President USS (1800)

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Anatol
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President USS (1800)

Post by Anatol » Fri Mar 18, 2011 11:54 am

During the 1790s American merchant vessels began to fall prey to Barbary Pirates in the Mediterranean, most notably from Algiers. Congress's response was the Naval Act of 1794.[7] The Act provided funds for the construction of six frigates. USS President was a nominally rated 44-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. . However, she usually carried over 50 guns .She was named by George Washington to reflect a principle of the United States Constitution. Forman Cheeseman was in charge of her construction and she was launched in April 1800 from a shipyard in New York City. President was one of the original six frigates, and she was the last to be completed. Joshua Humphreys designed these frigates to be the young Navy's capital ships, and so President and her sisters were larger and more heavily armed and built than the standard frigates of the period. Her first duties with the newly formed United States Navy were to provide protection for American merchant shipping during the Quasi War with France and to defeat the Barbary pirates in the First Barbary War. In 1811, President was at the center of the Little Belt Affair; her crew mistakenly identified HMS Little Belt as HMS Guerriere, which had impressed an American seaman. The ships exchanged cannon fire for several minutes. Subsequent U.S. and Royal Navy investigations placed responsibility for the attack on the other ship. The incident contributed to tensions between the U.S. and Great Britain that led to the War of 1812. During the war, President made several extended cruises patrolling as far away as the English Channel and Norway, capturing the armed schooner HMS Highflyer and numerous merchant ships. In mid January 1815 a snowy gale with strong winds forced the British blockading squadron away from New York Harbor, giving Decatur the opportunity to put to sea. On the evening of 14 January, President headed out of the harbor but ran aground, the result of harbor pilots incorrectly marking a safe passage. Stranded on the bar, President lifted and dropped with the incoming tide. Within two hours her hull had been damaged, her timbers twisted and masts sprung. President drew away while her crew made hurried repairs. Within two hours one of her lookouts spotted the remainder of the enemy squadron drawing near. President continued her escape attempt, but by nightfall HMS Pomone and Tenedos had caught up and began firing broadsides. Realizing his situation, Decatur surrendered President just before midnight.
She was captured soon afterward by a British squadron and the Royal Navy placed her into their service as HMS President until broken up in 1818. President's design was copied and used to build the next HMS President in 1829.

Nicaragua 1996 2.50 SG?

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Main article: Original six frigates of the United States Navy
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Presidente Nicaragua.jpg
President 1.jpg

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