USS Virginia (1776)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
|
|
| Name: | USS Virginia |
| Laid down: | 1776 |
| Launched: | August 1776 |
| Commissioned: | Early 1777 |
| Fate: | Captured, 1778 |
 Great Britain
|
|
| Name: | HMS Virginia |
| Acquired: | 1778 |
| Fate: | Condemned and sold, 1782 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Frigate |
| Tonnage: | 681 |
| Length: | 126 ft 4 in (38.51 m) |
| Beam: | 34 ft 4 in (10.46 m) |
| Draft: | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
| Complement: | 315 |
| Armament: |
|
| Service record | |
| Commanders: | Capt. James Nicholson |
The first USS Virginia was a 28-gun sailing frigate of the Continental Navy, a ship with a short and unfortunate career.
She was one of 13 frigates authorized by the Continental Congress on 13 December 1775, laid down in 1776 at Fells Point, Maryland, by George Wells, launched that August, and commissioned in the spring of 1777, Captain James Nicholson in command.
The newly commissioned frigate's first orders directed her to attempt a run through the strong British naval blockade at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay and then if successful, to head south to the West Indies and cruise in search of English merchantmen. However, her first sortie failed, as did four subsequent attempts to get to sea which she made in May, October, November, and December 1777. These successive failures frustrated Virginia's restive crew, and many deserted to join the numerous privateers scattered about the wharves of nearby Baltimore.
By early January 1778, the desertions had become so numerous that Virginia was unable to leave the docks. This situation prompted a series of ugly exchanges between Capt. Nicholson, his executive officer Lt. Joshua Barney, and the governor of Maryland Thomas Johnson. New recruits were finally procured through the auspices of the Maritime Committee of the Continental Congress, enabling Virginia to attempt another run past the blockade in mid-January. This latest dash went smoothly until Emerald sighted Virginia near the Chesapeake capes. The British frigate pursued the Americans back towards Baltimore. Virginia tied up behind a water battery and chain stretched across the northwest branch of the Patapsco River, Md., between Whetstone Point and later Lazaretto Point, where she took on board 20 more seamen.
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Wikipedia