USS Hornet (1805 brig)

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Artist's depiction of Hornet's foundering
Career
Name:	USS Hornet
Launched:	28 July 1805
Commissioned:	18 October 1805
Fate:	Sunk in storm, 29 September 1829
General characteristics
Type:	Sloop-of-war
Displacement:	440 long tons (447 t)
Length:	106 ft 9 in (32.54 m)
Beam:	31 ft 5 in (9.58 m)
Draft:	14 ft (4.3 m)
Propulsion:	Sail
Armament:	• 18 × 32-pounder carronades • 2 × 12-pounder long guns

The third USS Hornet was a brig-rigged sloop-of-war in the United States Navy. Later, however, she was re-rigged as a ship.

Hornet was launched on 28 July 1805 in Baltimore and commissioned on 18 October. She fought in the War of 1812 under command of James Lawrence, who later (while commanding Chesapeake) gave the United States Navy their famous motto "Don't give up the ship."

She captured the privateer Dolphin on 9 July 1812 although the ship was recaptured again shortly afterwards. Hornet assisted in the blockade of HMS Bonne Citoyenne in the harbor at Salvador, Brazil and sank HMS Peacock on 24 February 1813. On 23 March 1815 Hornet captured HMS Penguin in a short battle off Tristan da Cunha. This was one of several naval engagements which took place after the war had ended. A month later, on 27 April, she engaged HMS Cornwallis having mistakenly identified her as a cargo vessel. She managed to escape by throwing overboard boats, guns and other equipment so to enable higher speed.

Following the war, she took part in anti-piracy patrols in the Caribbean. Hornet sank in a storm off Tampico, Mexico on 29 September 1829 with the loss of all on board.

[edit] References

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.