The sun., 1898-06-05
THE WEST INDIES.
Operations on the Sea Have Often
Carried Uncle Sans Vessels to
That Place.

Fights of the American navy in West
Indian waters date back as far as l776
the year of the declaration of independ.
enCe.
In that year the Lexington, Captain
William Hallock, was returning from
the West Indies, loaded with powder
and other military stores, when she was
captured by the British frigate Pearl.
There was such a high sea running at
the time that the captain of the Pearl
decided, after taking four or five men
out of the Lexington, not to transfer the
rest of the crew to his own ship So he
placed her in charge OF prize crew,
with orders to follow the pearl. During
the night, when the prize captain and
his deck officer had gone below, the
watchful Yankees knocked the British
sailor from the tiller and the guards to
the deck, secured the colnpanionway
against the exit of the officers and, put
ting up the helm, headed away for Bati-
more, where they arrived safely.
The first real even sea fight occurred in
the same year, 1916, off the western end
of Porto Rico between the American
brig Andrea Doria and the British brig
Racehnrse. 1t ended, after a two hours
fight, in the surrender Vi the Racehorse,
after her captain, Lieutenant Jones, had
been mortally wounded. The Andrea
Doria, Captain Robinson, lost four killed
and eight wounded.
Another West Indian fight was still
more to the glory of the young American
navy. The American brig Reprisal,
bound for Martinique, fell in, just out
side of that port, with the British sloop-
of-war Shark, sixteen guns. Not only
was the Shark larger vessel, but the
Reprisal, because nf number of prizes
sent home, was short-handed Never
thcIess, the American promptly engaged
the British vessel and fought her with
such vigor that the Shark was compelled
to haul off for repairs
Captain Biddle, he of the Andrea
Doria, subsequently called the Randolph,
sailed in February, III, from Philadel-
phia for the Caribbean sea. He had as
consorts four cruisers, carrying sixty
four guns. which had been fitted out by
the State OF South Carolina. The Ran
dolph carried thirty.two guns, yet Capt.
Bddle, immediately upon sighting the
British ship of the line Yarmouth, sixty
four guns, engaged her, while the State
cruisers were signaled to run for safety
The engagement, which took place east
OF Barbados, resulted in the destruction
of the Randolph, with all hands on
board except four seamen.
Early in 1899 and 1900 occurred the |
famous battles between the American
ship Constellation, tlirv-six guns. Cap.
tain TruXton, and two French frigates,
lnsurgcnt, thirty.six guns, and the Ven
geance. fity-two guns, while the Ameri.
can was cruising bctv Nevis and
Kits, at the northeast corner of the
Caribbean Sea. First the Insurgent was
and captured after deter
mined fight of several hours. The next
year the Constellation compelled the
Vengeance to fight, almost at the iden.
ical spot, and after the Vengeance had
Junk her flag twice she slipped away
lnder darkness Of the night.
During the first year OF the war Of 1872
we're many bloody encounters between )
american and English ships in the region .
'etween the Azores and Canary Islands
nd the coast off Brazil, but West Indian 9
Iaters saw no naval battles nor even en-
agements, brt in the early part OF 1914 I
he famous old American frigate Consli- '
ltion, working her way homeward from S
urinam, fell IN with the British frigate
ii Pique. thrty-six guns, off Porto Rico. 7
ime had been, and that not so long be- G
IRE. when British frigate Of that size .
ould have come booming down on the
constitution, eager for fight, but the il
ritish Vessel was under written orders Il
ot to engage a ship Of the weigl t of the y
and the La Pique ran for p
Being the swifter of the two vessels, le
,e made good her escape.
A direct and necessary result OF the ei
censing OF privateers. which prevailed q
the wars between France and fa
ngland, and England and the United n
ates up to the year 1915, was the de- h