The third US ship by the name of Revenge was a 70-foot long schooner mounting 12X6-pounder guns purchased in 1806 which ran aground and sank Jan. 9, 1811, while under the command of Lt. Oliver Hazard Perry who had commanded it since 1809. It was built in Baltimore.
In April 1810, it freed an American ship in Spanish waters that had been seized and placed under British colors. Two British ships were near it, but Perry boarded it anyway, manned it with a prize crew and sailed away.
When the ship ran aground near Watch Hill, Rhode Island, the Revenge had been charting coastal waters and the harbor. An attempt was made to tow the ship off, but the rope broke and it sank.
An investigation was held and Perry exonerated, but it did cause his career to get waylaid from fast advancement.
On Jan. 7, 2011, local divers Charles Duffum and Craig Harger announced the discovery of a shipwreck that matches the site where the Revenge sank and its size. Two months ago, the Navy sent divers to the site, but would not confirm if the wreck was that of the Revenge.
This story takes place before the war, but does have an impact on it, along with one of the reasons the U.S. finally declared war.
Don't Have Your Ship Sink. --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.
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