Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1907-02-13
VESSELS OF ILL LUCK
STRANGE FATE OF The THREE SHIPS
NAMED WASP.

Most Curious Condolences of the
Seattle Disastrous Career of the
old FriGRte Chesapeake.
DO you believe in lucky shlpsY
asked the paymaster rs the officers OF
the wardroom prepared for their after
dinner talk.
Well do not know but / do an
swered the first lieutenant. There are
some ships in the navy now-one es-
pecially. as you all know-that do
seem TO be hoodooed. But. as il would
be treason 10 mention them by name.
we won't But there's no harm in
speaking about old time unlucky ships.
There was the Chesapeake She
was such an unlucky frigate that IL
was hard work TO get n crew for her.
and she was a good ship too.
"She began her career with that dis
graceful affair with the British frigate
Leopard. Although England and the
United States were at peace, the Loop
ard held her up of the coast pour
ed broadside after broadside into her
and finally took from her some Ameri-
can sailors. claiming that they were
British subjects. And the Chesapeake
was in such condition and her prep
aratiOn for battle was so bad that she
offered scarcely any resistance.
After that everything went wrong
with her. and Lawrence. when he was
ordered 10 20 to Boston and take com
mand OF her just before her fight with
the shannon, was 50 impressed with
the fact that the ship was hoodOoed
that lie tried his best TO get his orders
changed. when he sailed out to fight
the Sh1nuon. so short was he Of men
that hc lad TO impress men on the
dock just before sailing. and the dis
astrous outcome of that battle Off
Boston is matter of history.
Although the CheSapeake was In
such good condition when the British
captured her that they easily took
her into port, and. although when they
fixed her up She was one Of the finest
trigates afloat. she was all the time
getting into troOble until the British
admiralty declined to send her to sen
any more ana sold her to n Hampshire
miller who broke her up and made a
windmill OF her Whether he pros
pered after that or not do not know.
but ] should not he at all surprised IL
investigation should show that be
failed the next year.
Then there was the Wasp.
The first Wasp was an eight gun
schooner. purchased Mt the outbreak Of
the Revolution merchant schooner
made over into man-Of-war. She was
not practically suited for the work and
after a short career Of no especial bril-
liancy was dropped from the navy list.
Somehow things had never seemed to
90 right with her while she was play
inS man-of-war. But the name was
too good onc-toO suggestive n one
70 be lost. and whom the war Of 1912
broke out we find that the United
States had another Wasp. this time an
eighteen gun sloop of war. And / will
explain 70 my civilian friend over there
that sloop OF war. paradoxical rs IT
may seem. is 10y no means a sloop. 4
sloop OF war is. in general terms. under
the old classification Of the navy. Il
man-of-war carrying all her guns on
one deck and not only could be. but
frequently was, full rlgged ship The
old sloops of war Of the beginning Of
the last century used to carry every
where from eighteen TO thirty guns
and were 10 the old navy what the sec
ond class cruiser is TO the navy Of to-
day.
well. the sloop Of war Wasp when
the second war with England broke
out was in European waters. She ut
once returned 10 the United states. re-
fitted and started on a cruise after the
enemy's merchant fleets coming I'D
from the West Indies Soon after leav-
Ing port she ran into 4 hurricane and
lost her jib boom and two men on IL.
But her bad luck let up a bit and
she captured the British corvet Frollc
after brilliant action
"But the luck Of the Wasp was only
lifting her up a little TO cast her down
harder Scarcely had she taken pos
session of her prize when down came
the British line of battle ship Poictiers
and took victor and vanquiShed into
her possession. y prize crew Of Brit
ishers took the Wasp to England,
where they refitted her and took her
into the British navy.
In the spring OF 1914 the Wasp, fly
ing the red cross ensign of st. George,
sailed out from the harbor Of Ports
mouth. England. She was sighted pass
ing ont OF the chops of the channel,
and from that day TO this there have
come no tidings Of her fate. She sailed
away stanch. taut and trim. well found
and seawOrthy rs American and Brit
ish skill could make her. No hostile
ship sank her with its guns. no great
storm passed over that part OF the
ocean at that time. yet she never re-
turned 10 port. No piece Of wreckage
belonging TO her was ever seen, and no
tdinGS of her mysterious fate Rver
came back.
Meantime the United States had
built new Wasp. and about the same
time that the old Wasp sailed out of
Portsmouth, England. under British
colors 10 meet her mysterious doom
the new Wasp. under American colorS.
sailed from Portsmouth. y. II. Ap-
preaching the British channel. the new
Wasp had an action with the British
sloop of war Reindeer and captured
her after short fight burning the
prize, Captain Blakely, who command
cd the Wasp. put into LOrient. France.
Sailing from that port in August. the
Wasp fought Il battle with the British
cOrvet Avon. in which she Silenced
her guns. but was unable to take pos
session owing To the appearance Of Il
superior British force
Then she went ON down the seas.