Constitution vs. Guerriere
Returning from a cruise into Canadian waters on August 18, 1812, Captain Isaac Hull’s USS Constitution of the fledgling U.S. Navy encountered British Captain Richard Dacre’s HMS Guerriere about 750 miles out of Boston. This painting by Thomas Birch shows Constitution delivering its first broadside, which dismasted the British frigate. After a frenzied 55-minute battle that left 101 dead, Guerriere rolled helplessly in the water, smashed beyond salvage. Dacre struck his colors and surrendered to Hull’s boarding party. In contrast, Constitution suffered little damage and only 14 casualties. The fight’s outcome shocked the British Admiralty while it heartened America through the dark days of the War of 1812.
Image: U.S. Naval Academy Museum
