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USS Adams(I)

Frigate:

Laid down in 1797 at New York City by John Jackson and William Sheffield

Launched, 8 June 1799

Commissioned, USS Adams, date unknown, CAPT. Richard Valentine Morris in command

Adams departed New York in mid-September 1799 and headed for the West Indies to protect American shipping from attacks by French privateers

Arriving at Saint Christopher on 10 October she soon began cruising nearby waters in search of French men of war and any prizes which had been captured French ships

Later in the month, Adams recaptured the brig Zylpha and assisted Insurgent in taking a 4-gun French privateer and freeing an English brig and a schooner from Boston

On 12 November 1799, Adams assisted Insurgent in recapturing the 14-gun English brig Margaret

On 15 November Adams and Insurgent took the French privateer Le Onze Vendmiaire and on the 20th they liberated the schooner Nancy

On 10 January 1800, Adams and USS Eagle took French schooner La Fougeuse

Late in the month, Adams recaptured the schooner Alpha

In February she took two French schooners, L'Heureuse Rencontre and Isabella

In March she freed the sloop Nonpareil and she did the same for the schooner Priscilla in April

In May 1800 Adams recaptured an unidentified schooner and teamed up with Insurgent in freeing a British letter of marque, she also recaptured another schooner named Nancy, one called Grinder, and an unidentified brig while capturing the brig Dove and the schooner Renomme

Adams returned to New York in July 1800, but early in the fall headed back to the Caribbean under the command of CAPT. Thomas Robinson

Assigned to patrol and escort duty she only managed to recapture the British schooner Grendin

Ordered home on 23 March she was laid up at New York

Adams was reactivated in the spring of 1802 under the command of CAPT. Hugh George Canfield

She departed for the Mediterranean, 10 June 1802, arriving at Gibraltar, 22 July and remained in that port blockading the Tripolitan cruiser Meshuda

On 8 April 1803 she joined the rest of COMO. Morris' squadron in operations off Tripoli

Adams sailed for home 25 September and was placed in ordinary Washington Navy Yard in November 1803

Reactivated under command of CAPT. Alexander Murray in July 1805, Adams cruised along the coast of the United States from New York to Florida protecting American commerce

In the autumn of the following year she was again laid up at Washington

Reactivated in 1809 to enforce the Embargo Act and again placed in ordinary later that year

She remained inactive from 1809 to August 1811 when she became the receiving ship at the Washington Navy Yard

In June 1812, Adams was cut in half amidships and lengthened 15 feet in the course of being completely rebuilt as a sloop-of-war

Commanded by CAPT. Charles Morris, she was ready for action by the end of 1812

On 16 August 1812, General William Hull surrendered Detroit after a siege by British forces. Adams, which had been at Detroit, was surrendered too, and was taken into Provincial Marine service and renamed Detroit. The brig was added to the Provincial Marine's Lake Erie squadron

On 8 October 1812, LT. Jesse Elliott, commander of the United States Navy forces on Lake Erie commanded a cutting out operation to capture Adams

Blockaded by British warships in the Chesapeake Bay she finally managed to slip out to sea, 18 January 1814

Adams cruised in the eastern Atlantic and along the African coast and took five merchantmen prizes before putting in at Savannah, GA., in April

Under way again in May 1814, she headed for the Newfoundland Banks and ultimately sailed eastward to waters off the British Isles

During that cruise, she took five more merchant ships, chased two more into the Shannon River, and barely managed to escape from a much larger British warship

Near the end of her homeward passage, she ran aground on the isle of Haute, 17 August 1814, and suffered serious damage

Adams was refloated and despite heavy leaking made it into the Penobscot River and reached Hampden, Maine

Final Disposition. on 3 September 1814, she was scuttled and set ablaze to prevent capture by a large and powerful British squadron

Specifications:
Displacement 530 t.
Length 113'
Beam 34'
Depth of Hold 10'9"
Speed unknown
Complement 220

Armament

twenty-four 12-pdrs

four 9-pdrs

Propulsion sail

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
098602819	188k	*Namesake* John Adams - (October 30, 1735[a] – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of the American Revolution that achieved independence from Great Britain. During the latter part of the war and in the early years of the nation, he served as a diplomat in Europe. He was the first person to hold the office of vice president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. (Wikipedia). Photo - Oil on canvas portrait of John Adams by Gilbert Stuart, circa 1800-1815, National Art Gallery Accession Number 1954.7.1.	Tommy Trampp
0986744801	636k	Watercolor by Irwin John David Bevan (1852-1940) "The Escape of *ADAMS, 10th July 1814" The Mariners' Museum and Park, Bailey Collection, Newport News, VA.*	John Spivey
0986744802	360k	Watercolor by Irwin John David Bevan (1852-1940) "The Burning of *ADAMS, 3rd September 1814" The Mariners' Museum and Park, Newport News, VA.*	John Spivey

USS Adams (I)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

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Last Updated 13 June 2023