log inhelp

Get your own free workspace
View
 

Action of 1815-01-15

Page history last edited by Cy 3 years ago

 

Action of 1815-01-15

 

15th January 1815

Page Heirarchy:Home:Naval Battles :Flotilla Actions

 

The American Squadron
President 44 Stephen Decatur  
The British Squadron
Endymion 50    
Majestic 58    
Tenedos 38 Hyde Parker  
Pomone 36    

 

Notes on Action
Description of the Action The Naval War of 1812 - Vol 2
On the 14th [the President] had left her consorts at anchor, and put out to sea in the gale. But by a mistake of the pilots who were to place boats to beacon the passage the frigate struck on the bar, where she beat heavily for an hour and a half, springing her masts and becoming very much hogged and twisted. Owing to the severity of her injuries the President would have put back to port, but was prevented by the westerly gale. Accordingly, Decatur steered at first along Long Island, then shaped his course to the S. E., and in the dark ran into the British squadron, which, but for his unfortunate accident, he would thus have escaped. At daylight, the President which had hauled up and passed to the northward of her opponents, found herself with the Majestic and Endymion astern, the Pomona on the port, and the Tenedos on the starboard quarter. The chase now became very interesting. During the early part of the day, while the wind was still strong, the Majestic led the Endymion and fired occasionally at the President, but without effect. The Pomona gained faster than the others, but by Capt. Hayes orders was signalled to go in chase of the Tenedos, whose character the captain could not make out; and this delayed her several hours in the chase. In the afternoon, the wind coming out light and baffling, the Endymion left the Majestic behind, and, owing to the Presidents disabled state and the amount of water she made in consequence of the injuries received while on the bar, gained rapidly on her, although she lightened ship and did everything else that was possible to improve her sailing. But a shift of wind helped the Endymion and the latter was able at about 2.30, to begin skirmishing with her bow-chasers, answered by the stern-chasers of the President. At 5.30 the Endymion began close action, within half point-blank shot on the Presidents starboard quarter, where not a gun of the latter could bear. The President continued in the same course, steering east by north, the wind being northwest, expecting the Endymion soon to come up abeam; but the latter warily kept her position by yawing, so as not to close. So things continued for half an hour during which the President suffered more than during all the remainder of the combat. At 6.00 the President kept off, heading to the south, and the two adversaries ran abreast, the Americans using the starboard and the British the port batteries. Decatur tried to close with his antagonist, but whenever he hauled nearer to the latter she hauled off and being the swiftest ship could of course evade him; so he was reduced to the necessity of trying to throw her out of the combat by dismantling her. He was completely successful in this, and after two hours righting the Endymions sails were all cut from her yards and she dropped astern, the last shot being fired from the President. The Endymion was now completely silent. Commodore Decatur did not board her merely because her consorts were too close astern; accordingly the President hauled up again to try her chances at running, having even her royal studding-sails set, and exposed her stern to the broadside of the Endymion but the latter did not fire a single gun. Three hours afterward, at 11, the Pomone caught up with the President, and luffing to port gave her the starboard broadside; the Tenedos being two cables length's distance astern, taking up a raking position. The Pomone poured in another broadside, within musket shot, when the President surrendered and was taken possession of by Capt. Parker of the Tenedos, A considerable number of the President's people were killed by these two last broadsides. The Endymion was at this time out of sight astern. She did not come up, according to one account, for an hour and three-quarters and according to another, for three hours; and as she was a faster ship than the President, this means that she was at least two hours motionless repairing damages. Commodore Decatur delivered his sword to Capt. Hayes of the Majestic, who returned it, stating in his letter that both sides had fought with great gallantry. The President having been taken by an entire squadron, the prize-money was divided equally among the ships. The Presidents crew all told consisted of 450 men, none of whom were British. She had thus a hundred more men than her antagonist and threw about 100 pounds more shot at a broadside ; but these advantages were more than counterbalanced by the injuries received on the bar, and by the fact that her powder was so bad that while some of the British shot went through both her sides, such a thing did not once happen to the Endymion when fairly hulled. The President lost 24 killed and 55 wounded; the Endymion, 11 killed and 14 wounded. Two days afterward, on their way to the Bermudas, a violent easterly gale came on, during which both ships were dismasted, and the Endymion in addition had to throw over all her spar-deck guns.

 

Sources
Id Link or Description Author
B90 The U.S. Sailing Navy, 1775-1853 Paul H Silverstone
W012 Dictionary of American Fighting Vessels Unknown
B044 The Naval War of 1812 - Vol 1 Theodore Roosevelt
B020 Naval Occurences of the war of 1812 William James
B045 The Naval War of 1812 - Vol 2 Theodore Roosevelt

 

Last Updated :2009/01/19 at 09:33:30 by Cy

Comments (0)

You don't have permission to comment on this page.

PDF version