USS ''Wasp'' of the United States Navy was a sailing

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 ...

captured by the British in the early months of the War of 1812. She was constructed in 1806 at the Washington Navy Yard, was commissioned sometime in 1807, Master Commandant

John Smith John Smith is a common personal name. It is also commonly used as a placeholder name and pseudonym, and is sometimes used in the United States and the United Kingdom as a term for an average person. It may refer to: People :''In chronological ...

in command. In 1812 she captured , but was immediately herself captured. The British took her into service first as HMS ''Loup Cervier'' and then as HMS ''Peacock''. She was lost, presumed foundered with all hands, in mid-1814.

US Service

In 1808 ''Wasp'' was heavily involved in supporting Jefferson's Embargo, including delivering an army garrison from New York City to Passamaquoddy in June, patrolling Casco Bay, Maine, in the winter of 1808-1809, and remaining at

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

until May, 1809. Until 1809 she was commanded by Master Commandant

. In the final weeks of 1810, she was operating from the ports of

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, and Savannah, Georgia, presumably patrolling the waters along southern Atlantic coast. In 1811, she sailed to

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...

, Virginia, where she and the

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

joined

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 and in forming a squadron commanded by Commodore

Stephen Decatur Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was an American naval officer and commodore. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland in Worcester County. His father, Stephen Decatur Sr., was a commodore in the Unite ...

. On 9 March 1812 ''Wasp'' sailed from New York for France to deliver an Anglo-Irish mercenary named John Henry who had sold intelligence to President Madison indicating Britain's interest in determining if the New England states wished to secede from the union. The correspondence, known as the Henry Papers, helped build outrage in Congress against Britain that led to the declaration of war, however the documents are now widely believed to have been a forgery. The Wasp Boarding the Frolic

''Wasp'', under the command of Master Commandant Jacob Jones continued to operate along the coast of the middle states after the United States went to war with Britain in June 1812. On 13 October, she sailed from the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

, two days later she encountered a heavy gale that tore away her jib

boom Boom may refer to: Objects * Boom (containment), a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill * Boom (navigational barrier), an obstacle used to control or block marine navigation * Boom (sailing), a sailboat part * Boom (windsurfi ...

and washed two crewmen overboard. The following evening, ''Wasp'' encountered a squadron of ships and, in spite of the fact that two of their number appeared to be large men-of-war, made for them straight away. She finally caught the enemy convoy the following morning and discovered six merchantmen under the protection of a 22-gun sloop-of-war, HMS ''Frolic''. Roosevelt, 1883 pp.104-106 At half past eleven in the morning of 18 October, ''Wasp'' and ''Frolic'' closed to do battle. The engagement would be the first and only time ''Wasp'' saw combat. The two ships commenced fire at a distance of . In a short, sharp, fight, both ships sustained heavy damage to masts and rigging, but ''Wasp'' prevailed over her adversary by boarding her. The victory was short lived however. Unfortunately for ''Wasp'', a British 74-gun

ship-of-the-line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colum ...

, , appeared on the scene. ''Frolic'' was crippled and ''Wasp''s rigging and sails were badly damaged. At 4:00 PM Jones had no choice but to surrender ''Wasp''; he could neither run nor fight such an overwhelming opponent.

British service

''Wasp'' was briefly given the name ''Loup Cervier'' on her capture.Winfield (2008), p.273. She was commissioned in 1813 on the Halifax station under Captain Charles Gill. Captain William William Mends succeeded Gill, taking command on 26 February 1813. In June ''Loup Cervier'' was off New London, where she helped blockade the squadron under Commodore

James Biddle James Biddle (February 18, 1783 – October 1, 1848), of the Biddle family, brother of financier Nicholas Biddle and nephew of Capt. Nicholas Biddle, was an American commodore. His flagship was . Education and early career Biddle was born in Ph ...

, who had been first lieutenant of ''Wasp'', had become captain of . He issued a challenge to Mends that their two vessels meet in an engagement. Decatur forbade the engagement until he was sure that it would be an even match. The day after he gave his assent ''Loup Cervier'' left New London to patrol elsewhere. Thereafter ''Loup Cervier'' captured or recaptured four vessels. On 27 June she captured the

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 ...

''Little Bill'', John Roach master, which had been sailing from St Bartholomew to North Carolina. She was carrying a cargo of sugar and molasses. ''Little Bill'' was restored. Another report gives the vessel's name as ''Little Bell''. Then on 28 August ''Loup Cervier'' captured the ship ''Hope'', of 468 tons (bm), J. Emery master. ''Hope'' was sailing from Lisbon to Newport, Rhode Island with a cargo of salt. She too was restored. On 29 October ''Loup Cervier'' recaptured the brig ''John and Mary'', T. Collins, master. Lastly, ''Loup Cervier'' was one of four British warships that shared in the capture of the

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

''Emeline'', of 44 tons (bm), O. Adams, master. ''Emeline'' was sailing from New York to Rhode Island with a cargo of 240 barrels of flour. At some point ''Loup Cervier'' was renamed ''Peacock'', ''Hornet'' having captured and sunk the in February 1813. Mends was appointed to command of on 23 March 1814. ''Peacock'' may then have been briefly under the command of Captain G. Donnett. In April or shortly thereafter Commander Richard Coote of was promoted to post captain and transferred to ''Peacock''. ''Peacock'' was one of the five British warships that on 21 April 1814 captured the Swedish brig ''Minerva''. Then on 15 May, ''Peacock'' recaptured the Swedish ship ''Providentia'', of four guns, 400 tons, and 17 men. She had been sailing from Amelia Island to Lisbon with a cargo of pine, cedar, etc. when an American privateer had captured her. That same day, ''Peacock'' recaptured the Russian ship ''Hendrick'', of eight guns, 80 tons, and 13 men. She had been sailing from Amelia Island to Amsterdam with a cargo of pine and cotton when captured.

Fate

''Peacock'' was under Coote's command when she disappeared off the Virginia Capes.Hepper (1994), p.150. She apparently had foundered on 23 July 1814.

Notes, citations, and references

Notes

Citations

References

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* Dennie, Joseph (2009) ''The Port Folio''. (Books LLC). Vol. 3. *
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* Essex Institute, Peabody Essex Museum (1910) ''Essex Institute historical collections''. (Essex Institute Press). * * Mends, Bowen Stilon (1899) ''Life of Admiral Sir William Robert Mends, G. C. B.: late director of transports''. (J. Murray). * *