HMS Endymion takes up the Chase, 15th January, 1815, by Geoff Hunt 2013
Commodore Hayes, commanding HMS’s frigates Endymion, Pomone and Tenedos, carrying his flag in the Majestic, was on blockade duty off New York in early January 1815, cruising close off Sandy Hook. Blown off station by a violent snow-storm on the 14th, he guessed that Commodore Decatur would seize this opportunity to get his USS President out to sea, and further correctly guessed Decatur's likely course.
Consequently, at daylight on the 15th, President 'appeared as if by rendezvous' but some five miles ahead of the British squadron. The chase was on. The day began with strong winds but these eased progressively until by afternoon there was so little wind that all ships were carrying every stitch of canvas.
Following crushing defeats in single-ship frigate actions earlier in the war, the Royal Navy had realised that its standard frigate classes were no match for American heavy frigates such as the President, which were in every respect some fifty percent larger, stronger and more heavily armed than British frigates. By 1815 the British had formulated responses to this threat, and Hayes' squadron was a perfect example. His flagship Majestic was a 'razee', a cut-down 74-gun battleship, and more than a match for the President if it could only catch it. Endymion (Capt. Hope) was the nearest British equivalent to President, a heavy frigate not far short of the American's size and weight of fire. And of course the squadron had two other frigates as well.
Most importantly on this day, Endymion had the speed to catch the American. As the strong winds - which favoured the heavy Majestic - eased, Endymion surged on ahead and, after a chase of seven hours, gradually began to overhaul President despite every resource Decatur employed to escape. The two ships were firing steadily at each other from 2pm onwards. Sunset was at 4.45pm; still they fought on at close range. Around 8 pm aboard Endymion it seemed that President had ceased fire and they even believed that the American had surrendered; but the American dismantling shot had destroyed Endymion's sails and she had no boats left to take the surrender, so she stood off to bend six new sails, which was done in the space of one hour, before resuming the chase. But by now the rest of the squadron had caught up, and at 11.40pm it was Tenedos that finally took the American flagship's surrender.
The Battle of Cape Gata 17 June 1815 by Patrick O’Brien
The battle off Cape Gate took place on June 17, 1815, and was the first battle of the Second Barbary War (1815-1816). The American squadron, under the command of Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., had orders to destroy Algerian vessels and bring the Dey of Algiers to terms for attacks on American shipping. The American squadron met and engaged the frigate Meshuda, commanded by Admiral Hamidou and the flagship of the Algerian Navy, off the coast of Cape Gate, Spain. The Algerian forces were outnumbered and tried to flee, but the American vessels quickly overtook them. The victory was secured with few American casualties: 4 killed and 10 wounded, compared to the 30 killed, numerous wounded, 406 prisoners of war, and one captured frigate from the Algerian Navy. This victory enabled the American commander to fulfill his orders to bring the Day to terms, and helped secure the eventual end of the war.
