celebra tion, as the citizens rejoiced at another William H White is a maritime historian and Trustees for the National Maritime H istorof the ve ry few American victories in the award-winning author who specializes in the ical Society, the USS Constitution Museum, yo ung conHicr. 7 history ofthe US Navy during the Age ofSail. and the Lynx Educational Foundation . For As a m atter of interest, now-U SS H e serves as chair ofthe NMHS Committee more about the author and his other books, M acedonian, repaired and res tored as a for the Commemoration and Bicentennial visit: www.seafiction.net. unit of the American Navy, did not fight of the War of 1812 and the Star Spangled again in the War of 18 12, blockaded as she Banner, and he is the author ofthe upcoming Note: Artist Patrick O 'Brien's paintings of was in New London with the United States NMH S book, " .•• our flag was still there," the sea battles from the War of 1812, as seen and USS H ornet. Her second career wo uld The Sea History Press Guide to the War on page 12, are available fo r purchase and begin in 18 15 in the Mediterranean the- of 1812-Its History and Bicentennial commission. (Patrick O 'Brien Studio, 600 ater and it concluded in 1875 after having Commemorations, available in D ecember Gladstone Avenue, Baltimore, M D 2 12 10; served as station ship in Japan , in African 2 011. Mr. White serves on the Board of www.patrickobrienstudio.com. waters working to suppress piracy and rhe slave trade, and finally as a "practice ship" Step hen D ecatur's daring and successful raids in the Barbary wars had already made him a for the U nited States N aval Academy in national hero before the war of 1812 even began. When his crew returned to Newport, RI, Annapolis. with a heavily damaged British frigate taken as a prize, they were treated to a hero's welcome In 1875, she was sold out of the navy and Decatur's name became synonymous with excellence in naval warfare and leadership. due to the government's inabili ty to fund a necessary refit, even though she was recognized as a relic of the "golden age of heroes." The New York firm of Wiggins and Robinso n purch ased the famous wa rship for $ 14,07 1. No records exist that document her next twenty-five years, bur she does show up later, converted to a hotel on C ity Island, New York. While the structure was not the ship itself, the construction of rhe hotel did use her very desirable live oak timbers after other parts of her structure had been cannibalized fo r m any other vessels. The M acedo nian Hotel , later renamed rhe City Island Casino, burned to the ground in June of 1922, thus ending the remarkable careerof a legend from the Age of Fighting Sail. -!, NOTES 1 Seeking to recapture British deserters said to have shipped on the American fri gate, Leopard fired three broadsides into Chesapeake, killing four and wo unding twenty. Commodore Jam es Barron tried to surrender his ship but was refused. Ir was clearly an act of war by a non-belligerent. 2 A league is three nautical miles, so the ship was some twelve nautical miles distant. 3 Carden's memoirs 4 D ecatur's report to the secretary of the navy 5Carden's memoirs 6 Carden's memoirs 7This was the fi rst ofonly two rimes in history that the US Navy brought an enemy warship in to an American port as a prize; the second was in Wo rld War II when rhey brought in a Ge rman U -boat, now on display at the Chicago M useum of Science.
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SEA HISTORY 135, SUMMER 2011