When USS Essex engaged HMS Alert in the Atlantic on
August 13, 1812, she won the distinction of being
the first Yankee warship to capture a ship of the
Royal Navy.
Porter kept his gunports closed making Laugharne
believe that Essex was a merchantman. This gave
confidence to Laugharne in maneuvering his ship
within pistol shot range of Essex, which in turn ran
out her carronades and devastated Alert. In keeping
with the chivalrous practice of the times, Porter
then allowed Laugharne to sail his ship to
Newfoundland so he could disembark his crew, after
which he was honor-bound to surrender the Alert to
American authorities in New York.
During her first eight
weeks at sea before that battle, USS Essex had taken
nine British commercial ships.
In a stunning feat of naval daring, Captain David
Porter proceeded to carried off an extended cruise,
far from American waters, repairing and provisioning
both his own ship and those he had taken as prizes.
During 17 months at sea he went on to sweep the vast
reaches of the Pacific of British merchantmen,
whalers, and warships, taking 16 vessels in all.
A
British fleet was finally dispatched to pursue the
Essex. In
January 1814, Essex sailed into neutral waters at
Valparaíso,
Chile,
only to be trapped
there for six weeks by the British frigate HMS
Phoebe (36 guns) and the sloop-of-war HMS Cherub (18
guns.) On 28 March 1814, Porter determined to gain
the open sea, fearing the arrival of British
reinforcements. Upon rounding the point, Essex lost
her main top-mast to foul weather,
putting her at a serious disadvantage in the gun
battle. For
2+1⁄2 hours, Phoebe and Cherub bombarded Essex from
long range. Eventually, the hopeless situation
forced Porter to surrender. Her crew fought valiantly. Of
255 men, 58 were killed and 65 wounded. She was
captured in 1814 and then served as HMS Essex until
sold at public auction on 6 June 1837. She was first
launched on 30 September 1799.
President Madison paid tribute to the USS Essex with
his words "her loss is hidden in the blaze of
heroism."
USS Essex model features:
- Copper-plated bottom:
hundreds of
individual copper pieces installed by hand
- Authentic
rigging system comprised of many different sizes of
rope
- Sails: not bright white, not
rigid
plastic,
no dark rims.
28" long x 25" tall
$3,790 Crating, shipping, and insurance
in the contiguous US included (about $300 value.) Other places: $400 flat
rate.
37" long x 29" tall x
11' wide $5,430 Crating,
shipping,
and insurance in the contiguous US included (about $500
value.) Other
places: $700 flat rate.
Model is built per commission only. We require only
a small deposit to start the process.
Click here for
lead time.
Illuminate this model in a
special occasion, dimly lit room:
$300 Powered by a
standard 9v battery placed under the base for your
convenience. This option is only available on the larger
model.
Click to check out our beautiful
USS Constitution
model, USS United
States model, USS
Constellation model, and the rare
TNS Austin model.
