USS Eagle (1798)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Eagle |
| Cost | $32,200 |
| Launched | 1798 |
| Acquired | July 1798 |
| Commissioned | 5 July 1798 in the USRC Service. Transferred officially to US Navy 20 May, 1799 |
| Fate | Sold, 17 June 1801 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Schooner |
| Displacement | 187 long tons (190 t) |
| Length | 58 ft (18 m) |
| Beam | 20 ft (6.1 m) |
| Draft | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
| Propulsion | Sail |
| Complement | 70 officers and enlisted |
| Armament | • 14 × 6-pounder guns |
The first USS Eagle, a schooner, was built at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1798, and commissioned in the Revenue Cutter Service under the command of Captain H. G. Campbell, USRCS. She placed under control of the Navy in July 1798 for service in the undeclared naval war (Quasi-War) with France.
From October 1798 Eagle patrolled off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia protecting American shipping from French privateers. Ordered to the West Indies, she arrived at Prince Rupert's Bay, Dominica, 14 March 1799, to hunt French ships, and to convoy merchant vessels on the Guadeloupe Station until late in June, when she sailed for New Castle, Delaware. Sometime in early 1799 she and USRC Diligence captured French ship Reynard.[1]
In a letter dated 20 May, 1799 Navy Secretary Benjamin Stoddert notified the Treasury Secretary that he should consider Eagle to be officially transferred to the U.S. Navy.[2]
She returned to the Caribbean in August 1799 for similar duty until 10 September 1800 when she set sail for St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, with the sloop-of-war USS Maryland, escorting a convoy of 52 ships. After arrival at New Castle on 28 September, Eagle was laid up for repairs. Eagle's third cruise to the West Indies extended from January to June 1801, when she returned to Baltimore.
During her career in the United States' navy, she captured or assisted in the capture of 22 French vessels which had been preying on American ocean commerce. Sometime in 1799 she captured French ship "Bon Pere", Bon Pere was taken into USRC Service under same name that year.[3] Eagle was sold 17 June 1801.
References[edit]
- ^ "Early history of the U. S. Revenue Marine Service or (U.S. Revenue Cutter Service) 1798 to 1854 page 19" (PDF). R. L. Polk printing via Media.defence.gov. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ "Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume 3 Part 2 of 4 Naval Operations April 1799 to July 1799, May, 1799 Pg. 220" (PDF). U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Early history of the U. S. Revenue Marine Service or (U.S. Revenue Cutter Service) 1798 to 1854 page 18" (PDF). R. L. Polk printing via Media.defence.gov. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.