From Wikipedia.
The USS Hornet came close to being captured in April 1815 by the HMS Cornwallis.
The HMS Cornwallis was a third rate ship-of-the line carrying 74 cannons. Launched 12 May 1813 in Bombay, India, and built of teak. Its construction was delayed earlier in the War of 1812 when HMS Java, which had been carrying copper sheathing from England, was captured by the USS Constitution.
On 27 April 1815, it engaged the sloop USS Hornet which had mistaken it for a merchant ship. Heavily outgunned, the Hornet was forced to make a run for it and had to thrown its cannons and much more overboard, but it did manage to get away.
That was a very uneven battle and bad mistake for the Hornet to make. A sloop should never take on a ship-of-the-line.
Oops! --Brock-Perry
2012 marks the 200th anniversary of America's "Forgotten War," the War of 1812 that took place over three years, 1812 to 1815.
Battle of New Orleans.
No comments:
Post a Comment