Tag Archives: War of 1812

USS Constitution Wars – War of 1812 Aftermath

by johnk on 24. May, 2010 in Uncategorized

Stewart and USS Constitution’s capture of Susanna led to information that HMS Inconstant was transporting gold bullion back to England, and Stewart, scheming for a new prize, set a course for Guinea. Eventually the crew made west towards Brazil from their Guinea path, and ported into Maranhão on April 2 to unload her British prisoners and stock up on drinking water for the journey ahead. While at Maranhão, Stewart learned of a rumor that the Treaty of Ghent had been ratified, and this was verified to him on April 28 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. At this, Stewart quickly changed destinations for America, and arrived in New York on May 15 to large celebrations of peace. However, USS Constitution’s sister ships, Chesapeake and President were not among the returning, as they had been captured by enemy forces in 1813 and 1815 respectively.

By January 1816, USS Constitution was removed from action and placed in ordinary, causing her to miss the action of the Second Barbary War. Four years later, however, in April 1820, Isaac Hull, the Charlestown Navy Yard commandant, ordered USS Constitution to be reinstated for duty with the Mediterranean Squadron. The remodeling of USS Constitution led to some changes in her construction, including removing Joshua Humphrey’s diagonal riders to create space for two iron freshwater tanks. Also, the timbers underneath of her waterline and the copper sheathings were replaced. Furthermore, USS Constitution was given a rather unusual operation for a US Navy ship (at the orders of Secretary of the Navy Smith Thompson), which was the inclusion of manually operated paddle wheels. These manual paddles were to help USS Constitution in the event that calm seas and winds prevented movement. The paddles were able to propel the ship up to 3 knots, or about 3.5 mph, by the crew using the ship’s capstan. While the testing stage was a success, Hull, and new commanding officer of USS Constitution, Jacob Jones, were both put off by the idea of paddle wheels on a US Navy ship. Therefore, before departing on a three year tour of the Mediterranean on May 13, 1821, Jones had the paddle wheels removed and stored in the cargo hold.

The uneventful tour of USS Constitution, Ontario, and Nonsuch, saw a crew devoid of discipline and patience. The crews behavior during their shore leaves would brand Jones a reputation as an easy going commodore with no control over his men. The behavior of the crew became so uncontrollable that the Navy ordered Jones to return. When Jones and USS Constitution arrived in Boston on May 31, 1824, Jones was effectively stripped of his command. His successor, Thomas MacDonough sailed for the Mediterranean on October 29 under orders of John Rodgers in North Carolina. The change in command led to a more disciplined crew, but nonetheless, an uneventful tour. MacDonough resigned due to health reasons on October 9, 1825, and USS Constitution was put in for repairs in December until January 1826. The next commander of USS Constitution would be Daniel Todd, who assumed control on February 21.

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USS Constitution Wars – War of 1812

by johnk on 14. May, 2010 in Model Ship History

When the USS Constitution was recommissioned and overhauled with Captain John Rodgers at the helm, Rodgers bypassed new copper sheathing for USS Constitution. This shortcut of re-hauling the ship later caused Rodgers to state that she was a “slow sailer”. For the next two years, USS Constitution engaged in training runs and ordinary duty. In June 1810, the new commander Isaac Hull saw it necessary to have the bottom hull cleaned, which carried “ten waggon loads” of barnacles and seaweed. Hull began preparing USS Constitution for sail to France with Ambassador Joel Barlow and his family. The crew left on August 5 1811 and arrived in France on September 1. With tensions high between the Americans and British, Hull kept his crew sharp by running sail and gun drills.

On June 18 war was declared, and by July 12 Hull set out to group up with five ships under the command of Rodgers in President. While in route, Hull sighted five ships off Egg Harbor, New Jersey, to which he believed to be Rodgers’ squadron, but later found out that they were a British Squadron consisting of: HMS Aeolus, Africa, Belvidera, Guerriere, and Shannon. The British squadron was in pursuit of USS Constitution, and the resulting chase would go on for days with many methods employed by both to out sail the other.

Hull attempted to lose weight and push his ship faster by using a tactic known as kedging. To this end, the crew began putting boats over the side, and using kedge anchors to draw the ship forward. Also, Hull had the sails wetted down to take full advantage of the wind. However, the British imitated these tactics and remained close in pursuit of Hull’s squadron. Finally, after dumping over 2,300 gallons of drinking water, the USS Constitution was able to outrun their British pursuers, who abandoned chase shortly thereafter. The chase lasted over 57 hours.

On July 27, USS Constitution arrived in Boston to rejuvenate itself and the crew with supplies. Hull sailed with his crew on August 2, without orders, on a northeast route towards the British shipping lanes close to Halifax to avoid being blockaded in port. During the sail, USS Constitution captured three British merchantmen, and Hull, not wanting to risk taking them to an American port, had them burned. By August 16, Hull learned that a British frigate to the south was giving chase, and prepared for another encounter with the British.

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USS Constitution Overview / Introduction

by johnk on 30. Apr, 2010 in Model Ship History

Construction

USS Constitution was the second of four forty-four gun frigates commissioned by the Naval Act of 1794. Her name was given to her by President George Washington. USS Constitution’s keel was laid on November 1, 1794 at Edmund Hartt’s shipyard in Boston, Massachusetts, with Captain Samuel Nicholson and George Claghorn supervising.

Quasi War

President Adams readied USS Constitution for patrol in late may 1798, though she had to borrow sixteen 18-pound cannons in order to be complete. Put out to sea on July 22, 1798, USS Constitution was to patrol the Eastern Seaboard between New Hampshire and New York. However, Nicholson intercepted Niger, a 24-gun ship, that the claimed was under the orders of Great Britain. Nicholson, sketchy of this, had them imprisoned, and took Niger back to Norfolk, Virginia as a prize. It was later determined that the crew of Niger were indeed under orders from Great Britain, and the American government was forced to pay a restitution of $11,000 to Great Britain.

First Barbary War

While the Unite States was busy with France during the Quasi-War, payments of tribute were sent to the Barbary States to keep American Merchant ships from being pirated. However, Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli was dissatisfied with the amount of bribe money he was receiving, and demanded $250,000 be paid to him. Thomas Jefferson then sent a squadron of frigates to protect American merchant ships, and to also try to keep peace with the Barbary States.

War of 1812

On June 18, war was declared, and Hull (Captain of USS Constitution) set out to sea on July 12th in order to join five other ships under the command of Rodgers in President. When Hull spotted five ships near Egg Harbor, New Jersey on July 17th, he at first thought it was Rodger’s squadron, but lookouts managed to find out that it was a British squadron, and they were chasing USS Constitution.

Civil War

When the Civil War started in April 1861, USS Constitution was forced to relocate due to threats made against her by the Confederacy. She was then moved to New York City, and again moved to Fort Adams near Newport, Rhode Island. Moving her meant abandoning her sister ship, United States, which the Confederate army captured at Gosport Shipyard in Norfolk. This made USS Constitution the last remaining frigate of the original six built.

Old Ironsides

The now thirty-one year old USS Constitution was well past the expected service life of a wooden ship (which was 10-15 years). This led to rumors that USS Constitution would be scrapped, and the public was incited. A poem entitled “Old Ironsides” was published, and soon made its words felt all around the country. Public efforts sprang up to save Old Ironsides, and eventually the Secretary Branch approved the costs needed to fix her.

World Tour

USS Constitution was commissioned as flagship of the Pacific Squadron under Captain Daniel Turner when she began her world tour on March 1, 1839. Her first duty was to patrol the western side of South America, but she would go on to the Cochin-china, Africa, and many more places before returning home.

Paris Exposition

Oscar C. Badger became the next commander of USS Constitution on January 9, 1878, and prepared her for the Paris Exposition of 1878. USS Constitution’s duty was to transport the artwork and industrial displays of American manufacturers to France, where she would remain for the rest of 1878.

20th Century

In the 20th century, USS Constitution would see a lot of attempts at restoration. In 1900, a Congress authorized restoration of USS Constitution fell through because the money was to be raised privately, and even though the Massachusetts Society of the United Daughters of the War of 1812 made an attempt to raise funds, the goal was not reached. However, the century would eventually see her restoration.

Present and Future

Today, USS Constitution functions to promote the Navy’s war and peace efforts through underway demonstrations, public events and education, and historical demonstrations. USS Constitution is manned by a crew of 60 active duty Navy personnel on special duty, and is commanded by its 71st commanding officer, Timothy Cooper.

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