RT7268X_Book.indb 1 8/14/06 5:35:40 AM THE U.S. NAVY WARSHIP SERIES The Sailing Navy, 1775–1854 Civil War Navies, 1855–1883 The New Navy, 1883–1922 RT7268X_Book.indb 2 8/14/06 5:35:44 AM THE SAILING NAVY 1775–1854 Paul H. Silverstone New York London Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business RT7268X_Book.indb 3 8/14/06 5:35:44 AM Routledge Routledge Taylor & Francis Group Taylor & Francis Group 270 Madison Avenue 2 Park Square New York, NY 10016 Milton Park, Abingdon Oxon OX14 4RN © 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 International Standard Book Number-10: 0-415-97872-6 (Hardcover) International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-415-97872-9 (Hardcover) No part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation with- out intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Silverstone, Paul H. The sailing navy : 1775 - 1854 / Paul H. Silverstone. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-415-97872-6 (hb) 1. Warships--United States--History--18th century. 2. Warships--United States--History--19th century. 3. United States. Continental Navy--Lists of vessels. 4. United States. Navy--Lists of vessels. 5. Navies--United States. I. Title. VA61.S567 2006 359.8’3097309034--dc22 2006002086 Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at http://www.taylorandfrancis.com and the Routledge Web site at http://www.routledge-ny.com RT7268X_Book.indb 4 8/14/06 5:35:45 AM COntEnts Preface vii Abbreviations ix Explanation of Data xi U.S. Navy Chronology 1775-1855 xiii U.S. Naval Ordnance, 1773–1855 xvii 1 The Continental Navy, 1775–1783 1 2 State Navies, 1775–1783 17 3 The United States Navy, 1794–1854 21 4 United States Revenue Cutter Service 77 5 Texas Navy 87 Appendix: Royal Navy Losses in North American Waters 89 Bibliography 93 Index 95 RT7268X_Book.indb 5 8/14/06 5:35:45 AM RT7268X_Book.indb 6 8/14/06 5:35:45 AM PREFACE This book provides a single comprehensive source of definitive systems of measurement. Some judgment has been required to information on the ships of the United States Navy during the choose which of these various measurements should be used. age of sail from its beginning with the Continental Navy in 1775. Similarly it has been difficult to identify some acquired ships’ No such source has previously been available that focuses on this prior identity and place or date of construction. Most of the period of U.S. naval history. records are handwritten, leading to a variety of spellings or read- From 1775 to 1854 there is much conflicting information but ings of the names of ships and other data. For ship illustrations lack of accurate information. Systems of measuring ships, both from this era prior to photography it was necessary to use line tonnage and dimensions, varied so that the numbers given differ drawings, contemporary prints, and artists’ impressions. from source to source. The dimensions of a ship were more mean- Appreciation is extended to Ernest Arroyo, William Jurens, ingful than tonnage. There is occasional confusion about a ship’s Norman Polmar, and Charles R. Haberlein for assistance in rig. Ships’ batteries were changeable, and different armaments obtaining information and photographs. And further apprecia- are often found for the same ship. One has little assurance that tion to the editors for many helpful suggestions. these figures are right or wrong or merely reporting different RT7268X_Book.indb 7 8/14/06 5:35:45 AM RT7268X_Book.indb 8 8/14/06 5:35:45 AM ABBREVIATIOns bldr builder oa overall bm burden pdr pounder bp length between perpendiculars R rifle BU broken up recomm recommissioned comm commissioned RN Royal Navy (Great Britain) crde carronade RR removed from shipping registers CSN Confederate States Navy rtnd returned CSS Confederate States Ship SB smoothbore D displacement (tonnage) schr schooner FFU further fate unknown SE still existing H howitzer S/F sold foreign HP horsepower sqn squadron LofM Letter of Marque trfd transferred M mortar (U) information unknown MLR muzzle loading rifle USNA United States Naval Academy NHP normal horsepower USCS United States Coast Survey NYd Navy Yard USRCS United States Revenue Cutter Service RT7268X_Book.indb 9 8/14/06 5:35:45 AM RT7268X_Book.indb 10 8/14/06 5:35:45 AM EXPLANATION OF DATA This book examines three main sections of naval history cover- Construction dates: For Navy-built ships, dates given are for ing the Continental Navy, the United States Navy from 1794 to laying down of keel, launching, and commissioning. 1854, and the United States Revenue Cutter Service. For acquired vessels, dates given are date of launching, The ships of the Continental Navy, which operated from acquisition by the Navy, and commissioning. 1775 to 1783, are divided into four basic groups: those autho- Rate: Sailing ships were rated by number of guns, although rized and built by Congress, those existing ships purchased and this number may not coincide with the actual guns car- converted, those acquired abroad, and those captured and put ried. It was customary to append the rate to the name of into service. The ships that served on Lake Champlain are in a the ship, thus denoting its strength and size. separate section, and there is a brief listing of ships owned by Dimensions: Standard dimensions given in feet (’) and the individual states. inches (”) are length × beam × draft (or depth of hull, The United States Navy was formally established in 1794. Most prefixed with “d”). Figures varied widely and were often of its ships are listed by type—ships-of-the-line, frigates, brigs, published without explanation of the method of mea- and schooners—but again the ships that served on the lakes are surement. The usual length given was between perpen- discussed in separate sections. Also, the newly developed steam- diculars, that is to say between the fore side of the stem ships are grouped together in another section. and the aft side of the rudder post. Others measured Records from these early days are often sparse and nonex- the length overall, on deck, or on the keel. The symbol istent, and where they do exist they are unclear or conflicting. (U) after the length indicates the type of measurement Reputable sources, as often as not, do not agree. Too often, basic is not known. information has been lacking altogether. Tonnage: Tonnage is not a good indicator of size in these Particulars are given for each ship as follows. For certain types early ships, but is mainly useful in comparing one ship of ships, information is given in a single line without explana- to another. Measurement was often expressed in tons tion. For ships remaining on the Navy List after 1855, historical burden, an expression of the carrying capacity of a ship details and changes in the ship or its armament after that date rather than weight, and rules of its calculation varied as well as its subsequent history will be found in the succeeding widely. Other measurements used are indicated in the volume of this series, Civil War Navies, 1855–1883. text by: bm = burden, D = displacement. Machinery (for steamships): The early steam ships of the Name: Navy name as completed, with former names given Navy had simple engines but with many variations as below. Further changes of name, if any, are indicated in engineers experimented with new ideas. Side wheels the service record with new Navy names in bold type. were the principal mode of propulsion with experimen- If a ship retained its merchant name in Navy service, tal screw propellers developed by Ericsson, Hunter, and no former name is given. It should be noted that using others. The mode of propulsion; number, type, and USS as a prefix for ships of the Continental Navy is not size of engines; number of boilers; horsepower; and strictly correct as the United States did not come into speed are given. The diameter of the cylinder(s) and existence until a later date. the length of the stroke of the piston are shown, the Builder: Place where the ship was built, followed by the former in inches and the latter in feet, for example (50” builder’s name, if known, in parentheses. × 2’), following the type of engine. The maker of the RT7268X_Book.indb 11 8/14/06 5:35:46 AM xii EXplanation of Data machinery is noted in parentheses, if known (bldr indi- final disposition by the Navy—loss, sale, or transfer to cates machinery manufactured by the builder). another agency. Other than final disposition, details of Complement: Normal figure for officers and crew. For many the service record after about 1855 are given in Civil ships, where sources vary, a range (e.g., 50/75) is given. War Navies. There was often a large variance between peacetime Ships captured: Names and dates of merchant ships captured and wartime complements. or sunk. Some prizes were credited to several ships act- Battery: Original number and type of guns are given first ing together and so appear more than once.