Frigate USS President-- Part 1: A Super Frigate

From Wikipedia.

I mentioned in yesterday's and today's post, that the frigate USS President was captured this date (or yesterday) by four British frigates off New York City where it had just run the blockade.  Again, like at New Orleans, neither side was aware that the war had ended, pending ratification by the two countries, on Dec. 24, 1814 at the Treaty of Ghent.

I didn't know much about the USS President, so looked it up, of course to good old Wiki, always a fast source of information.

The USS President was a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate rated to carry 44 guns.  It was launched in April 1800 in New York City, one of the original six super frigates authorized by the Naval Act of 1794 (the USS Constitution was another of these).

The President was the last one completed and designed by Joshua Humphreys.  These six were to serve as the U.S. Navy's capital ships (whereas the biggest British ships were ships-of-the-line, then came their frigates.  These six frigates were larger, more-heavily armed and built than their British counterparts.  That is one reason why British frigates lost whenever engaged one-on-one with these American ones.

--Brock-Perry