Capture of USS President

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Capture of USS President
Part of the War of 1812
Date December 13, 1814
Location outside of New York Harbor, New York, New York
Result British victory
Belligerents
Flag of the United Kingdom Great Britain Flag of the United States United States
Commanders
Flag of the United Kingdom Commodore John Hayes Flag of the United States Commodore Stephen Decatur
Strength
4 frigates 1 frigate
Casualties and losses
1 frigate damaged
11 KIA
14 WIA		 1 frigate captured
24 KIA
55 WIA

The Capture of USS President was a naval action fought at the end of the Anglo-American War of 1812. In fact, it actually took place after the signing of the Treaty of Ghent which ended the war, but before news of the signing had reached America.

Contents

[edit] Prelude

On December 13, 1814, the frigate USS President and some smaller warships (the sloops-of-war USS Peacock and USS Hornet, and the tender USS Tom Bowline) were in New York harbour, preparing to break past the British blockade to embark on cruises against British merchant shipping. The President was commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur. The previous year, he had attempted to break out of New York in the frigates United States and Macedonian, but had been intercepted by a powerful British squadron and driven into New London, Connecticut. To lighten the two frigates sufficiently to tow them far enough up-river to be safe from British cutting-out expeditions, they were effectively hulked, or demilitarised. Decatur and the crew of the United States were transferred to the President, which had been refitted.

The British squadron blockading New York consisted of the razeed ship of the line Majestic and the frigates Endymion, Pomone and Tenedos. On December 13, a gale blew up from the north-west, bringing driving snowstorms with it. The British ships were blown off their station, to the south-east. Decatur determined to take advantage of the situation by breaking out with the President alone. The smaller warships would break out later and rendezvous with President off Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic.

Decatur immediately met with disaster. He had ordered harbour pilots to anchor boats to mark the safe passage across the bar at the mouth of the harbour, but they failed to do so properly. The President grounded on the bar, and remained stuck there for almost two hours, enduring a pounding from the wind and heavy sea. By the time the frigate worked free it was heavily damaged. Some copper had been stripped away from the hull; the masts were twisted and some of them were "sprung" i.e. had developed long cracks; the hull was also twisted and "hogged" i.e. the bow and stern had sagged. Nevertheless, it was impossible for Decatur to return to port as the gale was still blowing and he was forced to put to sea. He headed east, keeping close to the Long Island shore before heading south-east.

[edit] Action

Once the gale had abated, the British (under Commodore John Hayes in the Majestic) regrouped. Realising that American ships might have taken the opportunity to leave port unobserved, they headed north rather than back to the harbour entrance. At dawn on December 14, they sighted President. Decatur immediately turned down-wind and tried to gain speed by lightening his ship (by throwing stores overboard and pumping out drinking water) but the damage he had received on the bar had fatally slowed the President.

HMS Pomome first led the pursuit but HMS Tenedos appeared unexpectedly to the south and Hayes sent Pomone to investigate. As afternoon wore on, the wind eased to a breeze and HMS Endymion overtook HMS Majestic and overhauled the President. By evening, Endymion and President were exchanging fire using their bow- and stern-chase cannon. By nightfall, the Endymion had closed to President's quarter, where Decatur could bring no guns to bear. Endymion was a very fast ship, and her Captain, Hope, yawed to fire a broadside into President's quarter, before turning again to follow and regain his position.

After Endymion had repeated this manoeuvre for the third time, causing considerable loss aboard President, Decatur abruptly turned to starboard to cross Endymion's bows. He had mustered boarding crews in case the British were taken by surprise, but Endymion also turned to starboard and the two ships headed south, exchanging broadsides. Decatur had no time to batter the British vessel into surrender, as the other three British ships would almost certainly be in range before long, so his gunners fired high into Endymion's rigging to disable her, using chain shot and "dismantling shot" (bars of iron linked by a ring). The British gunners fired low into the hull of the President.

After two hours, Endymion was indeed crippled, with her sails apparently "stripped from her yards", but President was badly damaged (Endymion had a main armament of 24-pounder long guns, which had more effect than the 18-pounder guns of ships such as the Macedonian which Decatur had captured in 1812.) Decatur had been wounded by a splinter. The American ship ran downwind again but both Pomone and Tenedos were in sight, and two hours later, Pomone had caught up. Decatur had already decided that escape was impossible and hailed that he surrendered, but Pomone fired two destructive broadsides before the crew of President hauled down a lantern above the stern.

During the whole fight, the President lost 24 men killed and 55 wounded. The British lost 11 killed and 14 wounded, all aboard HMS Endymion.

[edit] Aftermath

The damaged Endymion and President sailed in company to Bermuda. They encountered a violent storm and both were dismasted. However both reached safety. Official notification of the end of the war came soon afterwards. Although Britain might have been expected to return President to the United States as the frigate had been captured after the end of the war, they instead took the ship briefly into the Royal Navy, and broke up the badly battered ship in 1818.

The British press noted the good conduct of both British and American captains and sailors, though they caused some ill-feeling by claiming that Endymion had defeated President in a straightforward stand-up fight. Decatur was exonerated of any blame for the loss of the President and was quickly appointed to command an American squadron despatched to the Mediterranean to protect American merchant ships against corsairs. He was later mortally wounded in a duel, the cause of which lay in a pre-war quarrel.

[edit] References