However, by dark, the privateer escaped into shoal water off Maria Galente. He put a prize crew on her and resumed his pursuit of Democrat. On the 26th, Barry sighted two unknown sails east of Marie Galente and overtook one, the 430-ton Cicero which had been taken by the French privateer Demo crat. Six days later, a similar effort met with better luck, and Barry arranged to exchange his 58 prisoners from L'Amour de la Patrie for an equal number of American sailors. However, shore batteries opened fire on the boat carrying Barry's envoy, forcing it to return to the frigate. On the 16th, the frigate arrived in waters off Guada-loupe and attempted to negotiate an exchange of prisoners under a flag of truce. The men on the frigate rescued the schooner's survivors and learned that the sunken vessel had been L'Amour de la Patrie, a six-gun privateer. The frigate then attempted to close the foundering ship, but her victim sank before United States could reach her. Her third round struck the schooner and went through the unfortunate vessel from stern to stem, leaving her in a sinking condition. Over five hours later, she pulled within range of the fleeing vessel and opened fire. On the morning of 3 February 1799, the United States sighted a strange sail near Martinique and set out in pursuit. She reached the Caribbean a fortnight later and began cruising among the islands of the West Indies. On 18 December, she put to sea again and headed back to the West Indies where Barry was to command the American squadron. More than a month and one-half ensued as the ship underwent repairs. When the tempest abated, the frigate painfully began working her way back north but she did not anchor in the Delaware until the evening of the 30th. However, a fierce storm arose the following day and battered United States as it forced her south to a point some 250 miles off Cape Hatteras, N.C. Thus, she was alone when she entered the Delaware on 18 September.Īfter almost a month in home waters, the frigate put to sea again on 17 October with orders to cruise between Cape May, N.J., and the New England coast. Three days later, Delaware and her prize set off in pursuit of a strange sail and, on the 13th during a gale at night, United States became separated from Jalouse. At noon on the 7th, the United States, escorting the latter prize, and Delaware, shepherding Sans Pareil, got underway for home. The frigate continued to hunt for French vessels in ensuing weeks but did not take her next prize until 4 September when a day-long chase was rewarded by eight-gun privateer Jalouse's surrender. Two rounds from the frigate brought the quarry to, and she proved to be the French, 10-gun privateer Sans Pareil of Guadaloupe. During the pursuit, United States quickly outstripped Delaware and, by early afternoon, was within range of the fleeing ship. At dawn the next day, a lookout spotted a strange sail and the Americans gave chase. The two warships reached Bridgetown on 21 August but stood back out to sea only some three hours later. The voyage south was enlivened by encounters with several ships, but none proved to be French. The commodore decided that the need for American naval power in the Caribbean was too great to permit him to wait for them, so United States and Delaware departed Nantasket Roads on 26 July and headed for Barbados. However, when he reached Boston, Barry learned that Herald and Pickering would not be ready to sail for several weeks. During her voyage north, United States performed admirably, constantly pulling ahead of Dela ware and exceeding Barry's most sanguine expectations. The two ships quickly set a course for Boston where they were to add the newly purchased 20-gun ship Herald and the revenue cutter Pickering to their little fleet. Ten days later, the new frigate, in company with Delaware, a former merchantship which had been acquired by the Government and fitted out for naval service, rounded Cape Henlopen and stood out to sea. She was fitted out at Philadelphia during the spring of 1798 and, on 3 July, was ordered to proceed to sea. United States, the first American warship to be launched under the naval provisions of the Constitution, entered the water four months before the launching of sister ship Constellation at Baltimore and five and one-half months before that of Constitution at Boston. Thomas Truxtun was built at Philadelphia was launched there on and was commissioned on 11 July, Revolutionary War naval hero, Capt. The first United States, one of six frigates authorized by Congress on 27 March 1794, was designed by naval architect Joshua Humphreys and Capt.
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