USS President (1800)
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| Career |  |
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| Laid down: | ? |
| Launched: | 10 April 1800 |
| Commissioned: | ? |
| Fate: | Captured by Britain, 15 January 1815 |
| Specifications | |
| Displacement: | 1,576t |
| Dimensions: | 175 ft x 44.3ft x 13.9ft |
| Armament: | 32-24pdr 22-42pdr carronades 1-long 18pdr |
| Complement: | ? |
The first USS President of the United States Navy was a 44-gun sailing frigate built by Christian Bergh, East River, New York. It was launched 10 April 1800, and sailed from New York on her first cruise, 5 August 1800, Comdr. Thomas Truxtun in command. It was one of the six original United States frigates.
President was the flagship of Commodore Richard Dale in the Mediterranean in 1801 and 1802. She cruised in the Mediterranean in 1804 and 1805, participating in the actions against Tripoli. She cruised off the eastern coast of the United States from 1809 to 1812. She sailed from Annapolis, Maryland, 12 May 1811, meeting and firing on HMS Little Belt, 22 guns, in one of the incidents leading up to the War of 1812.
President sailed from New York 21 June 1812 with United States, Congress, Hornet, and Argus on a cruise in the North Atlantic. Two days later she fell in with frigate HMS Belvidera, and after a running fight of 8 hours, Belvidera escaped. Putting into Boston, President sailed again 3 October 1812 for the North Atlantic returning to Boston 31 December.
She sailed from Boston 30 April 1813 on a cruise off the coast of Europe. On 23 September she captured the schooner HMS Highflyer, 5 guns, off New York, and arrived Newport, Rhode Island, 27 September 1813. She sailed from Providence, Rhode Island 4 December on a cruise to the West Indies, returning to New York 15(?) February 1814, and was blockaded there for almost a year by a British squadron.
She sailed from New York 14 January 1815 under Capt. Stephen Decatur, and the next day was captured by a squadron consisting of Endymion, Majestic, Pomone, and Tenedos.
President was taken into the Royal Navy and was broken up at Portsmouth, England, in 1817 or 1818.
See USS President for other Navy ships of the same name.
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.