Constellation

Posted by Barry J. Fox on Friday 5th of November 2021 18:47

Spencer Tucker, in his "Arming the Fleet: U.S. Navy ordnance in the Muzzle-Loading Era," noted that the U.S.S. Constellation was armed with "short" 24# for her battle with L'Insurgente. I've always considered these to be a cross between a long gun and a carronade. The Danes, Swedes, and Russians all used them. I've seen a few things about the U.S. Navy using Columbiads during this period. That said, they were designed as "shell" guns, so I doubt that Constellation's 24#s were any more than lighter 24# guns, with probably less range. Obviously, after switching to 18# guns, for her next fight, she carried ten 24# carronades as well, whereas she had 12# long guns for secondary armament before.

Posted by Brian Stephens on Monday 14th of April 2014 17:42

Providence Gazette July 3, 1813
BATTLE OF THE GUN-BOATS IN HAMPTON ROADS.
Letter from Camp near Armated, Norfolk, June 21
I take up my pen to inform you of an action that took place in Hampton Roads yesterday morning, between our gun-boats at this place and a British frigate. On Saturday tow frigates and a 74 came into the Roads, one frigate within 8 or 10 miles of this place and the other frigate within 3 miles of her, and the 74 about the same distance below the last and there anchored. On Saturday night, 14 gun-boats left this place manned by the Constellation's crew, for the purpose of driving them from their moorings; the wind was calm, and everything in favour of our flotilla; they arrived within gun shot of the highest frigate and commenced action at reveille, at about 3 1/2 hours when the wind springing up, obliged our boats to retire, as the frigate and 74 below had come up to her assistance, after completely silencing her, and having torn her almost to pieces, as it appears by the report of those that saw the action from Sewal Point. After the action the men on board the frigate were seen on every part of the ship, taking in sails and bending new ones and on the sides plugging up shot holes having received many shot holes below the water. There are now in the Roads 8 ships of the line, and from 10 to 12 frigates. There is 30 sail in the Bay and Roads. The killed and wounded on board the gun-boats were one filled and three wounded.