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USS Insurgent (1799)
Encyclopedia
The Insurgente was a 32-gun Sémillante class frigate
of the French Navy
. She was captured during the Quasi-War
and then purchased by the United States Navy
as USS Insurgent.
Insurgent was captured by , Captain Thomas Truxtun
in command, after a chase and battle of an hour and a quarter
off the island of Nevis
in the West Indies 9 February 1799. Considered a prize in the Quasi-War with France, the frigate was refitted for service in the West Indies and cruised under Lt. John Rodgers
in company with Constellation until May 1799.
Ordered back to the United States, Insurgent was purchased by the Navy for $84,500. Commissioned with Captain Alexander Murray
in command, Insurgent sailed from Hampton Roads
for Europe 14 August 1799. Cruising in European waters during the winter of 1799-1800, the frigate captured French ship Vendémiaire and recaptured the American ships Margaret, Angora, Commerce, and William and Mary. Insurgent returned to the United States in March 1800 via the West Indies.
Patrick Fletcher assumed command of Insurgent 29 April 1800 and was ordered to cruise between the West Indies and the American coast to see that United States shipping rights were observed and to capture any enemy vessels he encountered. Insurgent departed Baltimore 22 July and after a brief stop at Hampton Roads sailed for her station 8 August 1800. Never heard from again, the frigate and her crew were presumed lost as a result of the severe storm which struck the West Indies 20 September 1800.
Sémillante class frigate
The Sémillante class was a type of12-pounder 32-gun frigate of the French Navy, designed by Pierre-Joseph Pénétreau.* Sémillante...
of the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
. She was captured during the Quasi-War
Quasi-War
The Quasi-War was an undeclared war fought mostly at sea between the United States and French Republic from 1798 to 1800. In the United States, the conflict was sometimes also referred to as the Franco-American War, the Pirate Wars, or the Half-War.-Background:The Kingdom of France had been a...
and then purchased by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
as USS Insurgent.
Insurgent was captured by , Captain Thomas Truxtun
Thomas Truxtun
Thomas Truxtun was an American naval officer who rose to the rank of commodore.Born near Hempstead, New York on Long Island, Truxtun had little formal education before joining the crew of the British merchant ship Pitt at the age of twelve...
in command, after a chase and battle of an hour and a quarter
Action of 9 February 1799
The USS Constellation vs L'Insurgente, or the Action of 9 February 1799, was the first United States naval victory against a foreign naval vessel...
off the island of Nevis
Nevis
Nevis is an island in the Caribbean Sea, located near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 350 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico and 80 km west of Antigua. The 93 km² island is part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies...
in the West Indies 9 February 1799. Considered a prize in the Quasi-War with France, the frigate was refitted for service in the West Indies and cruised under Lt. John Rodgers
John Rodgers (naval officer, War of 1812)
John Rodgers was a senior naval officer in the United States Navy who served under six Presidents for nearly four decades during its formative years in the 1790s through the late 1830s, committing the greater bulk of his adult life to his country...
in company with Constellation until May 1799.
Ordered back to the United States, Insurgent was purchased by the Navy for $84,500. Commissioned with Captain Alexander Murray
Alexander Murray (1755-1821)
Commodore Alexander Murray was a naval officer during the American Revolution, the Quasi War with France and the first Barbary war in North Africa. Murray Commanded his first ship at the age of 18...
in command, Insurgent sailed from Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
for Europe 14 August 1799. Cruising in European waters during the winter of 1799-1800, the frigate captured French ship Vendémiaire and recaptured the American ships Margaret, Angora, Commerce, and William and Mary. Insurgent returned to the United States in March 1800 via the West Indies.
Patrick Fletcher assumed command of Insurgent 29 April 1800 and was ordered to cruise between the West Indies and the American coast to see that United States shipping rights were observed and to capture any enemy vessels he encountered. Insurgent departed Baltimore 22 July and after a brief stop at Hampton Roads sailed for her station 8 August 1800. Never heard from again, the frigate and her crew were presumed lost as a result of the severe storm which struck the West Indies 20 September 1800.