USS Viper ( 1806 ) USS " Viper – commissioned as USS " Ferret – was a brig serving the United States Navy during the early days of the republic . " Viper " was assigned to enforce the Embargo Act of 1807 along the U . S . East Coast . During the War of 1812 , while cruising in the Caribbean , she was captured by the more heavily armed British warships . She then served the Royal Navy as HMS " Mohawk " until she was sold in 1814 . While in British service she served in several actions that earned her crew the Naval General Service Medal , Built in Virginia . The first ship to be named " Viper " by the Navy , was originally the cutter " Ferret " . She was designed by the naval architect Josiah Fox and built at the Norfolk Navy Yard , Norfolk , Virginia , between 1806 and 1809 , and was commissioned under her old name on 18 April 1809 , Lieutenant Christopher Gadsden , Jr . , in command . Enforcing the Embargo Act of 1807 . Shortly after her commissioning , " Ferret " cruised along the coast of the Carolinas and Georgia to aid in the enforcement of the Embargo Act of 1807 . She was renamed " Viper " during re - rigging as a brig at the Washington Navy Yard in 1809 and 1810 , and from Washington sailed to New Orleans , Louisiana , arriving there on 18 March 1811 . " Viper " remained off the U . S . Gulf Coast enforcing the Embargo Act until the outbreak of the War of 1812 . Captured during the War of 1812 . During the war , " Viper " proved woefully inadequate in deep water operations against the larger , more heavily gunned British warships . On 17 January 1813 the 32 - gun frigate HMS " Narcissus " captured " Viper " off the coast of Belize , British Honduras and took her to New Providence in the Bahama Islands . At the time of her capture " Viper " was armed with 12 guns , had a crew of 93 men and had been cruising for seven weeks off Havana , having made no captures . British service . The Royal Navy renamed her " Mohawk " and commissioned her under Commander Henry Dilkes Byng for operations in the Chesapeake . Battle of Rappahannock River . " Mohawk " was one of the vessels in the squadron under Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren ' s squadron that contributed boats and men to the cutting out party under Lieutenant J . Puckinghorne that rowed 15 miles up the Rappahannock River on 13 April 1813 . The British captured four American privateer schooners : " Dolphin " , " Lynx " , " Racer " and " Arab " . Although the British sustained a number of casualties , " Mohawk " herself sustained no casualties . The British took three of the schooners into service . " Lynx " became . " Racer " became , and retained her name . It was difficult for the British to free the " Arab " and though they eventually succeeded , the vessel was apparently badly damaged and was not commissioned for British service . She was taken to Halifax where the Vice - Admiralty Court condemned her . " Mohawk " was among the vessels benefiting from a number of captures . Announcements of prize money and head - money include : On 29 April 1813 , boats from " Mohawk " , together with boats from , " Dolphin " and and " Racer " , which had not yet been renamed , went up the Chesapeake Bay to Frenchtown to destroy five American ships and stores ; they also purchased provisions for the squadron from the locals . This took until 3 May 1813 to complete . On the way back , a battery fired on the British from the shore ; a landing party destroyed the battery . The Admiralty would later issue the clasp " 28 April Boat Service 1813 " for the Naval General Service Medal to all surviving claimants from the action . " Mohawk " was among the ships benefiting from the proceeds of the capture of the American ships " Rolla " ( 29 May ) and " Protectress " ( 18 June ) . She was also among the vessels benefiting from the capture of the Spanish brig " St . Iago " ( 11 June 1813 ) , the American schooner " Surveyor " ( 12 June ) , the American ships " Governor Strong " and " Emily " ( 12 June ) , " Star " ( 14 June ) , and " Herman " ( 21 June ) . On 14 July 1813 the brigs and " Mohawk " spotted the American schooner USS " Asp " and the " Scorpion " and immediately gave chase . " Scorpion " made good her escape up the Chesapeake , but Asp ' s poor sailing qualities forced her to put back into the Yeocomico River . " Contest " and " Mohawk " anchored off the bar and prepared a boat expedition . " Contest " s cutter , under the command of Lieutenant Curry , and " Mohawk " s cutter , under the command of Lieutenant Hutchinson , followed " Asp " three or four miles up the Yeocomico . " Asp " was armed with one long 18 - pounder gun and two 18 - pounder carronade s , together with some swivels . She had a crew of 20 men under the command of Midshipman Sigourney . As the British boats approached , " Asp " cut her cable and tried to escape further up the river . The American account states that three British boats attacked but were beaten off . Then two other British boats joined the first three for a second attempt , which proved successful . The Americans fought valiantly in spite of the lopsided odds . Midshipman Sigourney and ten of his 20 - man crew were killed defending their ship while the remainder escaped ashore when the issue became hopeless . Despite fire from " Asp " and from militia on the shore , the British captured " Asp " within a short time , but at a cost of two men killed and six wounded , including Lieutenant Curry ( slightly ) . The British set fire to " Asp " and retired . At that point , " Asp " s second in command , Midshipman H . McClintock , led the remnants of " Asp " s crew back on board , extinguished the flames , and put her back in fighting trim . For whatever reason , the British declined to renew the combat . Fate . Commander Henry Litchfield assumed command in July 1813 . " Mohawk " was sold in 1814 .