USS Spitfire (1814)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Spitfire.

USS Spitfire was the former Baltimore privateer Grampus that the United States Navy purchased. She was a heavily armed schooner built for service in the War of 1812, but did not see service until the Barbary Wars when she was sent with the American fleet to the Mediterranean to force an end to piracy of American ships.

History
United States
Name	USS Spitfire
Builder	Kemp
Launched	1812
Acquired	by the Navy between October and December 1814
In service	circa 20 May 1815
Out of service	circa 1816
Fate	Sold 3 April 1816; fate unknown
General characteristics
Type	schooner
Tons burthen	286 (bm)
Length	106 ft (32 m) (between perpendiculars)
Beam	25 ft 6 in (7.77 m)
Draft	11 ft 8 in (3.56 m)
Sail plan	Schooner
Complement	Mercantile:40 Privateer:100 US Navy: 60
Armament	Mercantile:6 × 9-pounder carronades Privateer:12 cannons US Navy: 2 × long 9-pounder guns 1 × long 18-pounder gun 8 × 18-pounder carronades

Privateer

Grampus's captain was John Murphy. She was commissioned as a privateer on 12 February 1813.

As a privateer she captured or recaptured eight vessels:

• Catherine & William, brig, lost at sea
• Eclipse, brig, sent in
• Ceres, brig, burnt
• Expedition, ketch, New York
• Doris, brig, transport, Marblehead
• Speculator, brig, divested, given up
• Dry Harbor, schooner, sent in
• Brig, burnt

Purchased for the War of 1812

The third ship to be named Spitfire by the U.S. Navy, Spitfire was purchased at Baltimore, Maryland, about 21 December 1814 for service in a squadron commanded by Commodore David Porter which was to operate out of southern American ports against British shipping in the West Indies. However, the Treaty of Ghent ended the second American war with the United Kingdom (UK) before Porter could get the squadron to sea.

Assigned to the Barbary Wars

Spitfire as a part of the United States Mediterranean squadron of 1815 (Second Barbary War)

However, as the United States ended war with the UK, it was reopening hostilities with Algiers. As a result, the ships acquired for Porter's commerce raiding squadron were assigned to a squadron assembled for operations against the Barbary pirates, commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur.

Spitfire departed New York City with the squadron 20 May 1815, and sailed to the Mediterranean. On 19 June, she helped Epervier, Spark, and Torch to chase Estedio ashore at Cape Palos and capture that Algerian brig.

Spitfire then sailed with the squadron to Algiers where its presence forced the Dey to agree to American terms.

The squadron then sailed, in turn, to Tunis and Tripoli and successfully demanded indemnities for violations of treaties with the United States during the recent American war with the UK.

In September, Spitfire headed home and was laid up until she was sold 3 April 1816.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• Cranwell, John Philips, & William Bowers Crane (1940) Men of marque; a history of private armed vessels out of Baltimore during the War of 1812. (New York, W.W. Norton & Co.).