Capture of USS President

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Capture of USS President


caption=
partof=the War of 1812
date=December 13, 1814
place=outside of New York Harbor, New York, New York
result=British victory
combatant1=flag|Great Britain
combatant2=flag|United States|1795
commander1=flagicon|Great Britain Commodore John Hayes
commander2=flagicon|United States|1795 Commodore Stephen Decatur
strength1=4 frigates
strength2=1 frigate
casualties1= 1 frigate damaged
11 KIA
14 WIA
casualties2= 1 frigate captured
24 KIA
55 WIAThe Capture of USS "President" was a naval action fought at the end of the Anglo-American War of 1812. The "President" tried to break out of New York harbour, but was intercepted and forced to surrender by a British squadron of four frigates.

Prelude

The "President" was commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur. In 1812, while in command of the frigate "United States" he had captured the British frigate HMS|Macedonian in a famous action. After his return, the British instituted a strict blockade of the American coast. In 1813, Decatur tried to break out of New York in the "United States" and "Macedonian" (which had been taken into the United States Navy), but was 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. [Forester, p.142] Decatur apparently tried to break out in the "United States" in early 1814, but turned back when he feared that pro-British local civilians were burning lights to alert the blockaders. [http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/19thcentury/articles/usspresident.aspx Military History online article] ] Decatur and the crew of the "United States" were transferred to the "President", which had been refitted in New York. (The crew of the "Macedonian" were transferred to the Great Lakes.)

On December 13, 1814, the "President" and some smaller warships (the sloops-of-war USS "Peacock" and USS "Hornet", and the schooner-rigged tender USS "Tom Bowline") were in New York harbour, preparing to break out past the British blockade to embark on cruises against British merchant shipping.Roosevelt, p.221]

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 blizzard blew up from the north-west. 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. (He may have been accompanied by a merchant brig, also named "Macedonian", carrying extra rations as a tender, but the brig does not feature in any subsequent events.)Forester, p.206] The smaller warships would break out later and rendezvous with "President" off Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic. [Forester, p.218] [Roosevelt, p.236]

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. [Roosevelt, p.222] 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.

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, Hayes left the "Tenedos" to watch the Sandy Hook passage and headed north to watch the Long Island passage, rather than head 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 and boats overboard and pumping out drinking water) but the damage he had received on the bar had fatally slowed the "President".

After HMS "Majestic" had fired some ranging shots which fell short, 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 respectively. 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. The Long Island shore was too close for Decatur to steer northwards to put the "Endymion" astern.Forester, p.207]

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 parties 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". However, the shooting was poor on both sides while the "President's" powder was apparently defective.Roosevelt, p.224]

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, and three of "President's" Lieutenants had been killed. 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".

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. The British took the "President" briefly into the Royal Navy but 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. [Forester, p.209] 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.

Notes

References

*Forester, C.S.: "The Age of Fighting Sail", New English Library, ISBN 0-939218-06-2
*Roosevelt, Theodore: "The Naval War of 1812", Modern Library, New York, ISBN 0-375-75419-9