Jacob Jones, USN-- Part 3: A Victory Then a Loss

As the two vessels continued to close, the Wasp collided with the bowsprit of the HMS Frolic.  Jones immediately ordered his men to board the Frolic, where they overwhelmed the British crew and captured the ship.

It was all over in 45 minutes.  Out of110 sailors aboard the Frolic, 90 had been killed or seriously wounded.  The Americans suffered only five killed and five wounded.

The victory over the Frolic was complete, but just then the sails of another ship were seen, which turned out to be the HMS Poictiers, a 74-gun British ship-of-the-line, appeared on the horizon.

Under normal circumstances. Jones' ship could easily outsail the slower, more powerful Poictiers; but the rigging of the Wasp was in tatters.  After the Poictiers fired a warning shot at the smaller American vessel, Jones was forced to surrender.

Regardless of the loss of his ship, Congress presented Jones with a gold medal for his action.

The Delaware native served four more decades in the U.S. Navy.

Jones had weathered a turbulent childhood and failure in several occupations before ge found himself a home in the Navy.

--Brock-Perry

Jacob Jones, USN-- Part 2: A Short, Violent Fight Between the Wasp and the Frolic

The capture by Tripoli did not stop Jones' career in the Navy.  At the beginning of the War of 1812, he now found himself in the command of the sloop USS Wasp.  In the early months of the war, American ships aggressively  sought out British ships in the Atlantic sea lanes and along the Atlantic coast.

On this cruise, before he even found the British, the Wasp encountered a violent storm which destroyed part of the ship's rigging and killed two men.  The rigging had just barely been repaired when a small convoy of British ships was spotted being escorted by the British sloop HMS Frolic.

Both being sloops, the two ships were about evenly matched for a battle that would be short and bloody.  The Wasp and Frolic were about sixty yards apart when the first broadsides were exchanged.  According to future President Theodore Roosevelt in his book "The Naval War of 1812, "The (Frolic) fired very rapidly, delivering three broadsides to the Wasp's two, both crews cheering loudly as the ships wallowed through the water.

"There was a very heavy sea running, causing the vessels to pitch and roll heavily.  The Americans fired as the engaged side of their ship was going down aiming at their opponents hull, while the British delivered their broadsides while on the crest of the seas, the shot going high."

So, Who Won?  --Brock-Perry

Dueling Frigates-- Part 9: A Hornet-Loup Cervier Duel of Sloops?

The British had played a bit of psychological warfare in June 1813 when HMS Loup-Cervier   (French for the Canadian lynx) joined the squadron off New London.  When the war began, she had been the U.S. sloop of war Wasp and a part of Decatur's squadron at Hampton Roads in Virginia.

At the time, it was commanded by Jacob Jones, now commander of the former British frigate Macedonian.  In October 1812, the Wasp captured the HMS Frolic, but was then captured herself and placed into British service.

Perhaps, Captain Biddle of the Wasp's former sister ship Hornet (formerly Jones' lieutenant on the Wasp) was sent to the HMS Ramilles to arrange the challenge, he met Captain William Bowen Mends of the Loup Cervier.

Perhaps a ship duel was arranged between their two ships.

--Brock-Perry

USS Constitution Goes to Washington Navy Yard-- Part 4: The Yard Goes Up in Flames, So Do the Ships

It was a good thing the USS Constitution was not at the Washington Navy Yard in August 1814, as we would not have her around today.  The Navy Yard burned, both by the Americans, preventing the British from capturing items and the British.

On August 24, 1814, with the British approaching, the commandant of the yard, Thomas Tingey, ordered the Yard torched.  As darkness fell that night, the nation's capital city was all aglow with flames, the Yard as well.

The Navy's storehouses burned as well as as the USS New York, USS Boston, USS General Greene, USS Argus and the almost completed frigate USS Columbia.

I have seen several sources who list the Argus as being burned at Washington Navy Yard, but, the only USS Argus I can find was a brig captured in 1813 by the HMS Frolic.  I have even listed it as one of the burned ships.  Perhaps the Navy was building a new USS Argus.

I can not find any more information on the USS Columbia.

--Brock-Perry

War of 1812 Heritage Trail-- Part 3: Lightships and Commodore Jones

**  Overfalls Lightship, given to Lewes Historical Society in 1973.  The last lightship still functioning on the east coast.  In service 1892-9161.  One of only 17 lightships still afloat and there was once 179.

**  Blockhouse Pond--  site of an American encampment during most of the War of 1812.

**  Ryves-Holt House-- believed to be the oldest house in Delaware.  Dating to 16685, was once a colonial inn.  Commodore Jacob N. Jones once lived here.  He received much acclamation for his defeat of the HMS Frolic in his ship, the USS Wasp.  (He is buried in Wilmington, Delaware's Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery.)

--Brock-Perry

Delaware's Joseph Haslet, War Governor-- Part 2: State Mostly Against the War

Joseph Haslet ran for governor in 1814, but lost.  He ran again and won, serving from January 15, 1811, to January 18, 1814.  The War of 1812 took place during much of his tenure.

His state of Delaware was mostly against the war, but Haslet got the legislature to raise a 1,000 militia force and to make $25,000 to equip it.

The bright spot of the war for the Americans were the naval victories.  One of those was the capture of the British ship HMS Frolic by Captain Jacob Nicholas Jones of Delaware which gave the state much pride.  However, the arrival of British fleets in the Chesapeake and Delaware bays was cause for alarm.

--Brock-Perry

No Part 2 For Jacob Jones

If you're interested in reading the rest of Saturday's account on Jacob Nicholas Jones, click on the label below.

It turns out, I had written about him in connection with the USS Wasp capturing the HMS Frolic (not exactly a very warlike name if you ask me).  I was writing Saturday in connection to the destroyer named after him and sunk by a German U-boat off New Jersey during World War II.

Brock-Perry

Commodore Jacob Nicholas Jones, USN

From Wikipedia.

(March 1768-August 3, 1850.  An American officer in the Quasi-War with France, the Barbary Wars and War of 1812.  Born in Kent County, Delaware.

He was definitely involved with some of the ships I wrote about last month on their 200th anniversaries.

Strangely, however, he didn't join the Navy as a midshipman until he was 31, that when some midshipmen were as young as 10.  Some think the death of his wife prompted him to do it.  During the Quasi War, he served on the USS United States under Commodore John Barry and was promoted to 2nd Lt. in 1801.

On Oct. 31, 1803, during the Barbary War, he was taken prisoner on the USS Philadelphia in the Bay of Tripoli, but freed in 1805.

In 1810, he was given command of the USS Wasp and during the War of 1812, on Oct. 18, 1812, captured the HMS Frolic and that same day he was again captured, this time by the HMS Poictiers.

He was widely acclaimed after his prisoner exchange despite losing his ship.  He then was given command of the USS Macedonian, a captured British ship before getting bottled up with the USS United States in New London, CT. in 1814.  He was then transferred to Lake Ontario and given command of the USS Mohawk during the last year of the war..

During the Second Barbary War, he again commanded the USS Macedonian and later captained the USS Guerriere, another captured British ship.  From 1821-1823, he commanded the Mediterranean Squadron, then the Pacific Squadron 1826-1829 and then was Navy Commissioner in Washington, DC. 

He commanded the Philadelphia Navy Yard from 1847 until his death.

So here was a guy captured twice and then who commanded two captured ships.

Must Have Been In His Blood.  --Brock-Perry

HMS Poictiers

From Wikipedia.

This was the ship that arrived on the scene after the USS Wasp had defeated the HMS Frolic and then recaptured the British ship and captured the USS Wasp on Oct. 18, 2012, 200 years ago.

It was a 74-gun ship of the line launched in 1809, and most of its war record involved capturing some 20 merchant ships of the U.S. coast  It also captured three U.S. armed privateers: Herald, 10 guns; Highflyer, 5 guns and Yorktown, 20 guns.

On March 16, 1813, the ship's commander demanded that the town of Lewes, Delaware give him 20 live bulls, vegetables and hay, to which he would pay a fair price.  If not, he would destroy the town.  The town refused and on April 6th and 7th, the town was shelled with the killing of a chicken and wounding of a pig.

There is a cannonball fired from the Poictiers lodged in the stone foundation of the Lewes Marine Museum.

In 1857, the Poictiers was sold and broken up.

Brock-Perry

The USS Wasp/HMS Peacock

From Wikipedia.

The USS Wasp was a sloop of war commissioned in 1807.  After its capture yesterday, 200 years ago, it served in the British Navy, first as the HMS Loup Cervier and then the HMS Peacock.  It was lost in 1814, presumably with all hands.

While part of the US Navy, it operated off the coast of the middle states in 1812 and had also been damaged by the gale that had battered the HMS Frolic.  Shortly after the battle with the Frolic, the 74-gun ship of the line Poictiers appeared on the scene and the Wasp, damaged from the gale and battle, was in no condition to fight ar run and forced to surrender the same day it captured the Frolic.

It taken into British service as the HMS Loup Cervier, but had its name changed to the HMS Peacock after the USS Hornet captured and sank the original HMS Peacock in Feb. 1813.  From April to May it captured two Swedish ships and one from Russia.  It sank off the Virginia Capes in 1814 with all its crew.

The Story of a Ship.  --Brock-Perry

The 200th Anniversary of the HMS Frolic, USS Wasp, HMS Poictiers Battle

From Wikipedia.

Two hundred years ago, there was a naval action off the coast of Virginia involving the capture of the HMS Frolic by the USS Wasp and subsequent recapture of the Frolic and capture of the Wasp by the HMS Poictiers.

The HMS Frolic was an 18-gun Cruizer-class brig-sloop with a 121-man crew. In October 1812, it was on the North American Station protecting a convoy of six merchantmen off Virgina.  A gale had dispersed the fleet and damaged the Frolic's sails and masts.  On October 18th, the USS Wasp hove into view an opened an engagement.  The Frolic fired more shots, but inaccurately. 

Unfortunately for her, the gale damage had made her unmanageable and after being raked fore-aft for 40 minutes, she was boarded and captured.  Out of her crew, 15 were killed and 43 wounded.  American losses were put at 5 killed and 5 wounded.

Later that day, the 74-gun ship of the line HMS Poictiers appeared and easily recaptured the Wasp as well, which had been damaged by the aforementioned gale and the battle.

Later, the HMS Frolic was one of four British ships that captured the American ship Fame.  The Frolic was broken up in Portsmouth in November 1813.

A Little-Known Battle.  --Brock-Perry