HMS Macedonian HMS " Macedonian " was a 38 - gun fifth rate in the Royal Navy , later captured by the during the War of 1812 . She was built at Woolwich Dockyard , England in 1809 , launched 2 June 1810 and commissioned the same month . She was commanded by Captain Lord William Fitzroy . Among the original crew was the 13 - year old Samuel Leech , who later wrote a memoir of his experiences . As HMS " Macedonian " . " Macedonian " first delivered a company of soldiers to Lisbon , Portugal , then remained in the area , guarding against the possibility of French naval attack . During this period , FitzRoy made personal profit by falsification of records of ships ' stores , for which he was court - martialled in March 1811 and dismissed from the service ( he was quietly reinstated in August , presumably due to his aristocratic rank ) . FitzRoy ' s replacement , William Waldegrave , was an interim appointment whose command lasted for only a few weeks before he was himself replaced by John Surnam Carden . One of Carden ' s first actions was to hire a band , a move popular with the crew , but he did not get along with the first lieutenant David Hope . In January 1812 , " Macedonian " was ordered to deliver secretly some bills of exchange to Norfolk , Virginia , and to bring back an equivalent quantity of gold and silver currency , as part of a scheme to keep the Bank of England solvent . During the visit , Carden socialised with the notables of Norfolk , including then - Captain Stephen Decatur , but bungled the mission by inadvertently revealing what was planned , and had to return to Lisbon empty handed . Captain Carden dined frequently with Decatur and his wife Susan and jokingly bet a beaver hat on the outcome of a battle of their ships . They had come to consider one another friends . In September 1812 , " Macedonian " was ordered to accompany an East Indiaman as far as Madeira , then to cruise in search of prizes as long as his supplies permitted . The frigate left Madeira on 22 October 1812 , but only a few days later , on the morning of 25 October , encountered the , commanded by his former dinner host Decatur . The United States had just declared war on the United Kingdom , and both captains were eager to achieve personal glory in a fight . Unfortunately for " Macedonian " , the " United States " was one of the new 44 - gun frigates , and her broadside was 864 pounds of metal , vs " Macedonian ' s " 528 pounds . The USS " United States " hove round , turning downwind and making HMS " Macedonian " chase her . Within a few minutes of closing , fire from the " United States ' s " 24 - pounder cannons brought down all three of " Macedonian ' s " masts , and riddled the hull . The " United States " then pulled away temporarily , leaving Carden and Hope time to contemplate their lack of options . Finally , with the " United States " preparing to rake the British vessel again , Carden struck his colors , making the " Macedonian " the second Royal Navy vessel to surrender to the Americans during the war . As USS " Macedonian " . Decatur was careful to preserve " Macedonian " , sending over a detail to help repair it . This took a full two weeks . Decatur then brought the captured ship into Newport , Rhode Island as a prize on 4 December 1812 , causing an immediate national sensation . The USS " Constitution " had previously beaten HMS " Guerriere " , but the " Guerriere " had been too badly damaged to save . The " Macedonian " was a sizable and welcome addition to the then tiny US Navy . The United States took " Macedonian " into the United States Navy immediately , retaining the name as " Macedonian " under the command of Captain Jacob Jones . Early in May after receiving needed repairs " Macedonian " , along with " United States " and sloop hoped to make their way to sea from the anchorage of Staten Island by way of Sandy Hook but were because of the British Blockade , two ships of the line and three frigates guarding that passage Decatur , determined , took his squadron and crossing New York harbor made his way up the East River by way of Hell Gate , New York , 24 May 1813 . While sailing along Long Island Sound on the night of the 24th the flagship " United States " was struck by lightning , causing damage to the main mast , which came crashing down and causing serious damage to the vessel . " Macedonian " , being close by , immediately distanced herself from the periled " United States " . After hasty repairs the fleet continued on their way eastward along the Sound . Because of unfavorable winds and a passage not favorable to heavy vessels , the fleet finally reached Montauk Point , the easternmost point of Long Island . The open sea was now before them but the British had blockading vessels there lying in wait . Outmatched , the fleet had no alternative but to turn back , making their way to the Thames River ( Connecticut ) , where " Macedonian " and the rest of the fleet remained until the end of the war . On 20 May 1815 she departed for the Mediterranean to join Commodore Decatur ' s 10 - ship squadron in the Second Barbary War in Algeria , a renewal of naval action against the Barbary powers , to stop harassment of American shipping . On 17 June the frigate assisted in the capture of the Algerian flagship , the frigate " Mashuda " , by frigates and , the sloops - of - war and . The signing of a treaty with Tunis and Tripoli on 7 August , following that with Algeria in June , won maritime freedom in the Mediterranean . The next three years " Macedonian " patrolled there and off the East Coast . From January 1819 to March 1821 the frigate operated off the Pacific coast of South America , giving aid and protection to the commercial ships in the area during the disorders following the Latin colonial revolts , before returning to Boston in June 1821 . During this period she worked as a banking ship , doing business with privateer s of every kind . Captain Downes often kept his midshipmen and other trusted aids busy counting specie . Many deposits were made , with many single deposits of over 100 , 000 . The men complained bitterly about their treatment , writing of how they were forced to eat mealy grain while counting hundreds of thousands of dollars in specie . Many of the men felt that Captain Downes was doing this for the " good of the Captain " and wondered when they would be used for the purpose they joined the Navy for rather than for the Captain ' s personal enrichment . She next cruised in the West Indies where she helped suppress piracy , into 1826 . On 11 June 1826 " Macedonian " departed Norfolk for service on the Pacific station , returning to Hampton Roads , 30 October 1828 . She was decommissioned in 1828 and was broken up at the Norfolk Navy Yard . The crew for this final voyage included William Henry Leonard Poe , brother of American writer Edgar Allan Poe .