USS Dale (1839)

USS ''Dale'' (later ''Oriole'') was a sloop-of-war in the United States Navy commissioned on 11 December 1839. ''Dale'' was involved in the Mexican–American War, the American Civil War, operations along Africa to suppress slave trade, and was used by the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service and later the U.S. Coast Guard, among other activities. ''Dale'' was placed into ordinary (naval reserve) numerous times.

Construction and commissioning

''Dale'' was one of six war ships authorized to be constructed by The Congressional Act of 3 April 1837. The first of this group was ''Princeton'', the Navy's first screw steamer. The other five became the 'Third Class Sloops' ''Dale, Yorktown, Preble, Marion'', and '' Decatur'' and were built to the design of John Lenthall. ''Dale'' was the only one of the five built at the Philadelphia Naval Yard and was fastest of the five. She was built under the supervision of Charles Stewart, Commandant, of the navy yard at the time

''Dale'' was launched on 8 November 1839, commissioned on 11 December 1839 with Commander John Gwinn in command and was taken to Norfolk Navy Yard to be readied for sea. She was named in memorial of Richard Dale (6 Nov 1756 – 26 Feb 1826) who was a prisoner of war three times during the American Revolutionary War, an officer upon the founding of the United States Navy and Commodore of the Tripoli blockade during the First Barbary War in North Africa. To date USS ''Dale'' was the first of five ships memorialized after Richard Dale.

First and second cruise

''Dale''s first cruise, which she sailed from Norfolk on 13 December 1840, took her around Cape Horn to the Pacific Station. Based at Valparaíso, Chile, she patrolled the eastern waters of the Pacific Ocean to protect American commerce and the whaling industry. During the late summer of 1842 ''Dale'' Commanded by Dornin was part of the Pacific fleet under Commodore Thomas Jones. Commodore Jones, while stationed with his fleet in Callao, Peru understood, incorrectly, from local news papers that war had broken out between Mexico and the United States, prompting Commodore Jones to capture the Mexican town of Monterey, California. ''Dale'' was not present for the capture of Monterey as Dornin had been directed by Thomas to Panama with a dispatch to Washington, DC stating his intention to capture Mexican towns along the Pacific coast. Shortly after capturing Monterey Thomas realized that a state of war did not exist and regressed from Monterey.

Upon ''Dale''s return to the east coast in October 1843, she went into ordinary at New York City until early in 1846, when she was refitted for a second cruise in the Pacific. Sailing from New York on 6 June 1846, ''Dale'' arrived at Valparaiso on 8 September, and cruised the coast of South America.

Mexican–American War

With the outbreak of the Mexican–American War ''Dale'', under Commander Thomas O. Selfridge, was ordered north. The sloop arrived off Monterey, California, in January 1847, and through the remaining year of the war, cruised the coasts of Mexico and California. Not only did she capture several Mexican privateers and merchantmen, but landing parties she sent ashore raised the U.S. flag over the towns of Guaymas on the main land and Mulege on the Baja California Peninsula.

''Dale'' arrived in San José del Cabo on 19 September 1847 with . ''Dale'' was assigned the duty of preventing traffic between Guaymas and Mulege. On 27 September ''Dale'' stopped at Loreto while heading north and it was learned that approximately 200 men had been landed at Mulege from Guaymas. On 30 September she arrived in the port of Mulege under a flag of truce. The party led by Lt. Tunis A.M. Craven asking the local government to pledge support for the United States as the United States considered the area to be part of the United States. The Mexican Privateer ''Magdelina'' was confiscated from the port. On 2 October after the refusal by local leaders, fifty sailors plus marines were landed at Mulege, but they were faced by artillery and significant opposition. Using the excuse of encroaching nightfall at a later date to justify their sudden departure, in truth the Battle of Mulege was a substantial victory for the Mexican forces, hence the current official appellation for the town, i.e., "Heroica Mulege".

Another account of the Battle of Mulege provides a different perspective. USS ''Dale'' commanded by Selfridge on way to Guaymas learned of enemy forces in Mulege with an estimated force of 150 men. Four boats from ''Dale'' commanded by Lt. Craven, under the protective cover of ''Dale'' commandeered a Mexican schooner without resistance. The following day, 1 October 1847, Lt. Craven with 50 sailors plus marines landed. Under barrage of round shell and shot from ''Dale'' the Mexican forces abandoned the village and were pursued up the valley by Lt. Craven's forces. Craven's forces scoured the valley for a distance of about three miles coming under occasional light assault from ambush. Craven, fearing the possibility than his men were being led into an ambush, returned with his men to ''Dale''. Lt. Craven when patrolling later off Mulege on the ''Liberta'' gathered intelligence that actually only 100 fighters were in the Mulege area on 2 Oct.

''Dale'' arrived in Guaymas on 8 November 1847 relieving from guarding the port. Commander Selfridge, under cover fire from ''Dale'', captured the town of Guaymas. The only American injury was a serious musket shot in Commander Selfridge's foot. ''Dale'' remained off Guaymas until 23 December when she was relieved by . Following the ending of the war in February 1848, ''Dale'' continued to patrol until the summer of 1849, when she sailed for the east coast, arriving at New York on 22 August 1849. ''Dale'' was placed in ordinary at New York from August 1849 – August 1850.

African anti-slavery

''Dale'' made three extended cruises along the African coast as part of the Africa Squadron and Atlantic Anti-Slavery Operations of the United States to suppress the slave trade. In August 1850 she was recommissioned and left for the Cape Verde Islands to relieve the USS ''Yorktown''. On 8 October 1850, upon arriving in the Cape Verde Islands, ''Dale'' picked up the survivors of the ''Yorktown'' on Maio Island. The ''Yorktown'' sunk, without loss of life, on an unmarked reef one mile north of Maio Island 33 days previous. The ''Yorktown''s crew were transported by ''Dale'' to Porto Praya

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