USS ''Trumbull'', the third United States Navy ship to bear the name, was an 18-gun

sloop-of-war In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...

that took part of the so-called Quasi-War between the United States and France, between 1800 and 1801.

Construction

US Congress authorized the construction of naval ships and expansion of the US Navy in response to large losses of merchant ships to French

privateers A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

throughout the Atlantic coasts. On 30 March 1799, Benjamin Stoddert ordered Howland & Allyn Naval Agency from New London, Connecticut, the construction of a 360-ton ship with no more than 18 guns, but big enough to carry supplies for 6-months of sailing and a crew of 120 men. The ''Trumbull'' was launched in Norwich, on the morning of 26 November of that same year.

Service history

Following fitting out, it departed New London in March 1800 under the command of Master Commandant

David Jewett David Jewett (June 17, 1772 – July 26, 1842) is known for his role in the sovereignty dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the Falkland Islands. He was an American naval commander in the Quasi-War with France and following th ...

. Its first mission was to escort the provisions ship ''Charlotte'' from New York to the West Indies, replenishing the American Squadron operating against the French. ''Trumbull'' joined the American Squadron commanded by Silas Talbot in the . ''Trumbull's'' main duties in the area were protection of American shipping and the interception of French privateers and merchantmen. In early May 1800, she captured the armed French schooner ''Peggie''. This may have been the schooner of six guns, that had been sailing from Port Republican to Bordeaux with 70,000wt. of coffee. In August 1800 ''Trumbull'', , and were cruising near

Aux Cayes Les Cayes ( , ), often referred to as Aux Cayes (; ht, Okay), is a commune and seaport in the Les Cayes Arrondissement, in the Sud department of Haiti, with a population of 71,236. Due to its isolation from the political turmoil of the capital, ...

. On 3 (or 14) August, while off Jeremie in

Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city in the island, Santo Domingo, which came to refer ...

(future

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

), Captain

and ''Trumbull'' captured the French schooner ''Vengeance''. ''Vengeance'' was pierced for 10 guns but armed with eight 4-pounder guns and two in her hold. The schooner was fleeing Saint-Domingue with 130 people aboard, crew and refugees together. The refugees were mostly gens de couleur libres (also known as mulattos) escaping the forces of Toussaint Louverture who had defeated

André Rigaud Benoit Joseph André Rigaud (17 January 1761 – 18 September 1811) was the leading mulatto military leader during the Haitian Revolution. Among his protégés were Alexandre Pétion and Jean-Pierre Boyer, both future presidents of Haïti. Ea ...

's army in the War of Knives. Talbot ordered Jewett home with ''Trumbull'' and ''Vengeance'' as a prize. Both ships arrived at New London late that summer. For a little less than a year, those aboard the ''Vengeance'' were stationed in

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) (also called "The Rose of New England") is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River flows south to Long ...

as prisoners of war, and among them was Jean-Pierre Boyer, future president of Haiti. ''Vengeance'' was later condemned as a national vessel and was returned to France under the treaty soon afterwards concluded with that country. ''Trumbull'' then returned to patrol off Santo Domingo, before later transporting Navy Agent Thomas T. Gantt to

St. Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...

to relieve Thomas Clarkson. Following the end of hostilities with France as a result of the Treaty of Mortefontaine, ''Trumbull'' returned to the United States in the spring of 1801, where her crew was paid off. Disposal: ''Trumbull'' was sold at auction in New York in May or June 1801 for $26,500 to Messrs. Robinson and Harthorne, local merchants."Multiple News Items". ''National Intelligencer and Washington Advertiser'' (Washington, District of Columbia), 5 June 1801; Issue XCIII.

Notes

References

Bibliography

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trumbull (1799) Sloops of the United States Navy Quasi-War ships of the United States 1800 ships