USS ''Retaliation'' was the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

privateer ''Croyable'', built in Maryland, that then operated out of Santo Domingo. captured her on 7 July 1798 off New Jersey. She then served in the United States Navy during Quasi-War with France. Two French frigates recaptured her on 20 November 1798. The French Navy took her into service as ''Magicienne''. However, captured her on 28 June 1799. She served in the US Navy in the Caribbean briefly, before arriving in Philadelphia in August. She was paid off there and sold on 29 November.

Career

The U.S. warship ''Delaware'', commanded by Capt. Stephen Decatur Sr., was able to

capture Capture may refer to: *Asteroid capture, a phenomenon in which an asteroid enters a stable orbit around another body *Capture, a software for lighting design, documentation and visualisation *"Capture" a song by Simon Townshend *Capture (band), an ...

the French privateer, ''Croyable'', off Great Egg Harbor Bay, New Jersey, on 7 July 1798. Before her capture, ''Croyable'' had been preying upon shipping off the

Delaware Capes Delaware Bay is the estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the northeast seaboard of the United States. It is approximately in area, the bay's freshwater mixes for many miles with the saltwater of the Atlantic Ocean. The bay is bordered inlan ...

and had taken a British

brigantine A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Older ...

and a Philadelphia merchantman, ''Liberty''. She had also boarded and robbed the coaster ''Alexander Hamilton'', whose captain had informed Decatur of ''Croyable''s whereabouts. Decatur brought ''Croyable'' to Fort Mifflin in the Delaware River. She was the first American capture of the undeclared war.Hamilton (1974), p.537. The U.S. Navy purchased ''Croyable'' on 30 July 1798, manned her at Philadelphia, renamed her ''Retaliation'', and placed her under the command of Lt. William Bainbridge. ''Retaliation'' departed Norfolk on 28 October 1798 with and and cruised in the West Indies protecting American commerce during the Quasi-War with France. On 20 November, a pair of

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

s, ''Insurgente'' and ''Volontaire'', overtook ''Retaliation'' while her consorts were away on a chase and forced Bainbridge to surrender the hopelessly out-gunned

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

. However, even as a prisoner, the American officer managed to serve his country. He saved ''Montezuma'' and ''Norfolk'' by convincing the senior French commander that those American warships were too powerful for his frigates and induced him to abandon the chase. Renamed ''Magicienne'' by the French, the schooner again came into American hands on 28 June 1799, when a broadside from USS ''Merrimack'' forced her to haul down her colors. She performed convoy duty in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

before returning to Philadelphia in August. Her crew was then discharged and the schooner was sold on 29 November 1799 to Thomas and Peter Mackie. File:KN-2779.jpg, Captain Stephen Decatur Sr File:William Bainbridge 2.jpg, William Bainbridge Lieutenant, United States Navy, commanded the ''USS Retaliation'' in 1798.

Citations

References

*Hamilton, Alexander (1974) ''The Papers of Alexander Hamilton: April 1797-July 1798''. Vol. 21. (Columbia University Press). *Winfield, Rif & Stephen S Roberts (2015) ''French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786 - 1861: Design Construction, Careers and Fates''. (Seaforth Publishing). {{DEFAULTSORT:Retaliation (1798) 1790s ships Privateer ships of France Schooners of the United States Navy Quasi-War ships of the United States Captured ships Ships of the French Navy