Chesapeake was a 38-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was one of the original six frigates whose construction was authorized by the Naval Act of 1794. Joshua Humphreys designed these frigates to be the young navy's capital ships. Chesapeake was originally designed as a 44-gun frigate, but construction delays, material shortages and budget problems caused builder Josiah Fox to alter his design to 38 guns. Launched at the Gosport Navy Yard on 2 December 1799, Chesapeake began her career during the Quasi-War with France and later saw service in the First Barbary War.
On 22 June 1807, she was fired upon by of the Royal Navy for refusing to allow a search for deserters. The event, now known as the Chesapeake–Leopard affair, angered the American public and government and was a precipitating factor that led to the War of 1812. As a result of the affair, Chesapeakes commanding officer, James Barron, was court-martialed and the United States instituted the Embargo Act of 1807 against the United Kingdom.
Early in the War of 1812, she made one patrol and captured five British merchant ships. She was captured by shortly after sailing from Boston, Massachusetts, on 1 June 1813. The Royal Navy took her into their service as HMS Chesapeake, where she served until she was broken up and her timbers sold in 1819. Some of the pine deck planking was incorporated into the Chesapeake Mill in Wickham, England.
Design and construction
American merchant vessels began to fall prey to Barbary Pirates, mainly from Algiers, in the Mediterranean during the 1790s. Congress responded with the Naval Act of 1794.Allen (1909), pp. 41–42. The act provided funds for the construction of six frigates, and directed that the construction would continue unless and until the United States agreed peace terms with Algiers.Beach (1986), p. 29.An Act to provide a Naval Armament. (1794). Library of Congress. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
Joshua Humphreys' design was long of keel and incorporated a diagonal scantling (rib) scheme to limit hogging (warping) and included extremely heavy planking. This gave the hull greater strength than those of more lightly built frigates. Since the fledgling United States could not match the number of ships of the European states, Humphreys designed his frigates to be able to overpower other frigates, but with the speed to escape from a ship of the line.Toll (2006), pp. 49–53.Beach (1986), pp. 29–30, 33.Allen (1909), pp. 42–45. However, Chesapeake was a scaled-down version of his more famous designs for Constitution, United States and President, being closer in size to the standard European frigates of the day, and mounting the usual armament of 18-pounder guns.
Originally designated as "Frigate D", the ship remained unnamed for several years. Her keel was laid down in December 1795 at the Gosport Navy Yard in Norfolk County – now the city of Portsmouth in Hampton Roads, Virginia, where Josiah Fox had been appointed her naval constructor and Richard Dale as superintendent of construction. In March 1796, a peace accord was announced between the United States and Algiers, and construction was suspended in accordance with the Naval Act of 1794. The keel remained on blocks in the navy yard for two years.Beach (1986), p. 30.
The onset of the Quasi-War with France in 1798 prompted Congress to authorize completion of "Frigate D", and they approved resumption of the work on 16 July. When Fox returned to Norfolk, he discovered a shortage of timber caused by its diversion from Norfolk to Baltimore in order to finish . He corresponded with Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Stoddert, who indicated a desire to expedite construction of the ship and reduce the overall cost. Fox, always an opponent of Humphreys' large design, submitted new plans to Stoddert, which called for utilizing the existing keel but reducing the overall dimensions substantially in length and partially in beam. Fox's plans essentially proposed an entirely different design originally planned by Humphreys. Secretary Stoddert approved the new design plans.Allen (1909), p. 56.Beach (1986), pp. 30–31.
When construction finished, Chesapeake had the smallest dimensions of the six frigates. A length of between perpendiculars and of beam contrasted with her closest sisters, and Constellation, which were built to in length and of beam.Toll (2006), p. 289. The final cost of her construction was $220,677—the second-least expensive frigate of the six. The least expensive was Congress at $197,246.
During construction, a sloop named Chesapeake was launched on 20 June 1799 but was renamed between 10 October and 14 November, apparently to free up the name Chesapeake for "Frigate D". In communications between Fox and Stoddert, Fox repeatedly referred to her as Congress, further confusing matters, until he was informed by Stoddert the ship was to be named Chesapeake, after Chesapeake Bay. She was the only one of the six frigates not named by President George Washington, nor after a principle of the United States Constitution.Beach (1986), p. 31.
Armament
Chesapeakes nominal rating is stated as either 36 or 38 guns. Originally designated as a 44-gun ship, her redesign by Fox led to a rerating, apparently based on her smaller dimensions when compared to Congress and Constellation. Joshua Humphreys may have rerated Chesapeake to 38 guns,Chapelle (1949), p. 128. or Secretary Stoddert may have rerated Congress and Constellation to 38 guns because they were larger than Chesapeake, which was rated to 36 guns.Beach (1986), p. 32. The most recent information on her rating is from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, published in 2011, which states she was rerated "from 44 guns to 36, eventually increased to 38". Her gun rating remained a matter of confusion throughout her career; Fox used a 44-gun rating in his correspondence with Secretary Stoddert. In preparing for the War of 1812 Secretary of the Navy Paul Hamilton directed Captain Samuel Evans to recruit the number of crewmen required for a 44-gun ship. Hamilton was corrected by William Bainbridge in a letter stating, "There is a mistake in the crew ordered for the Chesapeake, as it equals in number the crews of our 44-gun frigates, whereas the Chesapeake is of the class of the Congress and Constellation."Roosevelt (1883), p. 50. Letters between Stoddert, Fox, and others dated 26 October 1799, it was stated she was supposed to have 28 18-pounders and 16 9-pounders, but was revised at an unknown point to 30 18-pounders and 14 12-pounders. The change was cancelled. There was a question as to the gun deck being pierced for 28 or 30 guns. When sold for scrap by the Royal Navy in 1819, she was rated as a 48-gun ship.London Gazette (1819), p. 1228
Gun ratings did not correspond to the actual number of guns a ship would carry. Chesapeake was noted as carrying 40 guns during her encounter with in 1807 and 50 guns during her engagement with in 1813. The 50 guns consisted of twenty-eight 18-pounder (8 kg) long guns on the gun deck, fourteen on each side. This main battery was complemented by two long 12-pounders (5.5 kg), one long 18-pounder, eighteen 32-pounder (14.5 kg) carronades, and one 12-pound carronade on the spar deck. Her broadside weight was .Cooper (1856), pp. 225–226.
The ships of this era had no permanent battery of guns; guns were completely portable and were often exchanged between ships as situations warranted. Each commanding officer modified his vessel's armament to his liking, taking into account 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.Jennings (1966), pp. 17–19.
Quasi-War
Chesapeake was launched on 2 December 1799 during the undeclared Quasi-War (1798–1800), which arose after the French navy seized American merchant ships. Her fitting-out continued until May 1800. In March, Josiah Fox was reprimanded by Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Stoddert for continuing to work on Chesapeake while Congress, still awaiting completion, was fully manned with a crew drawing pay. Stoddert appointed Thomas Truxton to ensure that his directives concerning Congress were carried out.Toll (2006), p. 138.
Chesapeake first put to sea on 22 May, commanded by Captain Samuel Barron and marked her departure from Norfolk with a 13-gun salute.Toll (2006), p. 139. Her first assignment was to carry currency from Charleston, South Carolina, to Philadelphia.Cooper (1856), p. 139. On 6 June she joined a squadron patrolling off the southern coast of the United States and in the West Indies escorting American merchant ships.Allen (1909), p. 217.
Capturing the 16-gun French privateer La Jeune Creole on 1 January 1801 after a chase lasting 50 hours, she returned to Norfolk with her prize on 15 January. Chesapeake returned briefly to the West Indies in February, soon after a peace treaty was ratified with France. She returned to Norfolk and decommissioned on 26 February, subsequently being placed in reserve.Allen (1909), pp. 217, 252.
First Barbary War
During the Quasi-War, the United States had paid tribute to the Barbary States to ensure that they would not seize or harass American merchant ships.Maclay and Smith (1898), Volume 1, pp. 215–216. In 1801 Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli, dissatisfied with the amount of tribute he received in comparison to that paid to Algiers, demanded an immediate payment of $250,000.Allen (1905), pp. 88, 90. Thomas Jefferson responded by sending a squadron of warships to protect American merchant ships in the Mediterranean and to pursue peace negotiations with the Barbary States.Maclay and Smith (1898), Volume 1, p. 228.Allen (1905), p. 92. The first squadron was 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 eventually consisted of the vessels Constellation, , , , and . It took several months to prepare the vessels for sea; they departed individually as they became ready.Allen (1905), pp. 105–106.Cooper (1856), p. 155.
Captain Thomas Truxton was ordered to take command of Chesapeake on 12 January 1802 by the Secretary of the Navy. He proposed that he should be squadron commander of the new squadron leaving for the Mediterranean, or he should leave the service, in a letter to Secretary of the Navy dated 3 March 1802. Secretary of the Navy ordered Capt. Richard V. Morris to take command of Chesapeake in a letter dated 11 March 1802. Truxton was relieved of command by the Navy Secretary in a letter dated 13 March with Lt. William Smith taking temporary command.