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USSGanges

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For other ships with the same name, seeGanges (disambiguation).
History
U.S.
NameUSSGanges
Laid down1794
AcquiredBy purchase 3 May 1798
FateSold, 1801
General characteristics
Displacement504long tons(512 t)
Length116 ft 4 in (35.5 m)
Beam31 ft 4 in (9.6 m)
Draft15 ft 8 in (4.8 m)
PropulsionSail (3 masts)[1]
Complement220 officers and enlisted
Armament
  • 24 × 9-pounder guns
  • 2 × 6-pounder guns[1]

USSGangeswas aman-of-warin theUnited States Navyduring theQuasi-Warwith France.

She was originally a fast sailing merchantman, built inPhiladelphiain 1794 for theEast Indiestrade and named for theGanges,India's principal river, which flows into theBay of Bengal.Gangesregularly sailed toCalcuttaandCanton.Apparently she returned to civilian service after serving in the U.S. Navy between 1798 and 1801.

Service history

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She retained her merchant name when the U.S. Navy purchased her from the firm of Willing and Francis of Philadelphia on 3 May 1798. She cost $58,000 or $80,665, depending on the source. With hostilities with France imminent, the Navy hastily fitted her out, making her the first man-of-war to fit out and get to sea under the second organization of the Navy. In Navy service she is described as being of 504 tons, and carrying 24 guns and a crew of 220 men. Her first captain wasCaptainRichard Dale,who had returned in her from a voyage to China.[2]

1798

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Gangessailed from Philadelphia on 24 May 1798 under Richard Dale, whose orders directed him to "seize, take and bring into a port of the United States" French armed ships "committing depredations" within one marine league of the coast between the Capes ofVirginiaandLong Island.On 13 July, further orders authorized her to take any French armed ship wherever found, but she continued patrol betweenCape Henryand Long Island for the protection of the large seaport cities. On 30 July,Gangeswas directed to return to Philadelphia for refitting, but put intoNew York Cityinstead because of fever and plague at Philadelphia.

In mid-September 1798, CaptainThomas Tingeyrelieved Captain Dale and, on 7 December, his ship was ordered to theWindward Passagebetween Cuba and Hispaniola to join the squadron protecting the Jamaican trade. Cruising in these waters withGeneral PinkneyandSouth Carolina,she guarded American merchantmen from seizure by French naval vessels, privateers, and "all armed vessels acting without commission."

1799

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On 6 January 1799, off theIsland of Tortuga,Gangesfell in with the sloopCeres,off her course for no apparent reason and suspected of heading for illegal trade atCap Français.Tingey detained the captain ofCeres,questioned him, and reported to intelligence. The incident occasioned the following passage from Tingey's letter of concern toBenjamin Stoddert,theSecretary of the Navy:

There is one kind of business carried on here at present, which I conceive behoves us much to suppress. Many American vessels are said to have arrived here, with provisions, etc., in a day or two their papers are chang'd by a pretended sale, and they go off for French ports—in some instances, without shifting or discharging their cargoes—return here with French produce, assume their American papers, and clear from this for home. I shall endeavor to ascertain and identify some of the actors in this nefarious business and give you information.

On 21 February, officers of the 28-gun English frigateSurpriseboardedGangesoffCape Nichola Mole,Hispaniola,and demanded all Englishmen aboard. Tingey firmly replied:

A public ship carries no protection but her flag. I do not expect to succeed in a contest with you; but I will die at my quarters before a man shall be taken from the ship.

The crew gave three cheers, ran to quarters, and called for "Yankee Doodle".Surprisedeparted.

Having returned home for repairs in March,GangesconvoyedKingston,carrying AmericanConsul GeneralDr. Edward Stevens, to talk withToussaint LouvertureinHaiti.She then cruised theCaribbeanfromHavanatoPuerto Rico,St. Thomas,St. Kitts,St. Bartholomew's,Santo Domingo,Barbuda,and Jamaica.

On 21 April off Cape Isabella she seized the AmericansloopMary,of Norwich, for illegal trading. That same day she recaptured the American shipElizaof Charleston. The FrenchprivateerTelemaque,Captain Arnault, had captured her and she was sailing under a prize crew.Gangessent the two vessels together to Philadelphia.

On 16 June,Ganges,withNorfolk,captured the 8-gun French privateer sloopVainquere(formerly BritishHarlequin) 16-18Leaguesnorth north east of Saint Bartholomews after a 90-mile chase lasting more than eight hours and requiring the expenditure of some 40 cannon shot. The privateer's crew numbered some 85 men. The prize sailed to St. Christopher's,[3]thenNorfolkunderCaptain Pitcher.

Thehurricaneseason approached and it was thoughtGangesshould return to theUnited States,but Tingey proudly reported his ship could withstand the Caribbean storms:

No ship in the service... will be found better able to sustain this violence than theGanges—nor a crew that can, with more alacrity, bring a ship to a state of preparation to bear heavy weather.... Believe me Sir, that she has outsailed every ship and vessel of the United States.

On 2 July she put a prize crew on American brig "Young George" because of questionable provenance of ownership of the vessel and the cargo, and was sent into St. Bartolomew. The prize arrived at Newcastle in mid-September.[4]The prize arrived at Newcastle in mid-September.[5]

On 5 August,Gangescaptured the 6-gun Letter of MarqueschoonerLa Rabateuse[6]after a 12-hour chase in which the privateer threw overboard all her guns and endured 13 cannon shot before surrendering. She,USS Pickering,andUSS Merrimackrecaptured American merchant schooner John on 15 or 16 August, 1799, the privateer escaped.[7][8]Three days later, a small French "letter of marque"being chased by an English privateer surrendered to" Ganges "off St. Thomas.[9]In a letter dated 29 August it's stated that she captured a small French pilot boat earlier that mounted no guns, Capt. Tingey said he ransomed the boat back to her owner.[10]She later capturedL'Eugenewith 28 men and on 2 October recaptured the AmericanschoonerLaurel,which the French had renamedL'Esperance.She, withUSSEagle,captured a French Letter of Marque, probably early November.[11]

Gangesreturned to Philadelphia in the fall and CaptainJohn Mullownyrelieved Captain Tingey on 16 November at Philadelphia, Pa.[12]She dropped down to Glocester Point on 8 December.[13],she sailed out into Delaware Bay on 20 December[14]for the West Indies, again convoying American merchantmen until May 1800, when she returned to the States.

1800

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She arrived at Newcastle, Delaware on 3 May, and was ordered to Philadelphia.[15]On 25 May 1800, Captain Mullowny received orders to proceed to Havana, andGangesshortly departed Philadelphia for another eventful cruise. She cleared the Capes of the Delaware on 3 June escorting a convoy.[16]On 19 July, she captured the schoonerPrudentoff the coast of Cuba.[17]On the 20th recaptured AmericanbrigantineDispatch,captured 11 days earlier by a French barge;[18]and the 21st, the third successful day in a row, took schoonerPhoebe(120 slaves)[19]offMatanzas.[20]On 28 July,Gangescaptured French privateerLa Fortune et Louis.On 24 August departed from Havana.[21]In September, her crew ridden with fever, she returned to the United States.

ThePhoebeand thePrudentwere two illegal U.S. slave schooners.Gangesbrought them toFort MifflininPhiladelphiaas prizes. Mullowny chose Philadelphia because of the city's strong anti-slavery sentiments. The 135 Africans on board were detained at theLazarettofor 31 days while their legal status was established. During their stay, the staff of the Lazaretto nursed the emaciated and diseased slaves back to health. ThePennsylvania Abolition Societytook guardianship of the Africans, gave them the last name "Ganges" and dispersed them locally via indentures. Apparently most eventually became part of Pennsylvania's population of free blacks.

1801

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Sailing again 31 January 1801,Gangesproceeded with a convoy for Havana. En route she was severely damaged by a storm and put intoBasseterre,St. Christopher.Here, CommodoreJohn Barrysurveyed the ship on 2 March and found her "unfit for sea." Being unable to continue her voyage,Gangesremained on theGuadeloupe stationuntil May, then proceeded north with a convoy that reached Philadelphia early in June. On 10 June 1801, under provision of thePeace Establishment Act,the Navy agent at Philadelphia preparedGangesfor sale. She was sold prior to 8 December for $21,000. The Navy was reduced to thirteen vessels and theGangesagain became a merchant ship.

People associated withGanges

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One of the passengers aboard theGangeswhen it arrived at Philadelphia on 31 March 1806 had an Indian surname, Singh.[22]

Officers and midshipmen ofGangesincluded several future heroes such asThomas Macdonough,James Lawrence,Jacob Jones,andDaniel Carmick.[1]

References

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  1. ^abcVotaw, Homer C. "The Sloop-of-War Ganges"United States Naval Institute ProceedingsJuly 1972 pp.82-84
  2. ^Hobart, John Henry. (1911)The correspondence of John Henry Hobart.(New York: Merrymount), Vol. II, p. 82.
  3. ^"Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume 3 Part 2 of 4 Naval Operations April 1799 to July 1799, May, 1799 Pg. 346"(PDF).U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio.Retrieved16 April2024.
  4. ^"Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume 2 Part 4 of 4 Naval Operations April 1799 to July 1799 July Pg. 543"(PDF).U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio.Retrieved1 May2024.
  5. ^"Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume Part 1 of 3 Naval Operations August 1799 to December 1799 August to September Pg. 221"(PDF).U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio.Retrieved21 May2024.
  6. ^"Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume Part 1 of 3 Naval Operations August 1799 to December 1799 August to September Pg. 29"(PDF).U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio.Retrieved2 May2024.
  7. ^"Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume 2 Part 4 of 4 Naval Operations April 1799 to July 1799 July Pg. 473"(PDF).U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio.Retrieved25 April2024.
  8. ^"Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume Part 1 of 3 Naval Operations August 1799 to December 1799 August to September Pg. 87"(PDF).U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio.Retrieved6 May2024.
  9. ^"Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume Part 1 of 3 Naval Operations August 1799 to December 1799 August to September Pg. 96"(PDF).U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio.Retrieved6 May2024.
  10. ^"Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume Part 1 of 3 Naval Operations August 1799 to December 1799 August to September Pg. 132"(PDF).U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio.Retrieved20 May2024.
  11. ^"Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume Part 2 of 3 Naval Operations August 1799 to December 1799, October to November Pg. 432"(PDF).U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio.Retrieved28 May2024.
  12. ^"Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume Part 2 of 3 Naval Operations August 1799 to December 1799, October to November Pg. 410"(PDF).U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio.Retrieved25 May2024.
  13. ^"Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume Part 3 of 3 Naval Operations August 1799 to December 1799, December Pg. 502"(PDF).U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio.Retrieved31 May2024.
  14. ^"Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume Part 3 of 3 Naval Operations August 1799 to December 1799, December Pg. 560"(PDF).U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio.Retrieved4 June2024.
  15. ^"Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume Part 3 of 4 Naval Operations January to May, 1800, April 1800-May 1800 Pg. 481"(PDF).U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio.Retrieved16 July2024.
  16. ^"Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume 6 Part 1 of 4 Naval Operations June to November, 1800, June 1800 Pg. 10"(PDF).U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio.Retrieved23 July2024.
  17. ^Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France(PDF).Vol. VI Part 2 of 4: Naval Operations June to November 1800, July-August 1800. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 163.Retrieved14 August2024– via Ibiblio.
  18. ^Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France(PDF).Vol. VI Part 2 of 4: Naval Operations June to November 1800, July-August 1800. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 164.Retrieved14 August2024– via Ibiblio.
  19. ^Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France(PDF).Vol. VI Part 2 of 4: Naval Operations June to November 1800, July-August 1800. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 232.Retrieved22 August2024– via Ibiblio.
  20. ^Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France(PDF).Vol. VI Part 2 of 4: Naval Operations June to November 1800, July-August 1800. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 164.Retrieved14 August2024– via Ibiblio.
  21. ^Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France(PDF).Vol. VI Part 2 of 4: Naval Operations June to November 1800, July-August 1800. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 284.Retrieved25 August2024– via Ibiblio.
  22. ^The History of the Early Arrivals of Asian Indians to America

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