USS Comet (1810)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Comet |
| Namesake | Previous name retained |
| Completed | 1810 |
| Acquired | 1812 |
| Commissioned | 10 July 1812 |
| Out of service | Sold at Charleston the 12 May 1814 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Schooner |
| Tonnage | 187 |
| Length | 90 ft 6 in (27.58 m) keel =68 ft 0 in (20.73 m) |
| Beam | 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m) |
| Depth of hold | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) |
| Sail plan | Schooner-rigged |
| Complement | 120 |
| Armament | 2 x 9-pounder guns + 10 x 12-pounder carronades in 1810 2 x 9-pounder guns + 12 x 12-pounder carronades in 1812 |
The first USS Comet was a United States Navy schooner in commission as a privateer from 1812 to 1813. Comet was built in 1810 at Baltimore, Maryland, and sold at Charleston, South Carolina in May 1814.
Career
She was commissioned on 10 July 1812 for service in the War of 1812 as a privateer with Thomas Boyle as her commanding officer. She conducted a cruise in the Caribbean Sea and South Atlantic Ocean between 25 July 1812 and 14 February 1813, after which she was blockaded in the Chesapeake Bay.
Between April and September 1813, Comet was loaned to the U.S. Navy for reconnaissance in the Chesapeake Bay area, with Boyle remaining in command as a sailing Master. She again put to sea on 29 October 1813, returning to Beaufort, North Carolina. On 12 May 1814 she was sold at Charleston to New York owners.[1]
Comet took 35 prizes as a privateer. The list is:[1]
- Adelphi, ship, retaken
- Alexis, brig, retaken
- Bowes, brig, retaken
- Dominica Packet, brig, retaken
- Endeavor, sloop, destroyed (Cmp)
- Enterprise, brig, ransomed
- Enterprise, schooner, sunk
- General Spooner, sloop, retaken
- General Wale, sloop, retaken
- Hannah, brig, ransomed
- Henry, ship, Baltimore
- Hopewell, ship, Baltimore
- Industry, schooner, sent in (US)
- Industry, ship, Wilmington
- Industry, sloop, burnt
- Jackman, schooner, cartel
- Jane, schooner, retaken
- John, ship, Baltimore
- Little Cherub, sloop, given up
- Mary, sloop, foundered
- Messenger, schooner, Wilmington
- St. John, schooner, ransomed
- Venus, schooner, sent in
- Vigilant, schooner tender, Wilmington
- vessel, Puerto Rico
- 9 vessels, burnt
References
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.- Cranwell, John Phillips, and William Bowers Crane (1940) Men of Marque: A History of Private Armed Vessels Out of Baltimore During the War of 1812. (W.W. Norton).
- https://books.google.com/books?id=nLgA6pC_-uwC&pg=PA28
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