USS Constellation was a nominally rated 38-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted frigate of the United States Navy.
The ship was built under the direction of David Stodder at The Joseph and Samuel Sterett shipyard on Harris Creek in Baltimore's Fell's Point maritime community, and was launched on 7 September 1797. Constellation was one of the original six frigates whose construction the Naval Act of 1794 had authorized.
The name "Constellation" was among ten names submitted to President George Washington by Secretary of War Timothy Pickering in March 1795 for the frigates that were to be constructed.Pickering, Timothy (14 March 1795). Letter to George Washington. Founders Online, National Archives. Retrieved 25 September 2019 The Flag Act of 1777 speaks of how the stars in the flag are "representing a new constellation".
Joshua Humphreys designed these frigates to be the young Navy's capital ships, and so Constellation and her sisters were larger and more heavily armed and built than standard frigates of the period. The Constellation's first duties with the newly formed U.S. 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.
Design and construction
American merchant vessels began to fall prey to Barbary Pirates, along the so-called "Barbary Coast" of North Africa, Morocco, Tunis (in future Tunisia), Tripoli (in future Libya), and most notably from Algiers (in future Algeria), in the Mediterranean Sea during the 1790s. Congress responded with the Naval Act of 1794.Allen (1909), pp. 41–42. The Act provided funds for the construction of six frigates to be built in six different East Coast ports; however, it included a clause stating that construction of the ships would cease if the United States agreed to peace terms with Algiers.Beach (1986), p. 29.An Act to provide a Naval Armament. (1794). Library of Congress. Retrieved 17 February 2011. By the time of the conclusion in 1815, of the later War of 1812 with Great Britain, the United States had fought a series of three brief, but savage naval and amphibious wars.
Joshua Humphreys' design was deep, long of keel, affording high speed downwind and efficiency when close-hauled. The design was to extremely heavy scantlings, including the planking, and incorporated Humphreys' innovative diagonal rib to limit hogging. This gave the hull greater strength than those of more lightly built frigates. Humphreys developed his design after realizing that the fledgling United States could not match for size the navies of the European states. He therefore designed his frigates to be able to overpower other frigates, but with the speed to escape from a "ship of the line" (equivalent to a modern-day "battleship").Toll (2006), pp. 49–53.Beach (1986), pp. 29–30, 33.Allen (1909), pp. 42–45. However, Constellation was a scaled-down version of his more famous designs for Constitution, United States and President, being closer in size to the standard European frigates of the day, and mounting the usual armament of 18-pounder guns.
Constellation was built under the direction of Colonel David Stodder at his naval shipyard on Harris Creek in Baltimore's Fell's Point maritime community, according to a design by Joshua Humphreys. She was launched on 7 September 1797, just as the United States entered the Quasi-War with the revolutionary French Republic. Harris Creek which flows into the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River was later filled in to gain additional land for residential/industrial development and diverted underground to a subterranean storm drain and culvert in the early 19th century. It was situated east of Fell's Point and south of where modern-day Patterson Park, (near Highlandtown), and the community of Canton are currently located.
An earlier visitor to the Harris Creek naval shipyard of David Stodder, east of Baltimore Town in 1796, the Duke de la Rochefoucaule-Liancourt, saw Constellation under construction and noted in his journal: "I thought her too much encumbered with wood-work within, but in other respects she is a fine vessel being built of those beautiful kinds of wood, the ever-green oak and cedar; she is pierced for 36 guns."Francois Alexandre Frederic duc de La-Rochefoucauld-Liancourt, Travels Through the United States of North-America, the Country of the Jroquois and Upper Canada, in the Years 1795, 1796 und 1797, Volume 2, R. Phillips, London, 1799, p.343
Armament
The Naval Act of 1794 had specified 36-gun frigates; however, Constellation and her sister-ship were re-rated to 38's because of their large dimensions, being in length and in width.Chapelle (1949), p. 128.Beach (1986), p. 32.
The "ratings" by number of guns were meant only as an approximation, as Constellation could and often did carry up to 48 guns. Roosevelt (1883), p. 53. U.S. Navy ships of this era had no permanent battery of guns such as modern Navy ships carry. The guns were designed to be completely portable and often were exchanged between ships as situations warranted. Each commanding officer outfitted armaments to his liking, taking into consideration factors such as the overall tonnage of cargo, complement of personnel aboard, and planned routes to be sailed. Consequently, the armaments on ships changed often during their careers, and records of the changes were not generally kept.
Officers and crew According to the enabling act, the commissioned officers of the USS Constellation would contain 1 captain, 3 lieutenants, 1 lieutenant of marines, 1 surgeon and 1 surgeon's mate; the warrant officers, appointed by the President of the United States, were 1 sailing master, 1 purser, 1 boatswain, 1 gunner, 1 sailmaker, 1 carpenter, and 8 midshipmen; the complement also contained the following petty officers, appointed by the captain of the ship, 2 master's mates, 1 captain's clerk, 2 boatswain's mates, 1 coxswain, 1 sailmaker's mate, 2 gunner's mates, 1 yeoman of the gunroom, 9 quarter gunners, 2 carpenter's mates, 1 armourer, 1 steward, 1 cooper, 1 master at arms, and 1 cook.United States. Office of Naval Records and Library (1935). "Act Providing for Naval Armament, [1 July 1797]." Naval documents related to the quasi-war between the United States and France. Naval operations from February 1797 to October 1798. Washington: United States Printing Office, pp. 7-9.
Officers 1798 Captain: Thomas Truxton First Lieutenant: ? Second Lieutenant: John Rodgers of Maryland Third Lieutenant: William Cooper of Virginia Lieutenant of Marines: Philip Edwards of Maryland Surgeon: George Balfour of Virginia Surgeon's Mate: Isaac Henry of Pennsylvania Sailing Master: Edward Hansford of Virginia Purser: Isaac Garretson of Maryland Midshipmen: Philemon Charles Wederstranett of Maryland, Jabez Bowen, Jr. of Rhode Island, Henry Van Dyke of Delaware, John Dent of Maryland, John Marshall Clajett of MarylandUnited States. Office of Naval Records and Library (1935). "Letter to Captain Thomas Truxtun, U. S. Navy, from Secretary of War, 16th March, 1798." Naval documents related to the quasi-war between the United States and France. Naval operations from February 1797 to October 1798. Washington: United States Printing Office, pp. 42-44.
Monthly Pay of the Petty Officers, Seamen, Ordinary Seamen and Marines in 1798Rate Pay per month each Billets Midshipman $19 8Master's Mate $20 2Captain's Clerk $20 1Boatswain's Mate $18 2Gunner's Mate $182Yeoman of the Gunroom $18 1Quarter Gunner $17 9Carpenter's Mate $18 2Armourer $18 1Steward $18 1Cooper $18 1Master at Arms $18 1Sailmaker's Mate $17 1Quarter Master $17 4Cook $18 1Seaman/Midshipman $15 126Ordinary Seaman $10 90Sergeant of Marines $9 2Corporal of Marines $8 2Drummer $7 1Fifer $7 1Privates $6 40Source:
Quasi-War
The Quasi-War between France and the States came about when after the French Revolution, the United States refused to repay remaining debt to France on the grounds that it had been owed to the previous regime. French outrage led to a series of attacks on American shipping by privateers. Constellation convoyed American merchantmen from June through August 1798 before sailing under the command of Captain Thomas Truxtun for the West Indies in December 1798 to protect the United States's commerce in the Caribbean.
On 2 February, 1799 she exchanged fire with a French fort at Saint-Pierre, Martinique.
Constellation vs. L'Insurgente
On 9 February 1799, under the command of Truxtun, Constellation fought and captured the frigate L'Insurgente of 36 guns, the fastest ship in the French Navy. The battle started about NE of the island of Nevis about midday when Constellation spotted L'Insurgente, which hoisted studding sails and attempted to run.Toll (2006), p. 114. L'Insurgente had recently captured , a schooner, in November 1798 and three weeks previously had been chased by Constitution and had escaped. L'Insurgentes job was that of commerce raiding, wanting nothing to do with another warship, and tried to flee Constellation. Within an hour of hauling in chase Truxtun was close enough to make private signals to identify if the ship he was pursuing was British or not. With no answer, he proceeded to chase L'Insurgente down, clearing for action and beating to quarters. Truxtun made private signals for the U.S. Navy and again received no answer.Toll (2006), p. 115. Constellation crowded on all sail despite a rising squall that threatened to tear a sail or throw a spar.Toll (2006), p. 116.
Reefing sail just long enough to weather the short squall, Constellation hardly paused but the same was not to be for L'Insurgente: the ship's topmast snapped and slowed the ship to the onrushing Constellation. Captain Barreaut ordered L'Insurgente to lay up and prepared to fight. Constellation was outfitted with 24 pounder guns that caused her to lean too much to lee due to topweight and thus had to surrender the weather gage to L'Insurgente. (The ship was refitted with 18-pounder long guns in the next refit.) L'Insurgente raised the French Tricolor and Captain Barreaut asked for parley. Captain Truxtun refused to answer, as his orders were to attack any French warship or privateer, and answered when his last gun could be brought to bear.Toll (2006), p. 117. American warships of this period fired for the hull (as did the British) and each of the 24-pounders had been double shotted. L'Insurgente fired as per training at Constellations masts and rigging. Constellations masts were saved when the sail was reduced, taking pressure off the damaged mast. L'Insurgente was devastated by Constellations first broadside with many dead and others deserting their guns. L'Insurgente tried to board and slowed to close but this allowed Constellation to shoot ahead and crossed bows for a bow rake with another broadside. Constellation crossed to windward and L'Insurgente turned to follow with both crews now exchanging port broadsides instead of starboard.Toll (2006), p. 118. One of Constellations 24-pounders smashed through the hull of L'Insurgente. L'Insurgente's 12-pounders were not equal to the same task against Constellations hull. Captain Barreaut had been shown one of Constellations 24 pound cannonballs and understood that he was in a completely unequal contest with sails down and nothing comparable to reply with many already dead and wounded. He struck colors— the first major victory by an American-designed and built warship.Toll (2006), p. 119.
On 14 March, 1799 she captured the French Letter of Marque schooner Union off Basse-Terre Roads, Guadeloupe.
On 15 April recaptured British merchant Brothers, captured by a French privateer on 14 April.
On 17 April, 1799 she and captured French letter of marque schooner Diligente off Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe.
She arrived at Hampton Roads 19 May, 1799. She sailed from Chesapeake Bay 30 June, 1799.