American fifth rate frigate 'Essex' (1799)

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Essex
Nominal Guns	32	W012
Nationality	United States	W012
Launched	1799/09/30	W012
How acquired	Purpose built	W012
Shipyard	Salem	W012
Designed by	William Hackett	W012
Constructor	Enos Briggs	BWAS-1793
Category	Fifth Rate	W012
Ship Type	Frigate	W012
Captured	1814/03/28	W012
Becomes	British fifth rate frigate 'Essex' (1814)	W012

Dimensions
Dimension	Measurement	Type	Metric Equivalent	BWAS-1793
Length of Gundeck	138' 7"	Imperial Feet	42.2402
Length of Keel	117' 2 ⅞"	Imperial Feet	35.7346
Breadth	37' 3 ½"	Imperial Feet	11.3665
Depth in Hold	11' 9"	Imperial Feet	3.5814
Burthen	867 ²²⁄₉₄	Tons BM
Dimension	Measurement	Type	Metric Equivalent	W012
Length of Gundeck	140' 0"	Imperial Feet	42.672
Breadth	31' 0"	Imperial Feet	9.4488
Depth in Hold	12' 3"	Imperial Feet	3.7338
Burthen	850	Tons BM

Armament
1800			Broadside Weight = 348	W012
Upper Gun Deck	26	American 12-Pounder
Spardeck	16	American 24-Pound Carronade
1810			Broadside Weight = 676	W012
Upper Gun Deck	2	American 12-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck	24	American 32-Pound Columbiad
Spardeck	16	American 32-Pound Columbiad
Spardeck	4	American 12-Pounder

Crew Complement
Date	# of Men	Notes	Source
1800	300		W012

Commanders
From	To	Rank	Name	Source
1799/07	1800	Captain	Edward Preble	B171
1801	1801	Captain	Edward Preble	B171
1801/05/02	1802	Captain	William Bainbridge	W012
1803/12/01	1807	Captain	James Barron	DB009
1810/10/29	1811/09	Captain	John Smith	DB009
1811	1814/03/28	Captain	David Porter	W012

Commissioned Officers
From	To	Rank	Name	Source
Unknown	1814/03/28	Lieutenant	John G Powell†
1799/11/08	Unknown	First Lieutenant	Richard C Beale	DB009
1799/11/28	1801	Second Lieutenant	David Phipps	DB009
1799/12/02	Unknown	Lieutenant	George Gardiner Lee	DB009
1800/01	1800/04/01	Acting Lieutenant	George Washington Tew	OUSNMC
1800/04/01	1801/04	Lieutenant	George Washington Tew	DB009
1811	1812	Lieutenant	Lewis Warrington	W053
1812	1813/01/04	Acting Lieutenant	William Bolton Finch	W055
1812	1813/07/24	Acting Lieutenant	Stephen D McKnight	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Lieutenant	James P Wilmer†	W055
1812	1814/03/28	First Lieutenant	John Downes	W055
1812/05/19	1814/03/28	Lieutenant	James Wilson	W055
1813/01/04	1814/03/28	Lieutenant	William Bolton Finch	W055
1813/07/24	1814/03/28	Lieutenant	Stephen D McKnight	W055

Warrant Officers
From	To	Rank	Name	Source
1799/03/02	1801/06/10	Surgeon	Hector Orr	DB009
1799/11/13	1801/09/10	Purser	William Mumford	DB009
1799/12/02	Unknown	Boatswain	Joseph Martin	DB009
1799/12/02	1803/01/22	Gunner	Samuel Masury	DB009
1799/12/06	Unknown	Master	Rufus Low	DB009
1801/04/28	1803/06/04	Master	Richard Butler	DB009
1811/05/10	1814/03/28	Chaplain	David P Adams	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Sailmaker	David Navarro	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Master	John G Cowell	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Purser	John R Shaw	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Boatswain	Edward Linscott	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Gunner	Lawrence Miller	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Carpenter	John S Waters	W055
1812/05/22	1814/03/28	Surgeon	Robert Miller	W055

Petty Officers
From	To	Rank	Name	Source
1799/09/23	1801/06/22	Midshipman	Thomas Randall	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Surgeon's Mate	John Hancock Perkins	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Boatswain's Mate	John Howard	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Coxswain	Eli Dill	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Cooper	John Douglass	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Captain's Clerk	Samuel Curren Ward	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Master's Mate	Francis Benson	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Master's Mate	William B Reed	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Sailmaker	George Perkins	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Boatswain's Mate	William Fisher	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Gunner's Mate	William Patterson	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Cook	Andrew Knowland	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Armourer	Joseph Newell	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Master-at-Arms	James Wallace	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Carpenter's Mate	Samuel Hazleton	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Carpenter's Mate	Stephen Stimson	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Gunner's Yeoman	John Smith	DB009
1799/12	1800/01	Sailmaker	Samuel York Nowel	DB009
1799/12	1800/07/04	Steward	Simeon F Stewart†	DB009
1799/12/02	Unknown	Midshipman	William Scallon	DB009
1799/12/02	Unknown	Midshipman	John Shattuck	DB009
1799/12/02	Unknown	Midshipman	John Rowe	DB009
1799/12/02	1800/01	Midshipman	Fitch Tarbell	DB009
1799/12/02	1801/02/09	Midshipman	Samuel Stubbs	DB009
1799/12/02	1801/02/25	Midshipman	Royal Gurley	DB009
1799/12/02	1801/08/06	Midshipman	Samuel Conant	DB009
1799/12/11	1801/04/30	Midshipman	Samuel Allen	DB009
1799/12/11	1801/05/20	Midshipman	James Henry Adams	DB009
1800	Unknown	Midshipman	John Brown	DB009
1800/03/25	Unknown	Master's Mate	Richard Butter	DB009
1800/03/25	Unknown	Master's Mate	Richard Butler	DB009
1801/01	1800/05/30	Midshipman	William H Williams†	DB009
1801/01	1801/05/26	Midshipman	J B Hitchborn	DB009
1801/04/28	Unknown	Midshipman	George Merrill	DB009
1801/04/28	Unknown	Midshipman	Simon Smith	DB009
1801/04/28	Unknown	Midshipman	Benjamin B Smith	DB009
1801/04/28	1803/03/03	Midshipman	Abner Woodruff	DB009
1811/08/09	1814/03/28	Midshipman	David Tittermary	DB009
1811/08/09	1814/03/28	Midshipman	David G Farragut	DB009
1812	1814/03/28	Quartermaster	William Gardner	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Midshipman	Richard Dashiell	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Midshipman	John Cowan	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Midshipman	William Odenheimer	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Midshipman	Henry W Ogden	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Midshipman	Henry Gray	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Midshipman	George W Isaac	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Midshipman	Charles T Clark	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Midshipman	William W Feltus	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Midshipman	Thomas Anderson Conover	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Surgeon's Mate	Richard K Hoffman	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Surgeon's Mate	Alexander M Montgomery	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Captain's Clerk	W W Bostwick	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Quartermaster	Robert Dunn	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Quartermaster	John Thompson†	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Midshipman	William H Haddiway	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Mate	William P Piercy	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Quartermaster	Francis Bland†	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Cook	John Haden	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Steward	Thomas Coleman	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Coxswain	John Francis	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Cooper	John Adams	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Master-at-Arms	George Kensinger	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Quartermaster	James Rynard	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Armourer	Field Bennet	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Carpenter's Mate	John Langley	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Gunner's Mate	James Spafford	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Gunner's Mate	George Martin†	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Boatswain's Mate	William Kingsbury	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Boatswain's Mate	Joseph Hawley	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Quartermaster	John Mallett	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Master's Mate	James Terry	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Boatswain's Mate	Thomas Belcher	W055

Crewmen
From	To	Rank	Name	Source
1799/12	Unknown	Quarter Gunner	Hans Olsen	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Quarter Gunner	James Orr	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Quarter Gunner	James Converse	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Quarter Gunner	John Lessell	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Quarter Gunner	John Robinson	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Quarter Gunner	William Trafford	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Quarter Gunner	John West	DB009
1799/12	Unknown	Quarter Gunner	Jacob Benson	DB009
1799/12/17	1799/12/31	Able Seaman	John Williamson	DB009
1812	1814/03/28	Quarter Gunner	Henry Stone	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Quarter Gunner	Edward Sellman	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Gunner's Yeoman	Thomas Edwards	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Carpenter's Yeoman	Benjamin Wadden	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Quarter Gunner	Isaac Valance	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Quarter Gunner	Benjamin Geers	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Quarter Gunner	Adam Roach†	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Quarter Gunner	James Steady	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Quarter Gunner	Leonard Green	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Quarter Gunner	James Marshall	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Boatswain's Yeoman	Thomas Bailey	W055

Marines
From	To	Rank	Name	Source
Unknown	1800/01	Corporal	Stephen Dickenson	DB009
Unknown	1800/01	Corporal	John Alverson	DB009
Unknown	1800/01	Corporal	Joel Russell	DB009
Unknown	1800/01	Sergeant	Winthrop Brabury	DB009
Unknown	1800/01	Sergeant	Elisha Chapin	DB009
1799/12	1800/01	Marine First Lieutenant	S W Geddis	DB009
1812	1814/03/28	Corporal	Andrew Mahon	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Corporal	Absalom Krewson	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Sergeant	Pierce G Small	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Sergeant	Abraham van Deezer	W055
1812	1814/03/28	Marine Lieutenant	John M Gamble	W055

Service History
Date	Event	Source
1800/01/06	Left New York in company with Congress
1800/03/28	Doubled the Cape of Good Hope, the first US vessel to do so	DB009
1800/08/27	Passed the Cape of Good Hope	DB009
1800/09/10	Arrived at St Helena	DB009
1800/11/29	Arrived at New York	DB009
1801/07/01	Arrived at Gibraltar
1802/06/17	Sailed from the Mediterranean for home	DB009
1802/07/22	Arrived in New York	DB009
1802/08	Arrived at the Washington Navy Yard for repairs	DB009
1803/04/01	Placed in ordinary	DB009
1804/08	Returned to the Mediterranean
1805/04/27	Present in the attack on the town of Derne, losing 14 killed	DB009
1806/07	Returned to Washington and placed in Ordinary
1807/05/01	Placed in ordinary	DB009
1809/02	Recommissioned
1811/12/03	At Newport	DB009
1812/07/03	Sailed from New York	DB009
1812/07/11	Took British Transport #299 with 197 soldiers on board from a convoy of seven escorted by Minerva (32)
1812/07/13	Took the Lamprey brig from a merchant fleet convoyed by the Nimrod
1812/07/26	Took the Leander brig with a crew of 5	DB009
1812/08/02	Took the brig Hero with a crew of 8 and the ship Nancy with a crew of 11	DB009
1812/08/03	Took the brig Brothers with a crew of 10 and used it as a cartel for prisoners	DB009
1812/08/08	Took the brig King George with a crew of 10 loaded with coal and salt	DB009
1812/08/09	Took the brig Mary with a crew of 9	DB009
1812/08/13	Took the Unrated Ship-Sloop Alert off Newfoundland
1812/09	Returned to New York
1812/10/27	Left for a cruise to the south
1812/12/12	Took the British Packet Norton (10) with 31 men on board	DB009
1812/12/29	Took the schooner Elizabeth	DB009
1813/03/14	Arrived at Valparaiso, Chile
1813/03/20	Took the Privateer Nereyda
1813/04/29	Took the British Whaling ships Barclay, Montezuma, Georgiana and Policy	DB009
1813/05/28	Took the British Whaling ship Atlantic and converted her to a cruiser as Essex Junior (20)	DB009
1813/05/28	Took the British Whaling ships Greenwich, Catherine, Rose and Hector off the Gallapagos islands. Actually taken by the Whaler Georgina acting as an armed cruiser.	DB009
1813/05/28	Took the British Whaling ship Charlton (10)	DB009
1813/07/13	Took the British Whaling ships Charlton (10), Seringapatam and New Zealander	DB009
1813/09/13	Took the British Whaling ship Sir Andrew Hammond	DB009
1814/01	Blockaded in Valparaiso Harbour by RN Frigates Phoebe and Cherub
1814/03/28	Taken by Cherub , Phoebe

Sources
ID	Description	Author	Type
W012	Dictionary of American Fighting Vessels	Unknown	Web Site
BWAS-1793	British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793 - 1817	Rif Winfield	Book
B171	A genealogical Sketch of the First Three Generations of Prebles in America	George Henry Preble	Book
DB009	Essex Institute Historical Collections Vol X		Digital Book
OUSNMC	Officers of the Navy of the United States and of the Marine Corps, from 1775 to 1900	Edward W Callahan	Book
W053	Virtual American Biographies	Various	Web Site
W055	Journal of a Cruise Made to the Pacific Ocean	David Porter	Web Site

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