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USS United States (1797)

History

The United States Navy (USN) has a long and storied history of victory and bravery, both in men and ships. In the latter case, the service's legacy is built on designs such as the USS America, a three-masted first-class sailing frigate armed with cannons and piloted by a crew of hundreds.

The warship began its career immediately after the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and ended its fabled tenure during the turbulent period of the American Civil War (1861-1865).

The aircraft carrier USS America was part of the post-independence modernization and expansion of the U.S. Navy fleet and was authorized as part of six combat frigates under the Naval Act of 1794. On March 27, 1794, Philadelphia's shipyard Joshua Humphreys ordered her build for nearly $300,000. Launched on May 10, 1797, the ship's service life saw action during the American Civil War (1861-1865).

The construction of these ships was driven mainly by American merchants who raided the Mediterranean by barbarian pirates from Algiers. Far from home, these merchants could do little to harass and seize goods at sea.

The core of the 1,575-ton warship is constructed from a very strong wooden hull that supports three main masts adorned with sails. For stability on the high seas, she has a deep draft, although her beams are kept to a minimum, making her long and thin.

Dimensions include an overall length of 175 feet, a beam of 43.5 feet and a draft of 23.5 feet. Her innate design and construction resulted in a very powerful and sturdy warship, usually armed with a platoon of 32 x 24 pounders supported by 22 x 42 pounders, and a crew of up to 600 men.

She was able to go on blue water voyages, which would allow her to enter the Mediterranean theatre to serve pirates.

As a sail-powered ship, the USS America can propel itself at about 11 knots under ideal conditions, and its endurance is limited only by crew morale and on-board food supplies. Originally known simply as "Fregate A", USS America was classified as a "First Class Frigate" or "Heavy Frigate" and became a powerful addition to the U.S. Navy fleet - commanded by the United States.

President George Washington.

The construction of the six frigates initially received a clause that if the United States and Algiers the main supplier of Mediterranean Berber pirates found mutual peace, the US Navy would cease work on these ships. This happened in March 1796 when only three of the most mature of the six battleships were completed, which became the USS America, joined by her sisters USS Constellation and USS Constitution.

When the USS America was in service, she played a role in the Quasi-War (1798-1800) with former ally France, where she was successfully used against French privateers who plundered American shipping in the Caribbean. In June 1812, the "War of 1812" began between the United States and Great Britain, pitting the two naval powers against each other.

She pledged to fight HMS Macedonia in October 1812 and captured the British ship by surrendering in a protracted war.

During this period, Berber pirates again attacked American shipping in the Mediterranean, which led to the official declaration of war on Algiers in March 1815. In response, the U.S. Navy dispatched the USS America to the area, but the ship was too late to act - a peace deal had been reached.

In October 1842, based on false reports that the United States had declared war on neighboring Mexico, the USS America began operations from there to protect Monterrey, and the United States attempted to repel what was believed to be a similar mission to the British Navy. However, the false report was soon exposed and Monterey was returned to its owner.

The USS America was then driven to Hawaii and helped the monarchy regain control of the islands from British rule.

In February 1849, the warship was decommissioned and left in a largely forgotten state - once the jewel of the U.S. Navy and the pride of many viewers. This continued until April 1861, when the American Civil War began.

The Confederates captured the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, enabling them to claim the remainder of the USS America. Given the huge demand for warships, USS United States was reorganized as CSS United States to defend strategic ports. She was completed in June 1861, but her second life came to an abrupt end in May 1862 when she had to be scuttled in a dam on the Elizabeth River in Virginia.

The Confederates were then forced to abandon the port, but federal forces demanded that the port be abandoned -- along with the damaged ships.

She was brought up and brought back to the port where she lived until March 1864. With her usefulness in the modern world nearly exhausted, orders were made to dismantle the wreck of this huge wooden hulled sailboat. It was dissolved in December 1865 and its history officially ended.