USS Trumbull (1776)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
|
|
| Name: | USS Trumbull |
| Builder: | John Cotton, Chatham, Connecticut |
| Laid down: | March or April 1776 |
| Launched: | 5 September 1776 |
| Commissioned: | 1779 |
| Fate: | Captured, 28 August 1781 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Frigate |
| Tons burthen: | 700 tons |
| Complement: | 200 |
| Armament: |
|
| Service record | |
| Commanders: |
|
The second Trumbull was a three-masted, wooden-hulled sailing frigate and was one of the first 13 frigates authorized by the Continental Congress on 13 December 1775 and were superior in design and construction to the same class of European vessels in their day. Its keel was laid down in March or April 1776 at Chatham, Connecticut, by John Cotton and was launched on 5 September 1776.
After the frigate had been launched, her builders discovered that her deep draft would make it extremely difficult to get the ship across the bar at the mouth of the Connecticut River into Long Island Sound. The following spring, as Trumbull lay in the river at Saybrook awaiting assistance in getting out to deep water, her safety became a matter of great concern to Continental naval authorities. In April General Howe ordered General Tryon — the Royal Governor of New York — to lead a raid into neighboring Connecticut. Tryon's forces landed at Fairfield, marched inland, and burned Continental public stores at Danbury. A small force of Americans harassed the British troops as they marched back to their ships. Fortunately, Tryon did not attack the berth on the Connecticut River where Trumbull — protected by neither gun nor warships — lay virtually defenseless.
After three years of inactivity, Trumbull was finally freed in 1779. Capt. Elisha Hinman cleverly suggested that casks of water be lashed alongside, port and starboard, with stout ropes running beneath the keel. When the casks were pumped out, they rose and lifted the ship just enough in the water so as to permit passage over the bar. Trumbull then was fitted our for sea at New London, Conn., under the direction of Nathaniel Shaw. On 20 September 1779, Capt. James Nicholson received command of the frigate.
...
Wikipedia