John Gwinn Also Commanded the Frigate USS Potomac

Last month I spent a lot of time writing about this naval officer's career.  He was a War of 1812 veteran and was commanding the frigate USS Constitution at the time of his death in 1849.

He also commanded the frigate USS Potomac from 1844 to 1845.

The frigate USS Potomac was constructed at the Washington Navy Yard between 1819 and 1822 and entered active service in 1831.  During the 1830s and early 1840s, the Potomac sailed to Asia where it participated in the shelling of  Qualla Battoo, Sumatra.

After its return to Boston in 1844. the ship traveled twice to Brazil

Captain John Gwinn of Maryland commanded the ship  between October 1844 and December 1845 as the Potomac sailed along the U.S. Atlantic coast and to ports om the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

During the Mexican War, the Potomac landed troops at Port Isabel, Texas, and in the Siege of Vera Cruz.

From 1855 to 1856, it was the flagship of the Home Squadron and was part of the Union blockade of the Gulf Coast during the Civil War.

It remained in the service of the U.S. Navy until 1877 when it was sold.

--Brock-Perry

The USS Constitution Restored in 1930

On March 30, 1930, the USS Constitution left  dry dock with major repairs completed at a cost of $1,000,000.  Approximately two-thirds of the money was raised by patriotic organizations and school children.  Congress had supplied the rest of the funding.

In July 1, 1931, the ship went on a good-will tour of New England ports which proved so popular that the historic warship was sent on a tour of all the coastal states of America.  Between July 2, 1932 and May 1932, the ship visited every port on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts with water deep enough for her 23-foot draft.

She was then towed to Washington Navy Yard to prepare for a long trip to the Pacific Coast via the Panama Canal.  She went on that trip, leaving December 8, 1932, towed by the USS Grebe.

"Aye, Tear Her Tattered Ensign Down."  --Brock-Perry

David Conner, USN-- Part 2: Commanded the Home Squadron in Mexican War

After the war, David Conner was sent to the Pacific, did shore duty in Philadelphia and commanded the USS Dolphin.  Later he was the first Chief of the Bureau of Construction, Equipment and Repairs for the Navy.

During the Mexican War he commanded the Home Squadron operating in the Gulf of Mexico from 1846-1847.  He directed the assault on Vera Cruz.  Commodore Mathew C. Perry was his vice-commander during the war.

He later commanded the Philadelphia Navy Yard and died 20 March 1856 and is buried in Philadelphia's Laurel Hill Cemetery.

--Brock-Perry

The U.S. Had Two USS Alligators During the War

I have been mentioning the Battle of Lake Borgne and the lead up to it, the action in Bay St. Louis over the past week.  One of the ships involved in it was the USS Alligator.  Further research on Wikipedia revealed there were two ships by that name in the U.S. Navy during the war, one that operated on he east coast.  The other was the one I was writing about on the Gulf of Mexico.

--Brock-Perry

Battle of Lake Borgne, Louisiana-- Part 3: Destruction of USS Sea Horse at Bay St. Louis

British Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane ordered the frigate HMS Seahorse, Armide and Sophie to proceed from Pensacola to Lake Borgne and en route, they were attacked by two American gunboats and mast lookouts reported seeing the masts from three more enemy ships.  This alerted the British to the American presence.

The British ships collected their ships' boats and sent out 42 longboats and barges mounting one 12, one 18 and one 24-pdr carronades.  There were also 3 gigs mounting long brass 12-pdr cannons.  Also included were 1200 sailors and Royal Marines.

They set off on the night of December 12 and encountered the one gun schooner USS Sea Horse on a mission to destroy a powder magazine at Bay St. Louis.  The schooner and a shore battery fought off two British attacks by the longboats, but was burnt later to prevent capture.

--Brock-Perry