the end of a life and career rather than the triumphant ring of a patriotic soul, as it is so often thought of today. It should be a warning to us as professional Sailors and war fighters - beware of gloating over your advantage, it will bite you. Triumph with honor means a gracious victor.

In the end, Broke did capture Chesapeake, and led her into Halifax under British colors. Taken back to England, she was refitted, her lines and details recorded, and sent back to sea as HMS Chesapeake. In a final dose of irony, very likely intentional, she was sent to blockade Chesapeake Bay and Hampton Roads - where she had been built.

Ouch. Remember that burn.

In case you're wondering, those are Chesapeake's lines in the image, and they are the same as the background on this page - have been for some time.

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Chesapeake Day, hats off. Part 1

Today marks the anniversary of the capture of USS Chesapeake by HMS Shannon in 1813. James Lawrence, who had achieved national fame in Hornet for sinking HMS Peacock in a sharp 14 minute fight, also earned promotion to Captain and command of a frigate - Chesapeake. June 1st would become a day of several ironies for Lawrence, in an engagement that isn't so plain as "unlucky ship" versus "crack ship" and a valiant end to a national hero.
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We should all contemplate that event a little more closely, and here's some food for thought- part 1 - Chesapeake, the ship.
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First of all, I will not argue that Chesapeake wasn't an unlucky ship (she very certainly earned that epitaph), but poorly designed she was not. There are accounts (albeit from Hampton Roads area newspapers) that called her the most beautiful of the original six frigates. She was the smallest, but this was not a deficiency, but rather an intentional choice by Fox - who was a highly experienced designer and shipwright. He argued, contrary to Humphries (who is generally credited today with designing the six), that the big frigates would be unwieldy, susceptible to grounding, and targets that the British, whose Navy far outnumbered ours, could easily blockade or hunt down with superior forces. Constitution is the exception here, not the rule (though even she grounded a number of times), but looking at the others, we see he was right.
(referencing service in the War of 1812, only)

• United States made one successful cruise and captured HMS Macedonian, but was then blockaded in New London CT for most of the war by a superior British force.



• President captured a few ships and did some extended cruising, but never took a significant enemy warship (she captured a schooner, HMS Highflyer). She grounded off Sandy Hook in 1814 causing significant damage, and was captured a short time later by overwhelming forces of the British blockading squadron.



• Congress captured some merchant shipping, but again, never met an enemy ship in battle - most that she chased outran her. In late 1813 she was placed in ordinary due to lack of available manpower.



• Constellation was trapped in Norfolk for the entire war, blockaded by the British.

Calling Chesapeake a bad frigate is really trying not to admit that the original 'six frigates' program of the early navy didn't have nearly as great an effect on the actual tactical or strategic picture that we think it did.
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In contrast, Fox argued for the construction of smaller ships, particularly smaller frigates and sloops of war. Hornet (designed but not built by Fox) is a gleaming example of the class, and there are few that match her longevity or success, but on the whole these smaller vessels made quite a difference in the War of 1812. The ships could be produced much faster than the large frigates, at significantly reduced expense, and because there were more of them, I would argue that they lent very seriously to the cultivation of a broad and deep base of professional knowledge and experience in the junior officer corps that saw the navy through the next 50+ years. I am getting off topic.
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My point? Don't knock Fox. It's popular, as his fight with Humphries turned very public and resulted in significant slanting of the pros- and cons of the big frigates in Humphries favor in our look at things today. Chesapeake may have been unlucky, but poorly designed, she was not.
Now, for fair comparison, let's look at Chesapeake compared to Shannon.
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Characteristic / Chesapeake / Shannon
Broadside wt. / 542 lbs / 550 lbs
Compliment / 379 / 330
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I could continue, but the main points are there, and the ships were more or less well matched and equal - with a slight advantage in numbers going to Chesapeake. But as we will see later, naval warfare is reliant not on numerical advantage, but training. And the British, as with so many other frigates, had not only prevented our much-touted frigates from getting underway, but prevented them from developing a level of training commensurate with our strategic reliance on them in our prior planning - and even our perception of them today.
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More in Part 2, later today.
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BT
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UPDATE
By the way, to answer some of the comments I am already receiving - it is absolutely true that enemy warships were not the prime objectives in the War of 1812, but rather to disrupt merchant shipping. But the big frigates were vastly expensive, heavily armed and stoutly built - considerations that are totally unwarranted to take on a commerce raiding mission, as demonstrated by the vastly more successful privateers of the war.

Meet and greet, wash, rinse, repeat

Since our soft launch, we have been building partnerships and connections with other 501(c)3 organizations as well as those institutions with critical importance to our mission with the USS HORNET Project. I've been meeting some great people and making great connections, sharing some fun sea stories and good jokes. Eat, sleep, get up and do it again. Each day I wake up and realize that I have no idea where I might end up, who I might meet, and what connections I'll have made by the time I hit the rack that night.

Yesterday I had the great opportunity to sit in on the War of 1812 commemorations working group led by CAPT Pat Burns and his staff at the Naval History and Heritage Command Office of Commemorations. And before you say "oh cool" you need to picture a very full room, a malfunctioning conference call-er widget and death by powerpoint. Yes, it was that exciting. But the key take-away is that since October 2010, CAPT Burns and his team have been networking Navy commands and public institutions getting the preparations made for the War of 1812 bicentennial commemorations - no easy thing when your task is to harness the ever-shrinking body of Navy assets that can be allocated to such events (vice combat deployments) and personal, professional and political networks as vast and complex as a united string of my past girlfriends. Yikes.

When I look at NHS, from the top down to the individual volunteers, I see a united formation fighting an uphill battle with substandard weapons and limited support. I think my job is difficult. And then I meet CAPT Burns and his team riding their backsides raw corralling a nation-wide support base and pushing to collect and conglomerate what may be the most complex, challenging and (for the time being) under-appreciated commemoration schedule in decades. I realize that I am small potatoes, here.

There is a certain hopeless feeling that starts to erode confidence after a few hours. And yet CAPT Burns and his people are still there, in the saddle, pushing onward. They know, as few others can imagine, that all of this grating, grinding, agonizing planning and re-planning will ultimately produce something grand, impressive, and remarkably meaningful. And not only for the historical community and its broad base of armchair supporters, but for our Sailors and Marines, for whom the last ten years have been the epitome of the drawn-out, uphill battle full of far-flung enemies, economic strain, and personal sacrifice.

Realizing that 200 years ago, we faced similar perils and triumphed, against all odds, those Sailors and Marines will look back proudly at their remarkable history. At the same time, the American public will focus on and celebrate the proud heritage that these Sailors and Marines have carried on - with aplomb - and recognize that, contrary to the "kids these days" outlook, our Naval forces remain READY, RESPONSIVE and RELEVANT. Our Sailors and Marines are the heart of that truth, and carry that torch proudly. Let them remember that, and let the public remember that.

Dismount - soapbox.

Hat tip, NHHC Commemorations Office!

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Announcing the USS HORNET Project!

Our new site is uploaded, and with it the announcement of our newest and most ambitious project - construction of a full-scale replica of the US Sloop of War HORNET, one of the most successful ships of the War of 1812.

In honor of the occasion, I've published a few back-dated blog articles from the period of our radio silence. They explain in a little more detail the thought process behind all of this, and how we prepared for today - our first public announcement.

I'm going to take a bit of a breather to let everyone go explore the new website at http://www.navalheritage.org/ and read about the project. Feel free to come back and email me or post your questions, and I'll do my best to get back to you asap.

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US Sloop of War Hornet, Part 5

Part 5: A New Commander

When James Lawrence was promoted to Captain and deemed too senior to command Hornet, command passed to newly promoted Master Commandant James Biddle. Biddle had been First Lieutenant of Hornet’s sister Wasp when she fought HMS Frolic and was subsequently captured by a British ship of the line. Earlier, he had also been aboard the USS Philadelphia when she ran aground and was captured in Tripoli. He spent several months in captivity following both occasions. He had seen a great deal of action, but not much success, and it can be safely assumed that he looked upon his command of Hornet as a chance to achieve what he must have felt was long overdue.

After some refitting and re-provisioning, Hornet sailed with Commodore Stephen Decatur’s squadron consisting of United States and Macedonian on May 24th 1813. To evade the British ships watching the southerly approaches to New York near Sandy Hook, Decatur led his squadron north through Hell Gate and up the East River into Long Island Sound – a daring maneuver of itself, considering the treacherous currents and rocks that lined the passage.

Making his way up Long Island Sound, Decatur anchored his squadron in Gardner’s Bay to wait for an opportunity to slip past the British blockading squadron. On June 1st, he decided to make a break for the open sea. However the timing was imperfect, and they were soon discovered and chased by superior forces into New London. Working their way up the Thames River, Decatur in United States and the Captain of Macedonian positioned themselves for what they were sure would be a long wait. Biddle, however, had different ideas for Hornet.

Biddle immediately applied to Decatur for permission to run the blockade. But the two British 74-gun ships and frigate that had chased them into the Thames were soon augmented by another frigate and several smaller ships. Commanding the British squadron was Sir Thomas Hardy, Lord Nelson’s Flag Captain at the Battle of Trafalgar seven and a half years earlier. His ships were now anchored across the mouth of the river, ready to thwart any attempt to escape.

In the following months, local militias and the three blockaded ships prepared for the British assault they knew must surely follow. The city of New London emptied its banks of hard currency and sent women and children away. Several times, the British made sail and appeared to be standing up the river, but anchored instead five miles below the city. The American forces remained in constant vigilance for the British onslaught.

Months passed. Winter fell on New England. After several small skirmishes along the shoreline and a failed attempt by Decatur to run the blockade with his three ships, it was decided that United States and Macedonian would be dragged up the river and be dismantled, their military stores removed and shipped overland. Hornet remained at New London, waiting for an opportunity to escape. A previous attempt to escape at night had been thwarted by a series of mysterious blue lights on shore, which Biddle thought must surely be the work of treasonous elements ashore. Breaking out, even in the best of circumstances, would not be easy if the British had warning. Or would it?

According to a letter written by a Rev. Jarvis of New London, Biddle at one point sent a letter by boat down the river. “Captain Biddle indicated that he intended to sail and should any ship wish to object he would gladly receive their applications the following day.” (Jarvis) Though this specific event is not documented elsewhere, Hornet did in fact escape on November 18th 1814 passing less than a quarter mile from and between the anchored British ships. Though Hornet’s log records “two sail in chase” she reached New York in safety two days later (Biddle).

Hornet arrived in New York in time to sail in squadron with President under command of Stephen Decatur, who had escaped from the blockade at New London with his crew by travelling overland. Also assigned the squadron was USS Peacock, a new sloop of war named after the vessel Hornet had sunk the year before. The intention of the cruise was to hunt for British merchant shipping in the Indian Ocean. President had gone ahead and, unbeknownst to Biddle, had been captured. The rest departed New York on January 22nd in the throes of a violent gale that caused the British blockaders to heave to and ‘hunker down’. Hornet and Peacock with store ship Tom Bowline sailed out under storm canvas within sight of the helpless British ships, and headed for the South Atlantic. Agreeing to rendezvous at Tristan d’Acunha, a small island in those waters, Hornet parted company to sail independently and search for British shipping. She found her prey, capturing the British merchant ship William. Biddle put a prize crew aboard and sent her back to the United States.


Hornet arrived off the island on March 23rd 1815 and prepared to anchor north of the island when a sail was spotted. This proved to be HMS Penguin, a new British brig-sloop under the command of Captain James Dickenson. Penguin was armed and manned almost identically to Hornet, having 32-pounder carronades but heavier 18-pounder long guns. And in contrast to her previous fight with HMS Peacock, Hornet was downwind of Penguin, giving her enemy the maneuvering advantage. At about 1:40 pm, Peacock caught up with Hornet and the two exchanged heavy broadsides as they sailed parallel courses. Inching closer and closer together, Penguin’s captain suddenly threw his helm over and rushed Hornet, intending to board her. At that moment, Captain Dickenson was killed by small arms fire from Hornet’s marines, and Penguin’s bowsprit became entangled in Hornet’s aft starboard rigging. Thinking he heard something in the way of surrender shouted from Penguin’s deck, Biddle jumped up onto the bulwark and was shot through the neck by the British marines aboard Penguin (Roosevelt 432). American marines immediately took down the perpetrators, and Hornet lunged forward pulling clear of Penguin’s bowsprit, ripping it from the ship as she went. Penguin’s foremast fell at the same time, and the now freed Hornet turned and began pummeling the crippled Penguin with broadside after broadside. Just after two o’clock, after 22 minutes of action, Penguin hauled down her colors.

Penguin had lost 42 dead to 11 aboard Hornet – nearly a four to one disparity. Her hull was so badly cut up that she had to be scuttled, and after removing her crew and useful stores, began to effect her demise when two strange sail were sighted to windward. Measures to scuttle the ship were expedited but as Penguin slipped beneath the waves the two sail proved to be Peacock and Tom Bowline. The Penguin’s crew were transferred to the Tom Bowline which was sent to Rio de Janeiro while Hornet and Peacock waited for President.

On April 13th the two ships ended their vigil, assuming quite correctly that President had been captured. Setting out northward, the two planned to cruise in company as they made their way south. On April 27th near the Cape of Good Hope, Peacock spotted what appeared to be a large merchantman. Sailing closer Biddle sensed a hesitation, and soon Peacock was setting all sail running away from the strange ship, signaling ‘man of war’ and ‘enemy’.

Hornet, already at full sail, turned to run, but the newer Peacock soon pulled ahead. The strange ship was in fact the British 74-gun ship of the line Cornwallis, and was now bearing down on Hornet. Biddle began to jettison the stores taken from Penguin, and as Cornwallis pressed on canvas and began gaining, the situation began to look quite serious. Suddenly the winds shifted, then again, both times in favor of Cornwallis and soon she began shooting. Hornet, in running away, actually navigated a complete circle around Cornwallis. Three shots from the chasing man-of-war found Hornet’s hull, and Hornet’s ammunition, anchors and cables were thrown overboard to further lighten the ship. Cornwallis continued to gain, but Hornet’s crew pushed harder. One by one the guns and boats followed, going overboard, leaving only one solitary carronade on the bow. After more than three days, the chase continued. Then, on the morning of April 30th, Cornwallis gave up and turned away. (Aimone) The determination of her crew had paid off.

No longer useful as a warship and having thrown most of her provisions overboard, Hornet made for home via Brazil, where she stopped to take on provisions, new anchors, cable and boats. On a slightly humorous note, Biddle recorded in the ship’s log, “exercised the crew at the great gun” – a notation frequently seen in the plural, but for Hornet’s one remaining piece of artillery. (Biddle) On crossing the equator, the crew were allowed to proceed with the traditional ceremony, a surviving account of which provides a fascinating glimpse of this practice in the age of sail (Aimone), but need not be recounted here.

Arriving back at New York on July 30th 1815, Biddle learned of the declaration of peace. Voted a gold medal for his capture and destruction of Penguin, Biddle was promoted to Captain and ordered to discharge Hornet’s crew and place the ship in ordinary – the 19th century version of moth balls – as many other ships were ordered at the end of their lives. Her performance in the war had been spectacular, capturing the first prize of the war and five others later in the war, sinking two enemy naval combatants, and making several runs of a blockade that kept many of the larger frigates bottled up. Now, at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, her guns were stripped, her masts housed and she was put aside for posterity – or, as more likely, to await dismantling as had been the case with so many other vessels.

But what nobody at the time could know was that Hornet had not yet seen even half of her useful service life. More to follow tomorrow.

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US Sloop of War Hornet, Part 4

Welcome back for the next exciting episode in our narrative. We've so far followed Hornet through design, construction, initial service, refitting at Washington, her diplomatic mission in 1812 and her first cruise. Today, Part 4: Hornet's 1812-13 cruise.

At Boston, Hornet reprovisioned and prepared for an extended cruise. She next sailed on October 23rd 1812 with USS Constitution under Commodore Bainbridge on a cruise to harass British shipping and resources in the South Atlantic. The frigate Essex was to also join the squadron, though was already underway with the intention of meeting Constitution and Hornet en route.


Arriving on the Brazilian coast at San Salvador, and still without any sign of Essex, Hornet made a critical discovery. HMS Bonne Citoyenne, a British brig with nearly the exact same heavy armament as Hornet, was loading half a million pound of specie (by other reports $1.6 million, yet others $30,000) – a vast fortune – for carriage back to England. Brazenly sailing into the neutral harbor and sailing completely around the anchored Bonne Citoyenne, Hornet stood back out to sea to report the finding to Bainbridge before returning to wait for the British ship to depart. Lawrence decided to challenge his opponent head on – sending a formal challenge letter. But even with Bainbridge’s personal assurances that Constitution would not interpose in the fight, Captain Pitt Barnaby Greene of Bonne Citoyenne refused to fight, citing his responsibility to the money and not fear of defeat. To reinforce the point, Bainbridge sailed Constitution southward in search of other quarry while Hornet maintained the blockade. Only the arrival of a British 74-gun ship of the line on January 24th finally drove Hornet off.


Meanwhile, Constitution continued her search southward where she came upon and famously defeated HMS Java. Hornet, on leaving San Salvador, had similar luck. On Valentine’s Day 1813 she fell in with and captured the British brig Resolution, carrying $23,000 in gold. Continuing the cruise toward the mouth of the Demerara River, she sighted HMS Espiegle (also carrying nearly the same armament as Hornet) and chased her into shoal water where Lawrence turned seaward for fear of going aground on the bar near the mouth of the river.

At the same moment another sail appeared, and proved to be HMS Peacock approaching the port. Clearing for action, Hornet quickly closed the distance and hauled up her colors. Peacock hauled up hers and at 5:25 pm the ships opened fire with full broadsides at a range of less than 20 yards. Passing each other, Peacock quickly came about only to find Hornet had maneuvered to a position close aboard on her bow, firing broadside after broadside into the British ship which was in turn unable to respond by virtue of Hornet’s position. Peacock, severely damaged, hauled down her colors at 5:39, just 14 minutes after the first shots were fired (Roosevelt 216).

Sending a boat, Lawrence ordered both ships to anchor. Peacock had settled by the stern and her mainmast had fallen, hanging over the side of the ship. The returning boat crew reported that Peacock was sinking fast and requested assistance. Sending some of Hornet’s men to evacuate Peacock’s crew, the ship sank rapidly, taking three of Hornet’s crew and nine of her own with her. In the entire action Hornet only lost one sailor, the three victims of the sinking Peacock added made a total of four dead and two wounded. Meanwhile Peacock lost eight dead – including her captain – and 30 wounded. The remaining prisoners were brought onboard and treated very kindly. They would later publish a letter of thanks to Hornet’s officers and crew:

“We ceased to consider ourselves prisoners; and everything that friendship could dictate was adopted by you and the officers of the Hornet to remedy the inconvenience we would otherwise have experienced from the unavoidable loss of the whole of our property and clothes owing to the sudden sinking of Peacock.” (Roosevelt 216)

Lawrence, now with a reported 277 souls onboard – including his own crew numbering 138 with the rest being made up of prisoners from her various prizes – decided to make for home. On March 19th 1813 Hornet dropped anchor off Martha’s Vinyard, one of the few locations known to be frequently ignored by the British blockaders, and discharged their prisoners. She then proceeded to New York, where the crew was wined and dined by New York society and Lawrence learned of his promotion to Captain. The promotion rendered him too senior to command Hornet, and he was reassigned to take command of the frigate Chesapeake then refitting at Boston.

More about Hornet under her new commanding officer and the cruise of 1813, tomorrow.

The reverse of the medal authorized by Congress for James Lawrence and officers of the Hornet for the sinking of HMS Peacock.

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US Sloop of War Hornet, Part 3

I must be getting more difficult to please because that Super Bowl was crap. 1) CA forgot the words to the National Anthem, 2) Pop Warner games are more fearsome than that 3) Fergie should be retired to Skinnemax and 4) I'd already seen all the best commercials thanks to YouTube. But at least I was working while I watched so it wasn't a total loss.

But I digest.

Last week we began a cursory overview of the history of the third USS Hornet. We briefly outlined her design, construction, early service and conversion to ship-rig at Washington in 1810-1811. Today, we'll start off the week with her service in 1812.

Part 3 - Free Trade and Sailor's Rights

The only thing that could add icing to the cake of Hornet's recent overhaul was a brilliant new commander, and he joined the ship at Norfolk in October 1811. At 30 years old, Master Commandant James Lawrence had seen considerable Naval service over his short career. He served in Enterprise in the Mediterranean and was second in command of Stephen Decatur’s successful expedition to destroy the captured frigate USS Philadelphia. By the time he set foot on Hornet’s quarterdeck, he had commanded the smaller ships Vixen and Argus, as well as Hornet’s sister Wasp. Now, in Hornet, he made sail for New York and from there crossed the Atlantic to France and Great Britain with emissaries to the French and British governments.

But this seemingly routine mission was anything but – tensions between the United States and Great Britain were the hottest they had ever been since the revolution. The Royal Navy’s continuing impressment, that is essentially seaborne kidnapping, of American seamen to fill its ships had caused a nationwide tumult. Now, negotiations to end the practice were underway, and the result would mean life or death for many Americans.

Getting underway from New York on December 6th 1811, she made the passage from North America to Europe in eighteen days - a very fast passage for her time. Arriving at Cherbourg on New Year's Eve 1811, Lawrence only remained long enough for the French emissary to land his dispatches and return to the ship before Hornet was again underway, bound for England. (Lawrence I)

Passing the Royal Navy anchorage at Spithead, Hornet dropped anchor near Cowes on the Isle of Wight and sent her two diplomats to Portsmouth by boat. All Lawrence could do was wait while the diplomats made their way to London. The wait did not pass without incident.

In early January, a sailor from Hornet deserted from one of the ship's boats. It was later learned that he had somehow ended up in the Royal Navy (whether he went voluntarily or not is not clear). Furious, Lawrence sent his first lieutenant in to ask the British to return the Sailor - but was rebuffed by a British claim that the man had been a deserter from HMS Implacable and could not be returned to the American ship. Implacable's Captain, George Cockburn personally confirmed the claim. Lawrence decided that in light of his diplomatic mission further action was not prudent. (Gleaves 85)

For the next several months, Hornet ferried messages between US Diplomats in Britain and France. Tensions built, mounting in the near constant interaction with Royal Navy ships, both of the Home Squadron and the forces blockading France (Hornet was allowed through as she was on a diplomatic mission). On several occasions, Hornet cleared for action as Royal Navy ships came bearing down as though to fight, only to turn away. Lawrence was fully aware that if war were declared, he might be caught at sea ignorant of that fact, and so remained constantly on guard.

On April 27th 1812, Lawrence set sail for home. Making another speedy passage, Hornet returned to New York in early May 1812 with unpleasant news – negotiations were not progressing well, and the British had refused yet again to cease their policy of impressment of American sailors. To the "War Hawk" dominated government in Washington, this proved all they needed.

"The 'Hornet' has at last arrived. On the rumor of this news the avenues of the State Department were thronged by a crowd of members of both Houses of Congress, as well as by strangers and citizens, impatient to know what the long expected vessel had brought. Soon it was learned that the 'Hornet' had brought nothing favorable, and that Mr. Barlow had as yet concluded nothing with your Excellency. On this news the furious declamations of the Federalists, of the commercial interests, and of the numerous friends of England were redoubled; the Republicans, deceived in their hopes, joined in the outcry, and for three days nothing was heard but a general cry for war against France and England at once. . . ." (Gleaves 87-88)

On June 1, President Madison sent a letter to Congress requesting a declaration of war, which he received on June 18, 1812 and announced the following day:

“I do specially enjoin on all persons holding offices, civil or military, under the authority of the United States, that they be vigilant and zealous in discharging their duties…in supporting and invigorating all the measures which may be adopted by the constituted authorities, for obtaining a speedy, a just, and an honorable peace.” (Davison 10-11)

Among the first to answer this charge was Hornet herself. Her logbook records:

June 21st, 1812.
At 6 A. M., got under way. At 5/2 past 2: nearly abeam of the Hook, frigates "President," "Congress" and "United States" in company. At 6 p. M., discharged pilot. At 6 P. M. called all hands to muster, when Captain Lawrence informed the ship's company that war was declared against England and was received by three cheers. (Gleaves 103)

Sailing with Commodore John Rodgers’ squadron on June 22, 1812, she departed New York in company with President, Congress and United States – three of the six “original” frigates – and the brig Argus. Despite the general lack of success that ensued, including a tragic event where a gun exploded and injured the commodore himself, Hornet captured the British privateer Dolphin on July 9th (Roosevelt 46) –the first prize of the war made by a US Navy ship. Later, she captured the privateer John (16 guns) and the merchant vessel Argus - not to be confused with the Navy brig of the same name (Gleaves 105).

Returning to Boston in August, Lawrence prepared Hornet for another extended cruise. She was to sail to the East Indies by way of the Indian Ocean in a raiding expedition under the command of Commodore William Bainbridge in Constitution.

More to follow about Hornet's 1812-13 cruise - and her rise to national fame - tomorrow.

Works Cited:

Davison, Gideon M., Williams, Samuel. Sketches of the war, between the United States and the British isles. Rutland VT: Fay & Davison, 1815.

Gleaves, Albert. James Lawrence, captain, United States navy, commander of the Chesapeake. G. P. Putnam & sons, 1904.

Lawrence, James et al. "Log of USS Hornet, May 1810 - December 1811." National Archives Main Branch, Washington DC.

Lawrence, James. "Log of USS Hornet, December 1811 - November 1812." National Archives Main Branch, Washington DC.

Roosevelt, Theodore. The Naval War of 1812. New York: Kessinger Publishing, 2004.

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US Sloop of War Hornet, Part 1

Some people have noticed a new project that went up online - a call for general research about the sloop of war USS Hornet (1805-1829). If you've been following pictures and the blog, you'll know that this is a subject I've been interested in for some time now. As I put the pieces together, I'm building a picture of a ship that was very famous in her day - possibly as famous as any of the big frigates. And yet many historians - amateur and professional - don't seem to be able to recount much of her history off hand the same way they can for the larger, more popularized counterparts.

And what makes our project all the more exciting - I never seem to meet the end of the primary source material (written by contemporaries of the original ship) in the National Archives, museum collections and in the Navy's own library. Remember, we're talking about RESEARCH here, and though you'll find the sources in the following more or less readily available, there is SO much more waiting to be discovered in dusty isles and damp basements...

So without further adieu, Part 1: Namesake, Design & Construction

Hornet is a name interwoven not only in the Navy’s history but also its modern culture. Of course, the first thing that probably comes to mind is the current mainstay of our combat aviation, the F/A-18. Many of us are likely familiar with the two venerable World War II aircraft carriers that bore this name, and some may even have heard of a tiny, short-lived ship that landed Marines on the shores of Tripoli giving a line to the Marine Corps hymn.

This longevity is appropriate for the name itself – during the American Revolution the symbol of the bee or the hive can be found on several flags and in printed material. The idea behind the symbolism is that bees labor collectively to produce a tangible heritage for their offspring (the hive), strike only when provoked and can produce a potent sting. And though this symbolism is largely forgotten in the conscious sense, these examples show that it has pervaded Navy culture throughout our history. The F/A-18 fighter has certainly demonstrated that even in the present day the hornet image – conceived by the revolutionaries who won our nation’s freedom – is still doing our nation’s work.

The third ship to bear the name Hornet proved to be one of the most long-lived and celebrated ships of her day, though little of her fascinating history is handily realized, even among naval historians. Built at Baltimore in 1805, she was originally conceived as a brig – that is, she had two masts. She was part of an initiative to build vessels suitable for inshore operations in direct response to a noted shortage of these in the First Barbary War (Canney 120). Her design is attributed to Josiah Fox, a British ex-patriot who emigrated to the United States after learning his trade in Royal Navy dockyards. There is some debate in that her form, based on what Fox referred to as an “English cutter” (Chapelle 210), more closely conforms to shipbuilding developments in the fast Chesapeake Bay pilot, or ‘clipper’ schooners, and might have actually been the work of Hornet’s builder William Price, a Baltimore native and well-known builder of ships of that type (Footner 143-144). Regardless of who may have actually set down her lines first, they reflected a ship that was built for speed and great seaworthiness combining many of the most modern (for 1805) advances in ship design.

The site of her construction is still marked in Baltimore. William Price’s home at 910 Fell Street was at one time situated at the head of a parcel of land reaching down to the water’s edge where Price built his ships. It was in this shipyard that Frederick Douglass worked as a slave before escaping to freedom – although he never had any contact with Hornet. Today this building still stands in the historic Fells Point District in Baltimore, though the ‘shipyard’ that used to exist behind it is now covered with other structures. It is situated on the City of Baltimore’s Historic Walking Tour route, just over a block away from Market Square.

When finished, Hornet was reportedly a very handsome ship. She was given an eagle figurehead that could be unshipped and replaced with a plain billet head in winter or in foul weather (Canney 121) and her lines are certainly graceful. About her launching, the Baltimore Evening Sun printed “with a general cheer the ship met the water and instantly was recognized by all to be one of the most handsome ships yet to grace our harbor” (Launching of the New Hornet).

* * *
Canney, Donald L. Sailing Warships of the US Navy. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2001.

Chapelle, Howard I. The History of the American Sailing Navy. New York: Konecky & Konecky, 1949.

Footner, Goeffrey M. Tidewater Triumph - The Development and Worldwide Success of the Chesapeake Bay Pilot Schooner. Centerville, MD: Tidewater Publishers, 1998.

"Launching of the New Hornet." Baltimore Evening Sun 29 July 1805.

BT

If you have Hornet research that you'd like to include or discuss, please feel free to contact me at dockyard@navalheritage.org. I plan on publishing little truncated snippets of the research one day at a time, and then continually going back and filling in the fine detail over the following weeks. Enjoy!

BT

By the way, my friends over at Chris and Pac Take on Hollywood found this today, reminds me of our 'behind the scenes' project lately:




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To break the silence a bit - I say BULLY!

Well we still can't discuss what's afoot here at NHS, you'll have to wait until we announce it, or we die trying to get it accomplished. Needless to say, I don't think you'll have too much longer to wait. But in the meantime, let's start something semi-useful and productive and maybe a little bit wry - let's talk about the upcoming 1812 Bicentennial.

I've been attending a meeting here and again about this, and I'm impressed by a Secretary of the Navy mandate to "make the Navy's history come alive" in response to a direction from the Secretary of Defense to "Utilize the forthcoming War of 1812 Bicentennial as a lever to jump start interest in naval history and heritage, …". That was an excellent start, if I say so myself.

But here's the rub - I've been in some of these planning meetings and I think I can safely say we are getting away from the fundamental missions a little. I think the CNO has some excellent plans, but I'm starting to become a little disappointed in the attempts farther down the trough. Don't get me wrong, I love beer tasting, but maybe that ought to be a sideshow peripheral activity at something more earnest?

BT

One thing I want to specifically avoid during this season of commemoration is the Pearl Harbor effect. The Brits have been one of our most solid partners for more than a century now and I think it's important to remember the war, but more so the peace we achieved at its end and the long standing partnership astride the Atlantic. We've already been chatting with our sister organization across the pond - the Historical Maritime Society - to figure out how to work that spirit into what we do over the next several years.

BT

In all the strides we are making now, I cannot but help to channel a bit of ol' TR. I served onboard the aircraft carrier named for him, and got a healthy dose of TR-cure-all on a daily basis. I have to say I think myself the better for it. Around that time the CO had a great TR quote he'd attach to the end of each email he sent his officers -

"The things that will destroy America are peace at any price, prosperity at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life."

I couldn't agree more - that's BULLY!

But right now as we work on this monstrous project of ours in the dark behind the scenes, I've been repeating this quote over and over again, to myself:

"It's not the critic who counts. Not the man who points out that the strong man stumbles, or that the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes short again and again, for there is no effort without error and shortcoming. But he who actually strives to do the deeds, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in the worthy cause- who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be among those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Pardon the quote if something's off - yes I typed that from memory. That's more a testament to the great man than it is my memory, believe me.

Our team will keep on with the heavy lifting - and I'll be back to pass on good news as it materializes or possibly break the silence up a bit more. In the meantime - get back to work!

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An early Christmas gift - for ME!

I know I know, total update failure. I apologize to all three of my regular readers who noticed I had failed to post yesterday or Monday. Nevertheless, I was hard at work and got plenty accomplished to talk about here today. So. There it is.

There are very few people who could probably get that movie quote. 5 points.

BT

I spent my time this weekend out in the wintry weather taking lines of Monomoys No. 2 and 3 - which, by the way, are doing great in the cold - and also studying up and preparing for this week, where I've been travelling a bit, mostly where my job has been taking me. On Monday I had a great chance to go rummage through the collections at the National Archives Main Branch in Washington DC, an opportunity for which I'd been waiting some time now, and gleaned a great deal of information from many documents, many of which are 200+ years old (!). Those of you who follow NHS on Facebook have seen some of the pictures - and for those who haven't you might want to scoot over and check them out - but I'm sure there are questions about the subject of my study.

For about the last two years now I've been studying the American Sloops of War - ship-rigged vessels smaller than a frigate but still rather formidable. Nearly all were low, flush-decked ships mounting 16-22 guns, and only very late in the sailing Navy was a spar deck added to some. These vessels were truly a mainstay of the early American Navy, but are often overshadowed by the exploits of their bigger and longer-lived partners, the famous frigates. There is a great deal of information available on sloops, and studying the evolution of designs, their unique abilities including shoal-water action, and the range of their service has been of particular interest to me every time I pick up material on the American Sailing Navy.

There is one sloop that stands out for me above the others - Hornet. Built in Baltimore in 1805, this little ship, first built as a brig (two masts, square rigged) and later re-rigged as a ship (three masts square rigged), had an uncommonly long service life and a tremendous range of employments. From 1805 to 1810 she was employed chasing French privateers away from shipping on the US eastern seaboard, and in 1811 she sailed for Europe and brought back dispatches that caused Congress to declare war on Great Britain, starting the War of 1812. In 1812 she cruised in a squadron under Commodore Rodgers in company with the frigates PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES, CONGRESS and the brig ARGUS. She sailed with CONSTITUTION in a cruise to the South Atlantic and was a supposed favorite escort of that ship, specifically requested by several of her noted and famous captains. She captured several ships, including two men of war in famous actions prompting Congress to vote medals struck to commemorate the occasion. Her efficient gunnery was particularly noted among the entire fledgling Navy as having "no equal" by Commodore Isaac Hull.

After the War of 1812, she was dispatched to Tripoli for the second Tripolitan War. Later, she was one of the first ships to patrol the West coast of Africa against slavers when importation of slaves from there became illegal - our first joint activity (partnership) with the British. She voyaged to the Baltic on diplomatic missions, and into the Mediterranean repeatedly. She spent the later part of her career eradicating piracy from the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Her 24 year career (in an era when most sloops had a 6 to 10 year life span) ended in 1829 when she is presumed to have foundered off the coast of Mexico in a hurricane with all hands. At the time, she was participating in humanitarian efforts, pulling Americans out of Mexico during an insurrection. The last sighting of her was by a merchant captain, who from the wreck of his own capsized ship saw her scud by under bare poles "like a phantom ship", the crew working in the hurricane to get her upper spars down "in a flurry, but in good order". The account reads like a scene from a suspense movie.

The goal of our research was to identify where the ship was and when, so as to build a more complete record of her activities during her service life. We also gleaned valuable information such as handling characteristics in foul weather, notes after action, and the names of several prizes unrecorded elsewhere.

There is a certain moment of Zen when you handle these 180-200 year old logs and read "Cape Henry Lighthouse" or "Old Point Comfort" - places I see every day. There is even a deeper moment reading sightings of "Mount Pico" in the Azores and "Gibraltar" - far away places few people except mariners ever get to see - and many times over at that. Reading the navigational bearings off the volcanic mountains of the Azores reminded me of the first time I ever saw them aboard the Training Ship Empire State, and immediately connected with those long-dead observers 200 years ago. Goosebumps. and a smile.

So, good times in DC, but now its back to work.

BT

Due to the holidays, work travel and other distractions, I'm taking a bit of a hiatus from the regular entries here. Check back for regular 'quips' and whatnot but I don't anticipate writing much until the new year.

So until then, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a fantastic New Year to you all, and I'll catch you on the flip side.

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Brig Niagara underway!

Since my first stint on board the Brig Niaraga last fall, I've been following her with great enthusiasm. Despite the best efforts of her remarkable crew and office staff, she is little known in the navy. And little known is an understatement. The fact that Oliver Hazzard Perry's flagship at the Battle of Lake Erie is afloat and sailing today is amazing in and of itself (more on that in a minute) but the fact that nobody in the navy really knows about it or cares to do anything once they find out is even more astonishing.

For those of you who are not familiar, the original Niagara was built in 1813 at Presque Isle - today Erie, Pennsylvania. After the famous battle where Perry reported "We have met the enemy and they are ours" she was laid up and sunk (yes, sunk!) to preserve her timbers in the cold muddy waters of a place called Misery Bay in case she should be needed again. Raised in 1913 to celebrate the centennial of the War of 1812, she was kept in Erie as a display piece and poorly cared for. Several restorations ensued, but the final restoration in 1988 was the only real long-term preservation effort. There, she was completely rebuilt by a crew led by Melbourne Smith in historically correct methods. Now - on that score - the ORIGINAL ship was hauled out, dissassembled, and the ship rebuilt. To me, that means that she is the original ship, restored. Others, including the National Parks Service claim that because the only original timbers remaining after the restoration were used in non-structural areas, she is a replica. Sorry, but I have to raise the BS flag on that one. She is as much the original as is USS CONSTITUTION, the Navy's very own "grandfather's hatchet". We replaced the head three times and the handle twice but it's still grandfather's hatchet. But I digress.

Today, Niagara sails out of the port where she was built almost 200 years ago. People can pay to sail in day classes or for extended periods aboard her and get the most hands-on experience of life in the Age of Sail that exists. Learn to handle lines, climb the rig - for crying out loud you even cook on a wood-burning stove and sleep in hammocks! It is utterly and completly AWESOME and I urge every single person who has an interest or has ever had an interest in fighting sail to GET YOUR KIESTER OFF YOUR CHAIR AND DOWN TO HER BERTH, ASAP! You will not regret a journey of any length nor anything you have to put off to see her - guaranteed.

Even the museum that was built around and for her in Erie is amazing. Inside, one of the best displays is a reconstructed side of the ship, which they took out to a firing range and actually shot at with the ship's guns. Battle damage and all, the recreated side is on display with a full summary and explanation of each shot hole and shattered timber - along with a video of the destruction. It is incredible, and something you won't find anywhere else. Because that's how they roll.

Today, Niagara is underway on her annual shakedown, ready for another season. To her crew: rock on, guys, I hope to return and join you soon! To NHS members and the navy at large: read, learn, support - get hot!

And in the words of Perry's Battle Flag - "DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP!"


- Will

Do you remember Roger Mudd?

If you've ever been up in the wee hours watching the history channel, or you can remember seeing old documentaries in school, you've probably seen Roger Mudd narrating or as a reporter. He had that old stoic 'stand by for nap time' sort of voice that always reminds me of my high school days when the rest of the class would sleep through the videos our history teacher would show. Half the time I would do the same, having seen the video already - or a better one on the same subject. Anyway. Tangents are getting longer - think I need to see a doctor.

So, I was surfing the internet this morning for some resources on the War of 1812 on Lake Ontario. After spending some time sailing aboard the Brig Niagara in Erie, PA and reading countless articles about Oliver Hazard Perry and the Battle of Put-in-Bay (Battle of Lake Erie) - the actions on Lake Ontario seem rather overshadowed in modern memory. Being from Rochester NY originally I studied Isaac Chaauncey and Melancthon Woolsey as a kid, and followed the little brown historical road signs with interest wherever my family went. And though there is no doubting the significance of the American naval buildup and actions on Lake Ontario, whenever I find something on it I can't help but be suprised - as in "oh, you remember" like someone remembering my birthday.

Well today, in preparation for a series of blogs on naval "build ship, then go fight" projects, I've decided to revive old Roger Mudd, and a news story from February 17, 1983. Of course, for those who like their naval news stories more current - or more British - you can check out the HMS Ontario.


Enjoy, folks. And for those whose little lightbulb just clicked ON, no - I will be reviewing no new plans until December so don't even try.

Will