The 32-gun Frigate Essex

Download or read book The 32-gun Frigate Essex written by Portia A. Takakjian and published by Anova Books. This book was released on 2005 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the successful completion of the War of Independence, the American navy was disbanded, and it was not until the late 1790s that a regular naval force was reconstituted. Provoked by the need to protect American merchant shipping from the belligerent European nations and the piratical Barbary powers, Congress decided on a programme of frigate building, which included the 32-gun frigate Essex. Designed by William Hackett, Essex was a typical medium frigate of her time. Working from both US and British sources, the author has reconstructed many previously undetermined details of the ship and in passing has rehabilitated the reputation of the designer as one who was responsible for one of the best balanced of that generation's frigates.