USS Grampus (1821): Difference between revisions

|Ship image=[[Image:Scooner GrampusSchooner_Grampus.jpg|300px|USS ''Grampus'' (1821-1843)]]

|Ship country=United States

|Ship flag={{USNshipboxflag|United flagStates|1843}}

|Ship displacement={{convert|171.5|LT|t|lk=on|abbr=on}}

|Ship armament=2 × {{convert|129|pdr|kg|lk=on|abbr=on}} guns, 168 × {{convert|24|pdr|kg|abbr=on}} [[carronade]]s

'''USS ''Grampus''''' was a [[schooner]] in the [[United States Navy]]. She was the first U.S. Navy ship to be named for the ''Grampus griseus'', also known as [[Risso's Dolphindolphin]].

''Grampus'' was built at the [[Washington Navy Yard]] under the supervision of naval constructor [[William Doughty (naval architect)|William Doughty]], based on a design by [[Henry Eckford (shipbuilder)|Henry Eckford]]. Her {{convert|73|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[keel]] was laid down in 1820. She was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] in early August 1821. The need to suppress [[piracy]] and to maintain ships to catch slavers led to the building of five such schooners, the largest of which was ''Grampus''. This was the first building program undertaken by the Navy since the [[War of 1812]].

On 16 August 1822, ''Grampus'' [[Action of 16 August 1822|fought]] a [[brig]] flying [[Spain|Spanish]] colors, but which Lt. Gregory suspected was a pirate. When he called upon her commander to surrender, he was met with cannon and small arms fire. ''Grampus'' answered in turn, and reduced the bogus Spaniard to a floating wreck in {{frac|3½|1|2}} minutes. The brig [[Striking the colors|struck her colors]] and Lt. Gregory discovered that she was ''Palmyra'', a [[Puerto Rico]]-based pirate carrying the papers of a [[privateer]] as a subterfuge. ''[[Lloyd's List]]'' named the privateer as ''Panchetta'', of 18 guns and 92 men. The privateer had suffered 11 men killed.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Marine List |work=Lloyd's List |issue=5741 |date=11 October 1822 |hdl=2027/hvd.32044105226328?urlappend=%3Bseq=345 |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.32044105226328?urlappend=%3Bseq=345 }}</ref>

In 1825, [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] [[John D. Sloat]] — commander of ''Grampus'' — engaged another [[Puerto Rico|Puerto Rican]] pirate, [[Roberto Cofresí]], in [[ActionCapture of 2the Marchsloop 1825Anne|battle]]. Cofresí was captured along with eleven members of his crew, and they were turned over to the Spanish government. Cofresí was jailed in [[Fort San Felipe del Morro|El Castillo del Morro]] in [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.preb.com/biog/hcofresi.htm| author=Luis R. Negrón Hernández, Jr.| title=Roberto Cofresí: El pirata caborojeño| language=Spanishes| accessdateaccess-date=2007-05-25}}</ref>

''Grampus'' had a small part in the ''[[AmistadUnited (1841)States v. The Amistad|Amistad]]'' trials: in November-DecemberNovember–December 1839, the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. government]] had ''Grampus'' standing by in [[New Haven Harbor]], so that if the court ruled in favor of the slaves' Spanish "owners," they could deport the Africans to [[Cuba]] before they could file an appeal. However, the district judge ruled that the Africans had been illegally enslaved and must be returned to [[Africa]]. It was the government that appealed on behalf of the slaveholders, and ''Grampus'' was not needed.

''Grampus'' was last spoken to by {{USS|Madison|1832|2}} off [[St. Augustine, Florida]] on 15 March 1843. She is presumed to have foundered in a gale off [[Charleston, South Carolina]] with all hands. Because of that location, some credit her otherwise unremarkable loss to the [[Bermuda Triangle]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}

[[Category:ShipsSchooners built inof the DistrictUnited ofStates ColumbiaNavy]]

[[Category:1820s1821 ships]]

[[Category:Maritime incidents in March 1843]]

[[Category:PiratesWarships lost with all hands]]