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Sailing Ships Built for the U.S. Navy in the 18th and 19th Centuries

Most recent update: June 11, 2011.


All these ships were, I think, wooden-hulled and sail-powered.  There may be some overlap with the table of unnumbered steam ships, because the distinction between sail and steam is not always clear in the records.  There are probably many omissions: if anyone can add to or correct the data below, please send your info to timcolton@aol.com

Shipbuilder Location Original Name LDT Entered Service Disposition
SHIPS OF THE LINE
Langdon, John Kittery ME America   1783 To France 1783, scrapped 1786
Boston NSY Charlestown MA Independence 2,243 Jul 1815 Sold 1914, burned at Hunters Point 1919
Hartt & Badger Kittery ME Washington 2,750 Aug 1815 Scrapped 1843
Eckford & Brown Sacketts Harbor NY Chippewa 2,805   Cancelled 1815, sold incomplete 1833
Eckford & Brown Sacketts Harbor NY New Orleans 2,805   Cancelled 1815, sold incomplete 1883
Washington NSY Washington DC Columbus 2,480 Sep 1819 Scuttled at Norfolk NSY 1861
New York NSY Brooklyn NY Ohio 2,724 May 1820 Sold 1883
Philadelphia NSY Philadelphia PA North Carolina 2,633 Jun 1824 Sold 1867
Boston NSY Charlestown MA Virginia 2,633   Cancelled 1825, scrapped incomplete 1874
Norfolk NSY Portsmouth VA Delaware 2,633 Feb 1828 Burned 1863 by evacuating Confederate forces
Philadelphia NSY Philadelphia PA Pennsylvania 3,105 Nov 1837 Scuttled at Norfolk NSY 1861
Norfolk NSY Portsmouth VA New York 2,633 1861 Cancelled and burned incomplete 1861
Boston NSY Charlestown MA Vermont 2,633 1862 Started 1818 but not completed until 1862, sold 1902
Portsmouth NSY Kittery ME New Hampshire 2,633 1864 Sank under tow 1922
FRIGATES
Coates, Warwick Philadelphia PA Delaware 563 Jul 1776 Captured by Britain 1777, sold 1783
Wharton & Humphreys Philadelphia PA Randolph   Oct 1776 Sunk by Britain 1778
Unknown Newburyport MA John Adams 763 May 1777  
Cross, S. & R. Newburyport MA Boston 514 May 1777 Captured by Britain 1780
Hackett, Hill & Paul Portsmouth NH Raleigh 697 Aug 1777 Captured by Britain 1778, sold 1783
Unknown Philadelphia PA Effingham   1777 Scuttled near Bordentown NJ 1778
Wells, George Fells Point MD Virginia 681 1777 Captured by Britain 1778, sold 1780
Hackett, W. & J. Salisbury MA Alliance 900 1777 Sold 1785
Burling, Lancaster Poughkeepsie NY Congress   1777 Scuttled incomplete 1777
Cotton, John Chatham CT Confederacy 959 May 1779 Captured by Britain 1781
Cotton, John Chatham CT Bourbon     Sold incomplete 1783
Humphreys, Joshua Philadelphia PA United States 1,576 Jul 1797 Scuttled at Norfolk NSY 1862, raised and scrapped 1865
Sterrett SY Baltimore MD Constellation 1,265 Jun 1798 Museum in Baltimore
Hartt, Edmund Boston MA Constitution 2,200 Jul 1798 Museum in Boston
Talman & DeWolf Warren RI General Greene 654 Jun 1799 Scuttled at Washington NSY 1814
Prichard, Paul Charleston SC Hancock 544 Oct 1799 Sold 1867
Jackson & Sheffield New York NY Adams 530 1799 Scuttled in Hampden ME 1814
Hartt, Edmund Boston MA Boston 400 1799 Scuttled at Washington NSY 1814
Hackett, J. Portsmouth NH Congress 1,266 Jan 1800 Scrapped 1834
Norfolk NSY Portsmouth VA Chesapeake 1,244 Jun 1800 Captured by Britain 1813, scrapped 1820
Bergh, Christian New York NY President 1,576 Aug 1800 Captured by Britain 1815, scrapped 1817
Washington NSY Washington DC Brandywine 1,708 Sep 1825 Burnt at Norfolk NSY 1864, raised and sold 1867
Washington NSY Washington DC Potomac 1,726 1831 Sold 1877
Norfolk NSY Portsmouth VA Macedonian 1,341 1836 Sold 1875
Washington NSY Washington DC Columbia 1,726 May 1838 Scuttled at Norfolk NSY 1861, raised and sold 1867
Portsmouth NSY Kittery ME Congress 1,867 May 1842 Sunk by CSN 1861, raised and scrapped 1865
SLOOPS OF WAR
Hackett, J. Portsmouth NH Ranger 308 Nov 1777 Captured by Britain 1780
Washington NSY Washington DC Wasp 450 1807 Captured by Britain 1812, lost 1813
New York NSY Brooklyn NY Peacock 509 Sep 1813 Wrecked on the Columbia bar 1841
Barker, Josiah Charlestown MA Frolic 509 Feb 1814 Captured by Britain 1914, scrapped 1819
Kemp, Thomas Baltimore MD Erie 509 Mar 1814 Sold 1850
Cross & Merrill Newburyport MA Wasp 609 May 1814 Sank in a storm 1814
Washington NSY Washington DC Columbus 480 Sep 1819 Scuttled at Norfolk NSY 1861
Boston NSY Charlestown MA Boston 700 Jan 1826 Grounded in the Bahamas and lost 1846
New York NSY Brooklyn NY Lexington 691 Jun 1826 Sold 1860
New York NSY Brooklyn NY Vincennes 700 Aug 1826 Sold 1867
Boston NSY Charlestown MA Warren 700 Feb 1827 Sold 1863
Norfolk NSY Portsmouth VA Natchez 691 1827 Scrapped 1840
Boston NSY Charlestown MA Falmouth 700 Jan 1828 Sold 1863
New York NSY Brooklyn NY Fairfield 700 Aug 1828 Scrapped 1852
Washington NSY Washington DC St. Louis 700 1828 Scrapped 1907
Portsmouth NSY Kittery ME Concord 700 May 1830 Wrecked in the Mozambique Channel 1842
New York NSY Brooklyn NY Levant 792 Mar 1838 Lost at sea 1860
Boston NSY Charlestown MA Cyane 792 May 1838 Sold 1887
Boston NSY Charlestown MA Marion 566 Oct 1839 Sold 1907
Philadelphia NSY Philadelphia PA Dale 566 1839 To USCG as Oriole 1906, sold 1921
New York NSY Brooklyn NY Decatur 566 1839 Sold 1865
BRIGS
Brown, A. & N. Erie PA Niagara 493 Aug 1813 Sunk for preservation 1820, raised 1913, restored, now museum in Erie
Churchill, C. & D. Middletown CT Boxer 370 1815 Lost off Belize 1817
Unknown Warren RI Chippewa 410 1815 Wrecked in the Bahamas 1816
Boston NSY Charlestown MA Porpoise 224 Aug 1836 Lost in a typhoon off China 1854
New York NSY Brooklyn NY Dolphin 224 Sep 1836 Scuttled 1861
Boston NSY Charlestown MA Consort 230 Dec 1836 Sold 1844
Boston NSY Charlestown MA Pioneer 230 Dec 1836 Sold 1884
Boston NSY Charlestown MA Bainbridge 259 Dec 1842 Lost off Cape Hatteras 1863
New York NSY Brooklyn NY Somers 259 1842 Foundered off Vera Cruz 1846
Norfolk NSY Portsmouth VA Perry 280 1843 Sold 1865
Norfolk NSY Portsmouth VA Truxtun 331 1843 Grounded in Mexico 1846 and lost
SCHOONERS
Norfolk NSY Portsmouth VA Ferret 148 Apr 1809 Captured by the British 1813
Brown, A. & N. Erie PA Ariel 75 1813 No record
Boston NSY Charlestown MA Alligator 198 Mar 1821 Wrecked and lost in Florida 1822
New York NSY Brooklyn NY Enterprise 194 Dec 1831 Sold 1844
Boston NSY Charlestown MA Boxer 194 Dec 1832 Sold 1848
New York NSY Brooklyn NY Pilot 122 Sep 1836 Sold 1838
GALLEYS
Unknown Skenesborough NY Congress 123 1776 Scuttled 1776
Unknown Skenesborough NY Connecticut 123 1776 Scuttled 1776
Unknown Charleston SC Charleston   1798 Sold 1802
Unknown Beaufort SC Beaufort   1799 Sold 1802
Brown, A. & N. Vergennes VT Ballard 40 1813 Sold 1815
Brown, A. & N. Vergennes VT Borer 70 1814 Sold 1825
Brown, A. & N. Vergennes VT Burrows 70 1814 Sold 1825
Brown, A. & N. Vergennes VT Viper 70 1814 Sold 1825
Brown, A. & N. Vergennes VT Centipede 70 1814 Sold 1825
OTHER
Unknown Baltimore MD Baltimore   1777 Brigantine, lost off Cape Henry 1780
Unknown Whitehall NY Boston   1776 Gondola, scuttled un Buttonmold Bay 1776
Unknown Marshfield MA Active 60 Jul 1779 Brigantine, captured by Britain 1782
Overton, Seth Chatham CT Connecticut 492 Oct 1799 Ship, sold 1801
Penrose, Charles Philadelphia PA Buffalo   May 1813 Block sloop, sold 1816