USS Chesapeake ( 1799 ) Chesapeake was a 38 - gun wooden - hulled , three - masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy . She was one of the original six frigates whose construction was authorized by the Naval Act of 1794 . Joshua Humphreys designed these frigates to be the young navy ' s capital ship s . " Chesapeake " was originally designed as a 44 - gun frigate but construction delays , material shortages , and budget problems caused builder Josiah Fox to alter her design to 38 guns . Launched at the Gosport Navy Yard on 2 December 1799 , " Chesapeake " began her career during the Quasi - War with France and saw service in the First Barbary War . On 22 June 1807 she was fired upon by of the Royal Navy for refusing to comply with a search for deserters . The event , now known as the " Chesapeake – Leopard " Affair , angered the American populace and government and was a precipitating factor that led to the War of 1812 . As a result of the affair , " Chesapeake " s commanding officer , James Barron , was court - martial ed and the United States instituted the Embargo Act of 1807 against Great Britain . Early in the War of 1812 she made one patrol and captured five British merchant ships before returning . She was captured by shortly after sailing from Boston , Massachusetts , on 1 June 1813 . The Royal Navy took her into their service as HMS " Chesapeake " , where she served until she was broken up and her timbers sold in 1820 ; they are now part of the Chesapeake Mill in Wickham , England . Design and construction . American merchant vessels began to fall prey to Barbary Pirates , most notably from Algiers , in the Mediterranean during the 1790s . Congress responded with the Naval Act of 1794 . The Act provided funds for the construction of six frigates , and directed that the construction would continue unless and until the United States agreed to peace terms with Algiers . Joshua Humphreys ' design was long on keel and narrow of beam ( width ) to allow for the mounting of very heavy guns . The design incorporated a diagonal scantling ( rib ) scheme to limit hogging ( warping ) and included extremely heavy planking . This gave the hull greater strength than those of more lightly built frigates . Since the fledgling United States could not match the numbers of ships of the European states , Humphreys designed his frigates to be able to overpower other frigates , but with the speed to escape from a ship of the line . Originally designated as " Frigate D " , the ship remained unnamed for several years . Her keel was laid down in December 1795 at the Gosport Navy Yard in Norfolk , Virginia , where Josiah Fox had been appointed her naval constructor and Richard Dale as superintendent of construction . In March 1796 a peace accord was announced between the United States and Algiers and construction was suspended in accordance with the Naval Act of 1794 . The keel remained on blocks in the navy yard for two years . The onset of the Quasi - War with France in 1798 prompted Congress to authorize completion of " Frigate D " , and they approved resumption of the work on 16 July . When Fox returned to Norfolk he discovered a shortage of timber caused by its diversion from Norfolk to Baltimore in order to finish . He corresponded with Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Stoddert , who indicated a desire to expedite construction of the ship and reduce the overall cost . Fox , always an opponent of Humphreys ' s large design , submitted new plans to Stoddert which called for utilizing the existing keel but reducing the overall dimensions substantially in length and partially of beam . Fox ' s plans essentially proposed an entirely different design than originally planned by Humphreys . Secretary Stoddert approved the new design plans . When construction finished , she had the smallest dimensions of the six frigates . A length of between perpendiculars and of beam contrasted with her closest sisters , and " Constellation " , which were built to in length and of beam . The final cost of her construction was $ 220 , 677 — the second - least expensive frigate of the six . The least expensive was " Congress " at $ 197 , 246 . During construction , a sloop named " Chesapeake " was launched on 20 June 1799 but was renamed between 10 October and 14 November , apparently to free up the name " Chesapeake " for " Frigate D " . In communications between Fox and Stoddert , Fox repeatedly referred to her as " Congress " , further confusing matters , until he was informed by Stoddert the ship was to be named " Chesapeake " , after Chesapeake Bay . She was the only one of the six frigates not named by President George Washington , nor after a principle of the United States Constitution . Armament . " Chesapeake " s nominal rating is stated as either 36 or 38 guns . Originally designated as a 44 - gun ship , her redesign by Fox led to a rerating , apparently based on her smaller dimensions when compared to " Congress " and " Constellation " . Joshua Humphreys may have rerated " Chesapeake " to 38 guns , or Secretary Stoddert rerated " Congress " and " Constellation " to 38 guns because they were larger than " Chesapeake " , which was rated to 36 guns . The most recent information on her rating is from the " Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships " , which states she was rerated " from 44 guns to 36 , eventually increased to 38 " . Her gun rating remained a matter of confusion throughout her career ; Fox used a 44 - gun rating in his correspondence with Secretary Stoddert . In preparing for the War of 1812 Secretary of the Navy Paul Hamilton directed Captain Samuel Evans to recruit the number of crewmen required for a 44 - gun ship . Hamilton was corrected by William Bainbridge in a letter stating , " There is a mistake in the crew ordered for the " Chesapeake " , as it equals in number the crews of our 44 - gun frigates , whereas the " Chesapeake " is of the class of the " Congress " and " Constellation " . " Lastly , when sold for scrap by the Royal Navy in 1819 , she was rated as a 48 - gun ship . Gun ratings did not correspond to the actual number of guns a ship would carry . " Chesapeake " was noted as carrying 40 guns during her encounter with and 50 guns during her engagement with in 1813 . The 50 guns consisted of twenty - eight 18 - pounder ( 8 kg ) long guns on the gun deck , fourteen on each side . This main battery was complemented by two long 12 - pounders ( 5 . 5 kg ) , one long 18 - pounder , eighteen 32 - pounder ( 14 . 5 kg ) carronade s , and one 12 - pound carronade on the spar deck . Her broadside weight was . The ships of this era had no permanent battery of guns ; guns were completely portable and were often exchanged between ships as situations warranted . Each commanding officer modified his vessel ' s armaments to his liking while taking into consideration factors such as the overall tonnage of cargo , complement of personnel aboard , and planned routes to be sailed . Consequently , a vessel ' s armament would change often during its career ; records of the changes were not generally kept . Quasi - War . " Chesapeake " was launched on 2 December 1799 during the undeclared Quasi - War ( 1798 – 1800 ) , which arose after the French navy seized American merchant ships . Her fitting - out continued through May 1800 . In March Josiah Fox was reprimanded by Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Stoddert for continuing to work on " Chesapeake " while " Congress " , still awaiting completion , was fully manned with a crew drawing pay . Stoddert appointed Thomas Truxton to ensure that his directives concerning " Congress " were carried out . " Chesapeake " first put to sea on 22 May commanded by Captain Samuel Barron and marked her departure from Norfolk with a 13 - gun salute . Her first assignment was to carry currency from Charleston , South Carolina , to Philadelphia . On 6 June she joined a squadron patrolling off the southern coast of the United States and in the West Indies escorting American merchant ships . Capturing the 16 - gun French privateer " La Jeune Creole " on 1 January 1801 after a chase lasting 50 hours , she returned to Norfolk with her prize on 15 January . " Chesapeake " returned briefly to the West Indies in February , soon after a peace treaty was ratified with France . She returned to Norfolk and decommissioned on 26 February , subsequently being placed in reserve . First Barbary War . During the Quasi - War , the United States had paid tribute to the Barbary States to ensure that they would not seize or harass American merchant ships . In 1801 Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli , dissatisfied with the amount of tribute in comparison to that paid to Algiers , demanded an immediate payment of $ 250 , 000 . Thomas Jefferson responded by sending a squadron of warships to protect American merchant ships in the Mediterranean and to pursue peace negotiations with the Barbary States . The first squadron was under the command of Richard Dale in " President " and the second was assigned to the command of Richard Valentine Morris in " Chesapeake " . Morris ' s squadron eventually consisted of the vessels " Constellation " , , , , and . It took several months to prepare the vessels for sea ; they departed individually as they became ready . " Chesapeake " departed from Hampton Roads on 27 April 1802 and arrived at Gibraltar on 25 May ; she immediately put in for repairs , as her main mast had split during the voyage . Morris remained at Gibraltar while awaiting word on the location of his squadron , as several ships had not reported in . On 22 July " Adams " arrived with belated orders for Morris , dated 20 April . Those orders were to " lay the whole squadron before Tripoli " and negotiate peace . " Chesapeake " and " Enterprise " departed Gibraltar on 17 August bound for Leghorn , while providing protection for a convoy of merchant ships that were bound for intermediate ports . Morris made several stops in various ports before finally arriving at Leghorn on 12 October , after which he sailed to Malta . " Chesapeake " undertook repairs of a rotted bowsprit . " Chesapeake " was still in port when " John Adams " arrived on 5 January 1803 with orders dated 23 October 1802 from Secretary of the Navy Robert Smith . These directed " Chesapeake " and " Constellation " to return to the United States ; Morris was to transfer his command to " New York " . " Constellation " sailed directly as ordered , but Morris retained " Chesapeake " at Malta , claiming that she was not in any condition to make an Atlantic voyage during the winter months . Morris now had the ships " New York " , " John Adams " , and " Enterprise " gathered under him , while " Adams " was at Gibraltar . On 30 January " Chesapeake " and the squadron got underway for Tripoli , where Morris planned to burn Tripolitan ships in the harbor . Heavy gales made the approach to Tripoli difficult . Fearing " Chesapeake " would lose her masts from the strong winds , Morris returned to Malta on 10 February . With provisions for the ships running low and none available near Malta , Morris decided to abandon plans to blockade Tripoli and sailed the squadron back to Gibraltar for provisioning . They made stops at Tunis on 22 February and Algiers on 19 March . " Chesapeake " arrived at Gibraltar on 23 March , where Morris transferred his command to " New York " . Under James Barron , " Chesapeake " sailed for the United States on 7 April and she was placed in reserve at the Washington Navy Yard on 1 June . Morris remained in the Mediterranean until September , when orders from Secretary Smith arrived suspending his command and instructing him to return to the United States . There he faced a Naval Board of Inquiry which found that he was censurable for " inactive and dilatory conduct of the squadron under his command " . He was dismissed from the navy in 1804 . Morris ' s overall performance in the Mediterranean was particularly criticized for the state of affairs aboard " Chesapeake " and his inactions as a commander . His wife , young son , and housekeeper accompanied him on the voyage , during which Mrs . Morris gave birth to another son . Midshipman Henry Wadsworth wrote that he and the other midshipman referred to Mrs . Morris as the " Commodoress " and believed she was the main reason behind " Chesapeake " remaining in port for months at a time . Consul William Eaton reported to Secretary Smith that Morris and his squadron spent more time in port sightseeing and doing little but " dance and wench " than blockading Tripoli . " Chesapeake – Leopard " Affair . In January 1807 Master Commandant Charles Gordon was appointed " Chesapeake " s commanding officer ( Captain ) . He was ordered to prepare her for patrol and convoy duty in the Mediterranean to relieve her sister ship , which had been on duty there since 1803 . James Barron was appointed overall commander of the squadron as its Commodore . " Chesapeake " was in much disarray from her multi - year period of inactivity and many months were required for repairs , provisioning , and recruitment of personnel . Lieutenant Arthur Sinclair was tasked with the recruiting . Among those chosen were three sailors who had deserted from . The British ambassador to the United States requested the return of the sailors . Barron found that , although they were indeed from " Melampus " , they had been impressed into Royal Navy service from the beginning . He therefore refused to release them back to " Melampus " and nothing further was communicated on the subject . In early June " Chesapeake " departed the Washington Navy Yard for Norfolk , Virginia , where she completed provisioning and loading armaments . Captain Gordon informed Barron on the 19th that " Chesapeake " was ready for sea and they departed on 22 June armed with 40 guns . At the same time , a British squadron consisting of HMS " Melampus " , , and ( a 50 - gun fourth - rate ) were lying off the port of Norfolk blockading two French ships there . As " Chesapeake " departed , the squadron ships began signaling each other and " Leopard " got under way preceding " Chesapeake " to sea . After sailing for some hours , " Leopard " , commanded by Captain Salusbury Pryce Humphreys , approached " Chesapeake " and hailed a request to deliver dispatches to England , a customary request of the time . When a British lieutenant arrived by boat he handed Barron an order , given by Vice - Admiral George Berkeley of the Royal Navy , which instructed the British ships to stop and board " Chesapeake " to search for deserters . Barron refused to allow this search , and as the lieutenant returned to " Leopard " Barron ordered the crew to general quarters . Shortly afterward " Leopard " hailed " Chesapeake " ; Barron could not understand the message . " Leopard " fired a shot across the bow , followed by a broadside , at " Chesapeake " . For fifteen minutes , while " Chesapeake " attempted to arm herself , " Leopard " continued to fire broadside after broadside until Barron struck his colors . " Chesapeake " only managed to fire one retaliatory shot after hot coals from the galley were brought on deck to ignite the cannon . The British boarded " Chesapeake " and carried off four crewmen , declining Barron ' s offer that " Chesapeake " be taken as a prize of war . " Chesapeake " had three sailors killed and Barron was among the 18 wounded . Word of the incident spread quickly upon " Chesapeake " s return to Norfolk , where the British squadron that included " Leopard " was provisioning . Mobs of angry citizens destroyed two hundred water casks destined for the squadron and nearly killed a British lieutenant before local authorities intervened . President Jefferson recalled all US warships from the Mediterranean and issued a proclamation : all British warships were banned from entering US ports and those already in port were to depart . The incident eventually led to the Embargo Act of 1807 . " Chesapeake " was completely unprepared to defend herself during the incident . None of her guns were primed for operation and the spar deck was filled with materials that were not properly stowed in the cargo hold . A court - martial was convened for Barron and Captain Gordon , as well as Lieutenant Hall of the Marines . Barron was found guilty of " neglecting on the probability of an engagement to clear his Ship for action " and suspended from the navy for five years . Gordon and Hall were privately reprimanded , and the ship ' s gunner was discharged from the navy . War of 1812 . After the heavy damage inflicted by " Leopard " , " Chesapeake " returned to Norfolk for repairs . Under the command of Stephen Decatur , she made patrols off the New England coast enforcing the laws of the Embargo Act throughout 1809 . The " Chesapeake – Leopard " Affair , and later the " Little Belt " Affair , contributed to the United States ' decision to declare war on Britain on 18 June 1812 . " Chesapeake " , under the command of Captain Samuel Evans , was prepared for duty in the Atlantic . Beginning on 13 December , she ranged from Madeira and traveled clockwise to the Cape Verde Islands and South America , and then back to Boston . She captured six ships as prizes : the British ships " Volunteer " , " Liverpool Hero " , " Earl Percy " , and " Ellen " ; the brig " Julia " , an American ship trading under a British license ; and " Valeria " , an American ship recaptured from British privateers . During the cruise she was chased by an unknown British ship - of - the - line and frigate but , after a passing storm squall , the two pursuing ships were gone the next morning . The cargo of " Volunteer " , 40 tons of pig iron and copper , were sold for $ 185 , 000 . " Earl Percy " never made it back to port as she ran aground off the coast of Long Island , and " Liverpool Hero " was burned as she was considered leaky . " Chesapeake " s total monetary damage to British shipping was $ 235 , 675 . She returned to Boston on 9 April 1813 for refitting . Captain Evans , now in poor health , requested relief of command . Captain James Lawrence , late of the and her victory over , took command of " Chesapeake " on 20 May . Affairs of the ship were in poor condition . The term of enlistment for many of the crew had expired and they were daily leaving the ship . Those who remained were disgruntled and approaching mutiny , as the prize money they were owed from her previous cruise was held up in court . Lawrence paid out the prize money from his own pocket in order to appease them . Some sailors from " Constitution " joined " Chesapeake " and they filled the crew along with sailors of several nations . Meanwhile Captain Philip Broke and HMS " Shannon " , a 38 - gun frigate , were patrolling off the port of Boston on blockade duty . " Shannon " had been under the command of Broke since 1806 and , under his direction , the crew held daily gun and weapon drills lasting up to three hours . Crew members who hit their bullseye were awarded a pound ( 454 g ) of tobacco for their good marksmanship . In this regard " Chesapeake " , with her new and inexperienced crew , was greatly inferior . " Chesapeake " vs " Shannon " . Lawrence , advised that " Shannon " had moved in closer to Boston , began preparations to sail on the evening of 31 May . The next morning Broke wrote a challenge to Lawrence and dispatched it to " Chesapeake " ; it did not arrive before Lawrence set out to meet " Shannon " on his own accord . Leaving port with a broad white flag bearing the motto " Free Trade and Sailors ' Rights " , " Chesapeake " met with " Shannon " near 5 pm that afternoon . During six minutes of firing , each ship managed two full broadsides . " Chesapeake " s first broadside was fired while the ship was heeling , causing most hits on " Shannon " to strike the water or waterline causing little damage to " Shannon " although carronade fire caused serious damage to " Shannon " s rigging . A second round of fire was more effective , landing hits on " Shannon " ' s 12 pounder shot locker . " Chesapeake " ' s 32 lb carronades punished " Shannon " s forecastle , killing three men , wounding others and disabling " Shannon " ' s nine pounder bow gun . However " Chesapeake " suffered far more heavily in the exchange as accurate British fire caused heavy losses among American gun crews and crippling losses to the men and officers on " Chesapeake " s quarterdeck . A succession of helmsmen were killed and her wheel itself was destroyed . At the same time , her foretopsail halyard was shot away causing the ship to lose maneuverability . Unable to maneuver , " Chesapeake " " luffed up " and her port stern quarter caught against the side of the " Shannon " amidships and the two ships were lashed together . Confusion and disarray reigned on the deck of " Chesapeake " ; Captain Lawrence tried rallying a party to board " Shannon " , but the bugler failed to sound the call . At this point a shot from a sniper mortally wounded Lawrence ; as his men carried him below , he gave his last order : " Don ' t give up the ship . Fight her till she sinks . " Captain Broke boarded " Chesapeake " at the head of a party of 20 men . They met little resistance from " Chesapeake " s crew , most of whom had run below deck . The only resistance from " Chesapeake " came from her contingent of marines . The British soon overwhelmed them ; only nine escaped injury out of 44 . Captain Broke was severely injured in the fighting on the forecastle , being struck in the head with a sword . Soon after , " Shannon " s crew pulled down " Chesapeake " s flag . Only 15 minutes had elapsed from the first exchange of gunfire to the capture . Reports on the number of killed and wounded aboard " Chesapeake " during the battle vary widely . Broke ' s after - action report from 6 July states 70 killed and 100 wounded . Contemporary sources place the number between 48 – 61 killed and 85 – 99 wounded . Discrepancies in the number of killed and wounded are possibly caused by the addition of sailors who died of their wounds in the ensuing days after the battle . The counts for " Shannon " have fewer discrepancies with 23 killed ; 56 wounded . Despite his serious injuries , Broke ordered repairs to both ships and they proceeded on to Halifax , Nova Scotia . Captain Lawrence died en route and was buried in Halifax with military honors . The British imprisoned his crew . Captain Broke survived his wounds and was later made a baronet . Royal Navy service and legacy . The Royal Navy repaired " Chesapeake " and took her into service as HMS " Chesapeake " . She served on the Halifax station under the command of Alexander Gordon through 1814 , and under the command of George Burdett she sailed to Plymouth , England , for repairs in October of that year . Afterward she made a voyage to Cape Town , South Africa , until learning of the peace treaty with the United States in May 1815 . Later that year a report was made concerning " Chesapeake " s performance in British service . Her captain observed that she was strongly constructed , but criticized the excessive overhang of the stern . He concluded that she was not a suitable ship to serve as a model for copying . Her speed under sail was not particularly impressive : close - hauled and large . In July 1819 the Commissioners of the Royal Navy put her up for sale at Plymouth . A Portsmouth timber merchant purchased her for £500 ; he dismantled the ship and sold her timbers to Joshua Holmes for £3 , 450 . Eventually her timbers became part of the Chesapeake Mill in Wickham , Hampshire , England , where one can still view them . Almost from her beginnings , " Chesapeake " was considered an " unlucky ship " , the " runt of the litter " to the superstitious sailors of the 19th century , and the product of a disagreement between Humphreys and Fox . Her ill - fated encounters with HMS " Leopard " and " Shannon " , the courts - martial of two of her captains , and the accidental deaths of several crewmen led many to believe she was cursed . Arguments defending both Humphreys and Fox regarding their long - standing disagreements over the design of the frigates carried on for years . Humphreys disowned any credit for Fox ' s redesign of " Chesapeake " . In 1827 he wrote , " She [ " Chesapeake " ] spoke his [ Fox ' s ] talents . Which I leave the Commanders of that ship to estimate by her qualifications . " Lawrence ' s last command of " Don ' t give up the ship ! " became a rallying cry for the US Navy . Oliver Hazard Perry , in command of naval forces on Lake Erie during September 1813 , named his flagship , which flew a broad blue flag bearing the words " give up the ship ! " The phrase is still used in the US Navy today . " Chesapeake " s blood - stained and bullet - ridden American flag was sold at auction in London in 1908 . Purchased by William Waldorf Astor , it now resides in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich , England , along with her signal book . The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax , Nova Scotia , holds several artifacts from the battle including the mess kettle , and an officers chest from " Chesapeake " . In 1996 a timber fragment from the Chesapeake Mill was returned to the United States . It is on display at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum .