Hornet was launched on 28 July 1805 in Baltimore and commissioned on 18 October. She fought in the War of 1812 under command of James Lawrence, who later (while commanding ) gave the United States Navy their famous motto "Don't give up the ship."
She captured the privateer Dolphin on 9 July 1812 although the ship was recaptured again shortly afterwards. Hornet assisted in the blockade of in the harbor at Salvador, Brazil and sank on 24 February 1813. On 23 March 1815 Hornet captured in a short battle off Tristan da Cunha. This was one of several naval engagements which took place after the war had ended. A month later, on 27 April, she engaged having mistakenly identified her as a cargo vessel. She managed to escape by throwing overboard boats, guns and other equipment so to enable higher speed.
Following the war, she took part in anti-piracy patrols in the Caribbean. Hornet sank in a storm off Tampico, Mexico on 29 September 1829 with the loss of all on board.
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Last updated on Monday October 06, 2008 at 08:54:22 PDT (GMT -0700)
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