USS United States (1797) - War of 1812

War of 1812

United States remained in the Washington Navy Yard throughout the First Barbary War of 1801–1805 and up until 1809 when orders were given to ready her for active service. On 10 June 1810, now under the command of Stephen Decatur, she sailed to Norfolk, Virginia for refitting.

While she was at Norfolk, Captain John S. Carden of the Royal Navy, commander of the new British frigate HMS Macedonian, wagered Captain Decatur a beaver hat that his vessel would take United States if the two should ever meet in battle. Ichabod B. Crane, whose name was appropriated for the main character in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, served under Decatur as a lieutenant in the Marine detachment aboard ship.

The United States declared war against Britain on 18 June 1812. Three days later Decatur and United States sailed from New York City within a squadron under the command of Commodore John Rodgers in President. Other ships of the squadron were Congress, Hornet, and Argus; departed on a seventy-day North Atlantic cruise. A passing American merchant ship informed Rodgers about a fleet of British merchantmen en route to Britain from Jamaica. Rodgers and his squadron sailed in pursuit, and on 23 June encountered what was later learned to be HMS Belvidera.

United States and the squadron returned to pursuing the Jamaican fleet and on 1 July began to follow the trail of coconut shells and orange peels the Jamaicans had left behind them. United States sailed to within one day's journey of the English Channel but never sighted the convoy. Rodgers called off the pursuit on 13 July. During their return trip to Boston, the squadron captured seven merchant ships and recaptured one American vessel.

After some refitting, United States, still under Decatur's command, sailed again 8 October with Rodgers but on the 12th parted from the squadron for her own patrol.

Three days later, after capturing Mandarin, United States parted company and continued to cruise eastward. At dawn, on the 25th, five hundred miles south of the Azores, lookouts on board United States reported seeing a sail 12 miles (19 km) to windward. As the ship rose over the horizon, Captain Decatur made out the familiar lines of HMS Macedonian.