Capture of USS Trumbull: Difference between revisions
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#REDIRECT [[USS Trumbull (1776)]] |
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{{Infobox Military Conflict |
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{{R from alternative name}} |
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|conflict=Capture of USS Trumbull |
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|partof=the [[American Revolutionary War]] |
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|image=[[File:Storm tossed frigate.jpg|300px]] |
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|caption=''"Storm Tossed Frigate" by Thomas Chambers.'' |
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|date=August 29, 1781 |
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|place=off [[Virginia Capes]], [[Chesapeake Bay]], [[Atlantic Ocean]] |
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|result= British victory |
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|combatant1={{flag|United States}} |
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|combatant2={{flag|Kingdom of Great Britain}} |
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|commander1=[[File:Naval Jack of the United States.svg|23px]] [[James Nicholson (naval officer)|James Nicholson]] |
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|commander2=unknown |
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|strength1=1 [[frigate]] |
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|strength2=1 frigate<br>1 [[sloop-of-war]] |
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|casualties1=5 killed<br>11 wounded<br>1 frigate captured |
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|casualties2=unknown |
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|notes= |
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}} |
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{{Campaignbox American Revolutionary War: American Waters}} |
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Capture of USS ''Trumbull''}} |
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The '''Capture of USS ''Trumbull''''' occurred in August of 1781 and was one of the last naval battles of the [[American Revolutionary War]] involving the [[Continental Navy]]. After an engagement in [[Chesapeake Bay]], two [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] warships forced the surrender of the [[USS Trumbull (1776)|''Trumbull'']] and towed her away.<ref>Sweetman, pg. 11</ref> |
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==Background== |
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USS ''Trumbull'' was the last of the thirteen original frigates authorized by the [[Continental Congress]] for service in the war. She was commanded by veteran [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] [[James Nicholson (naval officer)|James Nicholson]] and displaced 700 tons, with an armament of twenty-four 12-pounders and six 6-pounders. On August 8 of 1781 Captain Nicholson recieved orders to depart the [[Delaware Capes]] with two [[privateer]]s to escort a convoy of twenty-eight American ships. On August 28, the fleet was still in Chesapeake Bay when lookouts sighted two or three sets of sails to the east. A chase began and continued into the night, at which time a rain squall struck and dispersed the American ships. USS ''Trumbull'' lost her main topgallant mast and her fore-topmast, forcing the Americans to run before the wind and thus falling far behind the convoy. A little later, in the morning of August 29, Captain Nicholson discovered the thirty-four gun British frigate [[USS Hancock (1776)|HMS ''Iris'']], the former USS ''Hancock'', and the eighteen gun [[sloop-of-war]] [[HMS General Monk|HMS ''General Monk'']], the former American privateer ''General Washington''.<ref>http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/t/trumbull.htm</ref> |
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==Capture== |
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[[File:USS Trumbull 1776.jpg|200px|left|thumb|''USS Trumbull depicted on the 1781 grave of Jabez Smith, a sailor killed on the ship, labeled "anchored in the haven of rest."'']] |
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Nicholson knew that with only one remaining mast he could not escape so he ordered his men to [[beat to quarters]] and engage. The crew of ''Trumbull'', who were mostly Brirish deserters, knew they had little chance of winning a battle, so one third of them cowered below deck while Captain Nicholson rallied the remainder. For an hour and thirty-five minutes the Americans resisted. Most of the battle involved the ''Trumbull'' engaging the ''Iris'', but towards the end HMS ''General Monk'' closed and joined in. Soon after Nicholson chose to strike the colors, having lost five sailors killed and eleven more wounded. The ''General Monk'' then took the ''Trumbull'' under tow and sailed for [[New York]] where the frigate was broken up. The American ship was heavily damaged so she was not taken into British service like many of the other thirteen original frigates. An interesting coincidence was that of ''Iris''{{'}} armament. First commissioned as USS ''Hancock'', HMS ''Iris'' carried twenty-four 12-pounders and six 6-pounders which were originally intended to be used on the ''Trumbull''.<ref>Paine, pg. 176</ref> |
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==Notes== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==References== |
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{{DANFS}} |
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*{{cite book|last=Paine|first=Lincoln P.|year=2000|title=Warships of the world to 1900|edition=|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|location=|volume=|pages=|isbn=0395984149}} |
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*{{cite book|last=Sweetman|first=Jack|year=2002|title=American naval history: an illustrated chronology of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, 1775-present|edition=|publisher=US Naval Institute Press|location=|volume=|pages=|isbn=1557508674}} |
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[[Category:Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War involving the United States]] |
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[[Category:Naval battles involving Great Britain]] |
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[[Category:History of the United States Navy]] |
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[[Category:Naval operations and battles]] |
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[[Category:American Revolutionary War]] |
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[[Category:Conflicts in 1781]] |
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Latest revision as of 13:28, 29 December 2013
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