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

USS Vixen (1803)-- Part 3: Lawrence, Ludlow and the HMS Moselle

BETWEEN WARS

The Vixen was placed in ordinary at Washington Navy Yard as soon as she got back from the Mediterranean.  She left the yard one year later and operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States.  During this time, she was commanded by Lieutenant James "Don't Give Up the Ship" Lawrence and Charles Ludlow.

On 18 June 1810,  the Vixen came upon the brig-sloop HMS Moselle off Barbados, which opened fire on her with no provocation.  The Moselle's captain, Commander Henry Boys apologized, saying he had been unable to make out the Vixen's colors and that he had thought she was a French privateer he had been seeking.

And, of course, this was the era of impressment which was such a sticking point between the United States and Britain.

The Vixen suffered one casualty, a man who was wounded in the mouth by a splinter.

--Brock-Perry

U.S. Navy in War of 1812-- Part 4: Woefully Unprepared to Take on Britain

To say the U.S. Navy was in no shape to fight the British Navy is a huge understatement.  In 1812, the British Navy included 130 ships of the line mounting 60-120 guns and 600 frigates and smaller warships.

The U.S. Navy at the time had 7 frigates fit for the sea, 3 frigates needing repairs, 8 brigs, schooners or sloops, and 165 gunboats (of which 103 were in ordinary or in need of repairs).  The Navy was never large at any time and almost evaporated after hostilities ended with Tripoli in 1805.

Further cuts continued even after the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair and even up to 1810, despite worsening tensions with Britain.

Naval historian Charles O. Paullin described the shape of the U.S. Navy when war was declared being "unprepared in every essential means, instrument, and material of naval warfare.  It had no dry docks.  It had few ships.  With the exception of the naval establishment at Washington, the navy-yards were in a state of neglect and decay."

Thankfully for our Navy, Napoleon in France had the British attention, nor had they expected a declaration of war.    Of all the British ships, just one ship of the line, 7 frigates and a dozen smaller warships were operating out of the main base in Halifax, Canada.

--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

Christopher R. Perry-- Part 4: Personal Life, Five Sons in Navy

Christopher Perry returned to the United States in July 1800 and the crew was discharged.  The General Greene was placed in ordinary at Washington Navy Yard and reduced to a hulk in 1805 before being burned Aug. 24. 1814, to prevent capture by the British.

Perry and most of the other officers of the U.S. Navy were laid off by the Naval Peace Establishment Act of 1801 which reduced the size of the Navy.  Only nine of the 42 captains of the Navy retained their commissions.

PERSONAL LIFE

Perry married  Sarah Wallace Alexander on August 2, 1784.  She was the descendant of an uncle of famed Scottish hero William Wallace.  They had eight children.  All five of the sons were officers in the U.S. Navy who died in the service.  The two most famous are Oliver Hazard Perry and Matthew Calbraith Perry.

I was unable to find out anything about Christopher Perry in the War of 1812.

In 1800, he became the owner of a large house in Newport, Rhode Island, that still stands and is called the Knowles-Perry House which is probably where he lived for the rest of his life.  He died in 1818. and is buried in the Belmont-Perry plot in the Island Cemetery in Newport.

--Brock-Perry

Christopher R. Perry, USN-- Part 1: Father of Some Famous Sons

I'm sure I knew that Oliver Hazard Perry had a father, but never thought anything about him until I was doing posts about ships that had been burned in the Washington Navy Yard in 1814 to prevent them from being captured by the British.  One of them was the frigate USS General Greene, another ship I had never heard of as well.

And, not only was Christopher Perry the father of Oliver Hazard, but also quite a list of other naval officers.

Here's his story.

From Wikipedia.

CHRISTOPHER RAYMOND PERRY  (December 4, 1761 - June 1, 1818)

Was an officer in the United States Navy, appointed Chief Justice of the Court of Pleas for Washington County, R.I., in 1780 and served until 1791.  He was the father of Oliver Hazard Perry and Matthew Calbraith Perry.

The Perry in my sign-off below is for Oliver Hazard Perry.

--Brock-Perry

The Three USS Columbias in the Civil War

I am writing about three U.S. Navy ships named the Columbia which took part in the Civil War in my Running the Blockade:  Civil War Navy blog.

One of them was the second frigate by that name and this one was launched from the Washington Navy Yard in the 1830s.  However, it was burned when the Confederates captured the Norfolk Navy Yard.  The second one was a former blockade runner that was captured on its maiden voyage, turned into a Union blockader and ran aground and sank after just one month's service.

The third one was a former Cofederate ironclad captured at Charleston.

Three USS Columbias and not much service.

You can go to the Civil War Navy blog to read about them.

--Brock-Perry

The USS Boston Also Burned At Washington Navy Yard

From Wikipedia.

The USS Boston was a 32-gun, wooden-hulled, three-masted frigate built by public subscription in Boston which took part in the Quasi War with France and the First Barbary War.  It was launched in 1700 and commissioned the same year.

The Boston protected American commerce ships from French privateers in the Quasi War, capturing eight prizes (two with the USS General Greene).  In the Barbary War the ship  battled Barbary ships.

Laid up in 1802 at Washington Navy Yard, it was deemed in such bad shape that it was not worth repairing.  She was burned August 24, 1814, to prevent capture by the British.

--Brock-Perry

Another USS New York Burned to Prevent Enemy Capture

Earlier this month I wrote about the frigate USS Columbia being burned at Washington Navy Yard in 1814 to prevent capture by the British and that another frigate named USS Columbia had been burned to prevent capture by Confederates in 1861 at Gosport Navy Yard in Norfolk, Virginia.

And, the USS New York name had a similar story.  The 1800 USS New York, which I have been writing about was burned at Washington Navy Yard in 1814.  The next USS New York was a 74-gun ship of the line that was laid down in 1820 at Norfolk Navy Yard, but never launched and burned in 1861 to prevent capture by the Confederates.

--Brock-Perry

USS New York-- Part 3: Service in the Mediterranean and Burned at Washington Navy Yard

The USS New York sailed to Malta on June 14, 1803, where she received a 17-gun salute from the British Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson and then sailed for Gibraltar by way of Naples and Malaga..  Once there on September 14, she met the fleet of Commodore Edward Preble sent to relieve the New York and Commodore Morris.

Captain John Rodgers came aboard and relieved Morris and a month later, the New York sailed for home.  She arrived at Washington Navy Yard 9 December 1803 and was immediately placed in ordinary.

The New York remained in that state for the next eleven years and was burned when the British captured Washington, D.C., on August 24, 1814.

--Brock-Perry

USS Columbia, Burned at Washington Navy Yard in 1814, the Second USS Columbia Burned at Norfolk To Prevent Capture By Confederates in 1861

Also burned at the Washington Navy Yard in August 1814, was the 44-gun frigate Columbia which was approaching completion.  It was never rebuilt.  But, in 1836, a new USS Columbia was launched at the Washington Navy Yard.

Though it's keel was laid in 1825, but as was often in the Navy during that time, many years would lapse between the beginning of a ship and its launch and commissioning.

It was 175 feet long and rated for 50 guns with a crew of 480.

The Columbia was scuttled and burned April 21, 1861, to prevent capture by the Confederates.  It was raised at the end of the war and sold in 1867.

--Brock-Perry

So That Is the Story Behind the USS Argus Being Burned At Washington Navy Yard in 1814

I had some confusion about the USS Argus and its being burned at the Washington Navy Yard in August 1814.  I had come across another USS Argus which had been captured by the British in 1813,

It turns out that the Argus at Washington was to continue the name of Argus to replace the one captured by the British.  Evidently, it was not rebuilt after it was burned to prevent the British from capturing it.

--Brock-Perry

The USS Constitution's Last Visits to Washington, D.C.

The Constitution's final visits to Washington Navy Yard and D.C.  were during her National Cruise following a four-year restoration that was completed in 1931.   The "Old Ironsides" arrived at the Yard on November 7, 1931, and stayed for eleven days.  During that time thousands of visitors walked its decks, including President Herbert Hoover on November 11.

On November 18, the minesweeper USS Grebe towed the ship back down the Potomac River to warmer climes for the rest of its tour.  The Grebe, a World War I ship, remained the Constitution's tender and towing ship for the whole tour.  The Grebe was also at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

The Constitution returned on April 16, 1932, where it remained until December 8.

By the time of the ship's last visit, Washington Navy yard was no longer a shipbuilding facility.  Now it was better known as a Naval Gun Factory.  However, the Yard still had  people with the needed skills to  to repair wear and tear on the ship's wooden decks caused by the trampling of feet from over two million visitors during its National Cruise.

--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

The USS Constitution Goes to Washington Navy Yard-- Part 4: Heading for the Guerriere

The ballast load was also reduced to improve the ship's sailing performance.  By early June, stores began to arrive as Captain Hull prepared to return to open sea.  On June 10, the Constitution left the Washington Navy Yard for Alexandria, Virginia, just a few miles downriver, for additional provisions and the installation of a new lower capstan.

The Constitution left Alexandria on June 18, after learning that war had been declared.  Two months later, the Constitution was victorious in its battle with the HMS Guerriere 19 August 1812.

A Fast Turn-Around.  --Brock-Perry

The USS Constitution Goes to Washington Navy Yard-- Part 3: Heaved Over and Ready to Go

In contrast to the slow work done on the USS Chesapeake, not so for the USS Constitution.  There was a sense of urgency because of the increasingly bad relations with Britain and all the cries for conflict from the Congressional War Hawks.

The Constitution arrived on March 5, 1812.  The Secretary of the Navy, Paul Hamilton visited the ship to determine what needed to be done.  Once the spars and uppermasts were removed and anything else removable removed, the ship was heaved down.  Heaved down is when a ship is turned onto her side so that work below the waterline can be done.  This would occur in very shallow water where a dry dock was not available.

It was heaved down on May 2 using teams of oxen to perform the heavy moving.  First the port side was exposed, then the starboard.  By May 12, cleaning and patching  the copper sheathing  and caulking was completed.  Work began to re-rig the ship with new spars and foremast.

The bowsprit had been intended for the USS Constellation, but Captain Hull redirected this  and other timbers to his ship.  The Constellation would have to wait.  Sky poles  and a double dolphin striker (no idea what these are) were added.

Preparing for War.  --Brock-Perry

The USS Constitution Goes to Washington Navy Yard-- Part 2

Thomas Tingey was a former British naval officer who had served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolution and distinguished himself during the Quasi-War .  At Washington Navy Yard (WNY) he proved himself an able administrator and remained at that post from 1799 until his death in 1829.  His residence is now home of the Chief of Navy Operations.

During his long tenure, WNY turned into a nearly full-service facility just coming up short because it did not have a drydock.  In 1806, the sloop of war Wasp became the first of several 19th century warships built there.

Despite being an excellent facility, however, the competence of its workforce came into question when the frigate USS Chesapeake took six months to refit for recommissioning in 1807.  When she was finally ready to go this is when the Chesapeake/Leopard Affair took place when the ship was engaged by the British frigate HMS Leopard, boarded and four American sailors taking off.

This is one of the reasons for the War of 1812.

However, work on the USS Constitution, with the threat of war with Britain impending, went on quickly when it arrived for repairs March 5, 1812.

--Brock-Perry

The USS Constitution Goes to Washington-- Part 1

From the USS Constitution Museum 14 March 2018.   By David F. Winkler.

The USS Constitution was built in Boston and has spent most all of the last  120 years at the Charlestown Navy Yard, but there was a time it visited many U.S. navy yards.

The need for repairs and outfitting led the ship to Washington Navy Yard just before the War of 1812.  It was originally supposed to go to the yard in 1801 when President Thomas Jefferson wanted to decommission all of the Navy's frigates and maintain them in Washington as a cost-saving measure.

However, the Constitution remained in ordinary for two years and then saw duty in the Mediterranean at the outbreak of the first Barbary War.  By 1805, eight of the Navy's eleven frigates were at the Washington Navy yard, but the Constitution remained in the Mediterranean as the flagship, along with the USS Essex.  The USS Adams sailed the eastern U.S. seaboard.

The land for the Washington Navy Yard was originally acquired in 1799 by Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Stoddert and in the first decade of the 19th century was a work in progress with Thomas Tingey
 the first commandant.

--Brock-Perry

The Washington Navy Yard in the War of 1812-- Part 2: The "No Pen Can Describe the Appalling Sound"

As the British marched into Washington, holding the yard became an impossibility.  With smoke rising from the Capitol, Thomas Tingey ordered the yard burned to prevent capture of naval equipment and ships.

On August 30, 1814, Mary Stockton Hunter, an eyewitness to what happened next, wrote her sister:  "No pen can describe the appalling sound that our ears heard and the sight our eyes saw.  We could see everything clearly from the upper part of our house as plainly as if we had been in the Yard.

"All the vessels of war on fire- the immense quantity of dry timber, together with the houses and stores in flames produced an almost meridian brightness.  You  never saw a drawing room so brightly lighted as the whole city was that night."

--Brock-Perry

The Washington Navy Yard in the War of 1812-- Part 1: the Navy Yard Rifles and Battle of Bladensburg

During the War of 1812, the Navy Yard was important not only in its support capacity, but also as a link in the defenses of Washington, D.C..  Sailors from the yard were hastily assembled to resist the British advance at Bladensburg.

An independent volunteer militia rifle company of civilian workers there were organized by naval architect William Doughty and trained regularly after working hours.  They were designated the Navy Yard Rifles.  They were under the overall command of Washington's first mayor, Major Robert Brent of the 2nd Regt.  of the District of Columbia Militia.

In late August the company was ordered to assemble at Bladensburg, Maryland, to form the first line of defense against the approaching British.  When the first line was ordered to retreat, the Navy Yard Rifles fell back to the third line of defense and joined  the Chesapeake  Bay Flotilla sailors and U.S. Marines and with devastating artillery fire and desperate hand-to-hand combat before being forces to withdraw.

This defense slowed the British advance.

--Brock-Perry