The ''Java'' or ''Guerriere-''class frigate was a series of heavy sailing frigates built for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. Designed to shore up the fledgling Navy, the ships had a miserable service life. Of the six initially planned, only three were laid down, and only two entered service. The two ships of the class had a limited role within the Navy, stemming from poor craftsmenship and wood quality due to their war-time construction.

Design and development

Under the

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in the early 1800s, the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

was invisoned as a

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-based force that operated small,

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gunboats A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

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opposed expanding the Navy, which left the nation unable to defend itself at sea. It reversed course following the outbreak of the

, and ordered 6 frigates in 1813, which made them the first purpose-built vessels for the Navy since 1800. The new frigates were greatly modeled after the earlier original six frigates, with characteristics similar to those of the 44-gun variant. The ships were armed with a total of 45 guns, displaced , were long between perpendiculars, long at the

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, had a beam of , a depth of , and were manned by a crew of 400.

History

Although six ships were ordered, only three were laid down, all in 1813. Of the three, ''Columbia'' and ''Continental'' were re-named after prizes captured from the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

while they were still in the shipyard. After the American defeat at

Battle of Bladensburg The Battle of Bladensburg, also known as the Bladensburg Races, took place during the Chesapeake Campaign, part of the War of 1812, on 24 August 1814, at Bladensburg, Maryland, northeast of Washington, D.C. The battle has been described as "t ...

, the newly renamed and nearly completed ''Essex'' was burned to prevent her from falling into British hands. Due to their war time construction, the two remaining ships were poorly made and quickly deteriorated due to the use of

green wood Green wood is wood that has been recently cut and therefore has not had an opportunity to wood drying, season (dry) by evaporation of the internal moisture. Green wood contains more moisture than seasoned wood, which has been dried through passa ...

. After she was launched, ''Java'' was described by

Oliver Hazard Perry Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was a United States Navy officer from South Kingstown, Rhode Island. A prominent member of the Perry family naval dynasty, he was the son of Sarah Wallace Alexander and Captain Christo ...

as, "not appear ngto have been faithfully built, ndthe work in many respects bad..." Post-war, the two ships were sent to the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

, where ''Guerriere'' engaged the

Barbary Pirates The Barbary corsairs, Barbary pirates, Ottoman corsairs, or naval mujahideen (in Muslim sources) were mainly Muslim corsairs and privateers who operated from the largely independent Barbary states. This area was known in Europe as the Barba ...

. ''Java'' was of little use to the Navy due to her poor craftsmanship, and she was laid up for years as attempts to rebuild her failed to materialize. After her service, ''Guerriere'' became a

school ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old Hulk (ship type), hulks us ...

and ''Java'' was reduced to a

receiving ship A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. 'Hulk' may be used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, an abandoned wreck or shell, or a ship whose propulsion system is no longer maintained or has been r ...

before both were found to be too costly to maintain and were broken up in the early 1840s. In 1820, the class's design was revisited, which produced the seven frigates of the ''Potomac''-class, which served as the backbone for the Navy for several decades.

Ships in class

Below are characteristics of every named ship of the class, which is also referred to as the ''Guerriere''-class.

References

{{Java-class frigate (1813) United States Navy in the 19th century Sailing frigates of the United States Navy Frigate classes Ship classes of the United States Navy Heavy frigates of the United States Navy