USS ''Torch'' was a

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

—heavily armed with guns and

carronade A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the last quarter of the 18th century to the mid-19th cen ...

s—in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during the early years of the republic. She was built for service in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, but did not see service until the

Barbary Wars The Barbary Wars were a series of two wars fought by the United States, Sweden, and the Kingdom of Sicily against the Barbary states (including Tunis, Algiers, and Tripoli) and Morocco of North Africa in the early 19th century. Sweden had bee ...

when she was sent with the American fleet to the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

to force an end to piracy of American ships.

Purchased for the War of 1812

''Torch''—a

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

schooner purchased at

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

, in 1814 and initially commanded by Lt. Wolcott Chauncey—formed part of the "flying squadron" slated to cruise the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

to wage war on British commerce towards the end of the

. However, the ratification of the

Treaty of Ghent The Treaty of Ghent () was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom. It took effect in February 1815. Both sides signed it on December 24, 1814, in the city of Ghent, United Netherlands (now in ...

on 18 February 1815 terminated hostilities before the squadron, then forming at

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, could get to sea to undertake wartime operations.

Assigned to the Barbary Wars

The kidnapping and piratical activities of the Algerians soon dispelled the hard-won peace which had so recently come to the United States. Only five days after hostilities with Great Britain ceased, the United States declared war on

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. Subsequently, a squadron under the command of Capt.

Stephen Decatur Commodore (United States), Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was a United States Navy officer. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County. His father, Ste ...

, in ''Guerriere'', set sail from New York City on 20 May, bound for the Mediterranean. On 19 June, the Americans made landfall off

Cape Gata Cape Gata ( "cat cape", "falcon cape") is the south-eastern cape of the Akrotiri Peninsula on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is located within the British Sovereign Base Area Akrotiri and Dhekelia (), officially the Sovereign Ba ...

, Spain, and soon sighted ''Mashouda'', the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

flying the flag of Algerian Admiral Rais Hammida. Giving chase, the Yankee squadron heavily damaged the enemy ship—decapitating Hammida with a 32-pounder shot in the process—and forced her to surrender. The remainder of the squadron set out in search of other Algerian vessels while ''Mashouda'' was sent to

Cartagena, Spain Cartagena () is a Spanish city belonging to the Region of Murcia. As of January 2018, it has a population of 218,943 inhabitants. The city lies in a natural harbor of the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. Cartage ...

under guard of ''Macedonian''. Off Cape Palos, Spain, this remainder spotted 22-gun brig ''Estido'' and bent on sail to make contact. The wily enemy, however, ran into shoal waters where the heavier American frigates feared to go for danger of running aground. ''Torch'', whose shallower draft permitted her to give chase, joined ''Epervier'', ''Spitfire'', and ''Spark'' in forcing ''Estido'' aground. The Americans took possession of the enemy

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the l ...

and 83 prisoners. The successful conclusion of the campaign to force the Algerians to abandon their piratical ways followed thereafter. ''Torch'' subsequently returned home to the United States and was sold on 3 April 1816.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Torch War of 1812 ships of the United States Barbary Wars American ships Schooners of the United States Navy 1810s ships Second Barbary War