USS Washington (1837)

USS Washington (1837)

The sixth USS "Washington" was a revenue cutter in the United States Navy. She discovered "Amistad" after the slaves onboard had seized control of that schooner in an 1839 mutiny. (Contrary to the general assumption, this ship was not named for President Washington but for one Peter G. Washington, who served in the positions of clerk in the Treasury, chief clerk to the 6th Auditor, 1st Assistant Postmaster General, and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. See official website of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, http://www.history.noaa.gov/ships/washington.html.)

"Washington" was the second cutter of that name to serve the Navy. Authorized on 6 July and named on 1 August of 1837, "Washington" was apparently built quickly, as orders were issued on 11 November for the ship to conduct "winter cruising" off the eastern seaboard between New York and the Virginia capes. She sailed on 18 December on her first cruise. In ensuing years, the ship cruised that stretch of sea in the winters and conducted sounding and surveying operations off the coast in the summers of 1838 and 1839. She was rerigged from a schooner to a brig during that period, apparently at Baltimore, Maryland.

While sounding between Gardiner's Point and Montauk Point, N.Y., in the summer of 1839, the cutter encountered evidence of a grim event at sea. On 26 August, "Washington" sighted a "suspicious-looking vessel" at anchor. The brig's commander, Lt. Thomas R. Gedney, USN, sent an armed party to board the craft.

The men found the suspicious ship to be the schooner "Amistad", of and from Havana, Cuba. She had set sail from the coast of Africa two months or so before, carrying two white passengers and 54 slaves, bound for Guanaja, Cuba. Four days out of port, the slaves rose and killed the captain and his crew, saving the two passengers to navigate the ship back to Africa. During the next two months, in which "Amistad" had drifted at sea, nine of the slaves had died.

"Washington" was transferred to the Coast Survey, the forerunner of today's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, on 23 April 1840. For the next 12 years, the brig operated under the aegis of the Navy, off the eastern seaboard of the United States on surveying and sounding duties. All was not entirely tranquil, however, for there were storms to be contended with. While stationed in Chesapeake Bay in 1846, "Washington" was dismasted in a severe gale. Battered and worn but still afloat, the cutter limped to port. She had lost 11 men overboard in the tempest, including Lt. George M. Bache, the ship's commanding officer.

When the Mexican-American War began, "Washington" served with Commodore Matthew C. Perry's forces. Under the command of Lt. Comdr. Samuel Phillips Lee, "Washington" took part in the capture of "Tobasco" on 16 June 1847 and contributed six officers and 30 men to a force under the command of Capt. S. L. Breese that formed part of the 1,173-man landing force that attacked and captured the Mexican stronghold at Tuxpan.

Returned to the Treasury Department on 18 May 1852, "Washington" underwent extensive repairs at New York which lasted into the early winter. Alterations were completed on 9 December 1852, but "Washington" remained in the New York area where she operated locally for the next six years. The cutter participated in the search for the foundering steamer "San Francisco" in the second week of January 1854. "Washington", along with five other revenue cutters, sailed almost simultaneously from their home ports—ranging from New London, Connecticut, to Wilmington, Delaware, and from Norfolk, Virginia to New York; but, unfortunately, none of the ships fell in with "San Francisco".

Ordered to the Gulf of Mexico in the spring of 1859 to relieve "Robert McClelland", "Washington" apparently arrived at Southwest Pass, La. soon afterwards. She apparently remained there into 1861; and, although slated to be relieved, in turn, by "Robert McClelland" the outbreak of the American Civil War caught the brig at New Orleans where she was taken over by authorities of Louisiana soon after that state seceded from the Union on 31 January 1861. Little is known of the ship thereafter. In June 1861, Commodore David Dixon Porter reported that the ship was being fitted out at New Orleans, Louisiana and was almost ready for sea, but no clues to the ship's subsequent career have been found.

References

External links

* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w3/washington-vi.htm history.navy.mil: USS "Washington"]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • USS Fulton (1837) — was a steamer that served the U.S. Navy prior to the American Civil War, and then was recommissioned in time to see service in that war. However, her participation was limited to being captured by Confederate forces in port of Pensacola, Florida …   Wikipedia

  • USS Washington — Zehn Schiffe der United States Navy trugen den Namen USS Washington: zu Ehren von George Washington: USS Washington (1775), ein Schoner USS Washington (1776, Reihen Galeere), in Dienst von 1776 bis 1776 USS Washington (1776, Fregatte), dessen Bau …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • USS Washington — Ten ships of the United States Navy have been namedUSS Washington , originally in honor of George Washington, and later (starting with the 1905 armored cruiser) for the 42nd state.*The first Washington was a schooner named Endeavor acquired by… …   Wikipedia

  • USS Washington — ha sido el nombre recibido por diez buques de la Armada de los Estados Unidos. Los seis primeros, en memoria de George Washington, el séptimo en memoria del del director general de correos y oficial del departamento del tesoro Peter G.… …   Wikipedia Español

  • USS Levant (1837) — The first Levant was a second class sloop of war in the United States Navy. Levant was launched 28 December 1837 by New York Navy Yard; and commissioned 17 March 1838, Commander Hiram Paulding in command. Levant sailed from New York 1 April 1838… …   Wikipedia

  • USS Anacostia (1856) — was a steamer, constructed as a tugboat, that was first chartered by the U.S. Navy for service during the Paraguay crisis of the 1850s and then commissioned as a U.S. Navy ship. She later served prominently in the Union Navy during the American… …   Wikipedia

  • USS Brandywine (1825) — (formerly named Susquehanna ) was an impressive 44 gun frigate which had the initial task of conveying the Marquis de Lafayette back to France. She was later recommissioned a number of times for service in various theatres, such as in the… …   Wikipedia

  • USS Constitution — For similarly named ships, principles of government, and other uses, see Constitution (disambiguation). Constitution on her 213th birt …   Wikipedia

  • USS Essex (1799) — United States Ship Essex Free Trade and Sailor s Rights Typ: Segelfregatte, 3 Masten Konstrukteur: William Hackett Werft …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • USS Essex (1799) — The first USS Essex of the United States Navy was a 36 gun [http://www.visit1812.com/historic sites/usnm.html] or 32 gun [http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/r/robotti essex.html] sailing frigate that participated in the Quasi War with France, the …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”