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‘Don’t Give Up the Ship’By Roy and Lesley Adkins | MHQ | 5 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post British Captain Charles Napier commented, “I cannot help observing that the Americans owed their success in a great degree to our Government and naval officers holding them too cheap, and instead of sending out large and well-manned frigates to crush them at once, we trusted to our supposed naval superiority….We unfortunately considered them far below the French in naval knowledge and gunnery, when they were actually superior to ourselves, having devoted much attention to that science, which we had shamefully neglected.” The Admiralty in London, though, responded by implementing an effective counterstrategy—using their superior numbers to blockade American ports. The blockade started at a low level in 1812, but by February 1813 more British warships were available, and an effective blockade covered the Atlantic coast from the Delaware to the Chesapeake. The ports of New England were spared at this stage, as their merchants were supplying grain for the Duke of Wellington’s troops fighting in Spain and Portugal. Licensed American merchantmen carried this vital cargo under the Royal Navy’s protection. The British also hoped that such a selective blockade would increase the dissension between the Northeastern states, which had opposed the war, and the rest of the United States. Already some American frigates were so securely trapped in port that they would take no further part in the war. Others were forced to wait weeks or months before they found an opportunity to slip out to sea. Toward the end of March 1813, the blockade was extended farther south and as far north as New York, and gradually the stranglehold was completed.  Captain James Lawrence of USS Chesapeake. U.S. Naval Historical Center Captain Philip Bowes Broke commanded the blockading thirty-eight-gun Shannon. He had been with the frigate nearly seven years, and was unusually diligent about instilling discipline. Broke was constantly training his men in all forms of gunnery, using floating targets such as empty beef casks. Gunnery was his passion, and he introduced many innovations and adaptations for Shannon’s guns. While blockading the harbor, Captain Broke captured several merchant ships, but he burned these rather than take them back to Halifax as prizes, so as not to deplete Shannon’s crew. At a dinner hosted in London that summer of 1813 by the artist Joseph Farington, one naval captain, a guest, remarked (as Farington recorded in his diary): “Capn. Broke he was much acquainted with—that he was a remarkably good-natured man, and was always laughing. He had his mind long bent upon capturing an American frigate & that to keep the complement of men in his ship compleat, he burnt whatever prizes he took, not regarding their value. His ship was a pattern of perfect discipline, & his men were much attached to him.” Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
            Tags: 19th Century, Historical Conflicts, Historical Figures, Naval Battles
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5 Comments to “‘Don’t Give Up the Ship’”
There should be a movie…no, TWO movies (one about each)! What?!
I spied and purchased the MHQ Magazine for its cover story; “Muslim Slayer” because I have always known (but always told differently); that Christians with all ‘their’ Crusades were the initial ‘troublemakers and murderers’ of the religious problems (and even hatred) that now exists (or simmers) between Eastern and Western religions and their respective countries. I knew that was wrong! It has finally been told correctly…that the Muslim ‘religion’ fevered and fueled the Ottoman Empire with selfish grandiose desire for conquest. Religion is man’s answer to God: we should seek God’s answer about Himself and stop trying to out think our One and only Creator. He is not the problem—we BOTH are.
BUT…
I got caught by the, “Don’t give up the ship” story…
Does you neck hurt from that ‘subject’ whiplash? Well, imagine my embarrassment!!!
Now, I grew up in the Newburyport, Ma area—where the Coast Guard was officially born (some seven, odd miles West; in West Newbury) and I remembered that ‘saying’: Now who and what was the situation? I thought. Aaaah, Oh Ya, I remember: “The American Revolution” says my brain…to my brain. I almost past it by…but, “War of 1812!”, caught my mind as my eye glanced off the stern of the ship and off the American flag. “Opps! and you’re a 23 year Military Veteran?” my brain is now arguing with itself.
So I read the entire article without pause and it is one of the few military historical accounts that the writers (excelled in excellence) to ‘paint’ the dramatic story in my mind, as I read. I could smell the cordite and fell down numerous times for all the slippery blood that coated the decks…and Ooh, but our arrogance to suppose we would win with such little effort after being drawn out to fight by that egging letter from Captain Broke! It is a tough story…we lost! Ouch!! But what a movie it would make: That some graves were moved over three times and that the Chesapeake’s wood ended up as a “…watermill in Wickham…” England, and “operated until 1970” and is touted as, “one of the finest surviving buildings constructed from old ship timbers.” It sort of makes me think of a lost but now found solider…whose white cross (in Normandy) can be seen and honored and respected—his body gave all; the Chesapeake timbers gave all.
MAKE A MOVIE!!!
PS: you can publish my e-mail if you like
By Gordon Tatro on Aug 16, 2008 at 3:41 pm
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By john e. collins on Aug 21, 2008 at 11:53 am
This battle is mentioned in the book Anne of Green Gables byL.M. Montgomery in her book Anne of the Island pages 33& 34. Nineteen thousand copies of the original book were sold in five months.. Thought you might be interested.
By Nelson Wilsher on Jan 14, 2009 at 4:00 pm