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{{other ships|USS Argus|USS Merrimack}}
{| border="1" align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="300" style="margin: 0 0 1em 0.5em"
{{Use American English|date=April 2014}}
|align="center" colspan="2"| [[Image:IIH.png|300px|InsertAltTextHere]] <br/>InsertCaptionHere
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
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{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
! style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy;"| Career
{{Infobox ship image
! style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy;"| [[Image:USN-Jack.png|48px|USN Jack]]
|Ship image= Thomas Whitcombe - Capture of the Argus August 14th 1813.jpg
|-
|Ship caption=''Argus'' (left) surrendering to {{HMS|Pelican|1812|6}} on August 14, 1813
|Laid down:
}}
|[[12 May]] [[1803]]
{{Infobox ship career
|-
|Hide header=
|Launched:
|Ship country= United States
|[[21 August]] [[1803]]
|Ship flag= {{USN flag|1803}}
|-
|Ship name= USS ''Merrimack''
|Fate:
|Ship namesake=The [[Merrimack River]] in [[Massachusetts]] and [[New Hampshire]]
|Captured, [[14 August]] [[1813]]
|Ship ordered=29 April 1803
|-
|Ship builder=[[Edmund Hartt]]
!colspan="2" style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy;"| General Characteristics
|Ship original cost=$37,428
|-
|Ship laid down=12 May 1803
|Displacement:
|Ship launched= 21 August 1803<ref>{{cite book |url=https://ibiblio.org/anrs/docs/E/E3/nd_barbarywars_v02p03.pdf |title=Naval Documents related to the United States Wars with the Barbary Powers Volume II Part 3 of 3 January 1802 through August 1803 |pages=516 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |via=Ibiblio |access-date=2 December 2024}}</ref>
|299 tons
|Ship acquired=
|-
|Ship commissioned= 6 September 1803
|Length:
|Ship decommissioned=
|94 ft 6 in (28.8 m)
|Ship in service=
|-
|Ship out of service=
|Beam:
|Ship struck=
|28 ft 2 in (8.6 m)
|Ship renamed= USS ''Argus'' 4 June 1803
|-
|Ship reinstated=
|Draft:
|Ship homeport=
|12 ft 8 in (3.9 m)
|Ship motto=
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|Ship honors=
|Propulsion:
|Ship fate=
|Sail
 
|-
|Ship notes=
|Speed:
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Hide header=yes
|Complement:
|Ship country=
|142 officers and enlisted
|Ship flag=
|-
|Ship name=
|Armament:
|Ship namesake=[[Argus Panoptes]], in [[Greek mythology]] a monster with a hundred eyes slain by the messenger of the gods [[Hermes]]
|2 12-pounders<br> 16 x 24-pounder (11 kg) carronades
|Ship launched= 21 August 1803
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned= August or September 1803
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service= 1806 ([[in ordinary]])
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=yes
|Ship in service= 1807 (returned to full commission)
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship motto=
|Ship honors=
|Ship fate= Captured 14 August 1813
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type= [[Brig]]
|Ship tons burthen= 299 ([[Builder's Old Measurement|bm]])
|Ship length=*Gun-deck: {{convert|94|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
*Keel: {{convert|77|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{convert|28|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft=
|Ship depth=
|Ship hold depth= {{convert|12|ft|8|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=Sail
|Ship speed=
|Ship range=
|Ship complement=142 officers and enlisted
|Ship armament=*2 × 12-pounder guns
* 18 × 24-pounder [[carronade]]s
|Ship armor=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
The first '''USS ''Argus''''', originally named '''USS ''Merrimack''''', was a [[brig]] in the [[United States Navy]] commissioned in 1803. She enforced the [[Embargo Act of 1807]] and fought in the [[First Barbary War]]&nbsp;– taking part in the [[blockade]] of [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]] and the [[Battle of Derna (1805)|capture]] of [[Derna, Libya|Derna]]&nbsp;– and the [[War of 1812]]. During the latter conflict, she had been raiding British merchant shipping in British home waters for a month, when the heavier British {{sclass|Cruizer|brig-sloop|1}} {{HMS|Pelican|1812|6}} intercepted her. After a sharp fight during which ''Argus''{{'}}s captain, Master Commandant [[William Henry Allen]], was mortally wounded, ''Argus'' surrendered when the crew of ''Pelican'' were about to board.
 
==Construction and commissioning==
The [[United States Congress]] authorized construction of the brig, originally named USS ''Merrimack'', the second U.S. Navy ship of that name, on 23 February 1803, and on 29 April 1803 the U.S. Navy contracted with the shipyard of [[Edmund Hartt]] at [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], to construct the ship. Edmund Hartt{{'}}s brother, Joseph Hartt, drafted the plans for the brig, designed with a [[flush deck]] and fine lines to optimize her for sailing conditions in the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] [[Edward Preble]] was appointed superintendent of her construction, and her [[keel]] was [[Keel-laying|laid down]] at Hartt{{'}}s yard on 12 May, 1803.<ref name="cressman64">Cressman, p. 64.</ref>
 
On 14 May 1803, two days after ''Merrimack''{{'}}s keel was laid, [[United States Secretary of the Navy]] [[Robert Smith (Cabinet member)|Robert Smith]] assigned Preble to duty as commanding officer of the [[frigate]] {{USS|Constitution}}, then at Boston, in addition to his duties related to ''Merrimack''{{'}}s construction. Smith informed Preble on 21 May 1803 that Preble was to take command of the U.S. Navy{{'}}s [[Mediterranean Squadron (United States)|Mediterranean Squadron]], which was to include ''Constitution'' and ''Merrimack'', and on 27 May ordered [[Lieutenant]] [[Stephen Decatur|Stephen Decatur, Jr.]] to take command of ''Merrimack'' and supervise her construction to allow Preble to focus on preparing ''Constitution'' for Mediterranean service.<ref name="cressman64"/>
[[File:Argus (1803).jpg|left|thumb|USS Argus (1803), circa unknown]]
Smith found that U.S. Navy officers disliked the name ''Merrimack'' for the new brig, and he directed that she be renamed ''Argus'', the first U.S. Navy ship of that name, on 4 June 1803.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://ibiblio.org/anrs/docs/E/E3/nd_barbarywars_v02p03.pdf |title=Naval Documents related to the United States Wars with the Barbary Powers Volume II Part 3 of 3 January 1802 through August 1803 |pages=438 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |via=Ibiblio |access-date=20 November 2024}}</ref> Although work on her construction proceeded quickly at first, Decatur reported on 11 July 1803 soon after arriving to take command that her construction had fallen behind schedule, although her builders assured him that she would be [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] before the end of July. Decatur recruited her crew and procured her armament from [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]], [[Rhode Island]], but by the beginning of August 1803 heavy and persistent rains had delayed her launching by two weeks. Her launch day finally came on 20 August 1803, but the attempt to launch her failed when she did not move down the ways. After the ways{{'}} degree of incline was increased, ''Argus'' was successfully launched on 21 August 1803. Labor problems during her [[Fitting-out|fitting out]] then delayed her completion but, though no document recording the date of her [[Ship commissioning|commissioning]] has been found, she was in commission and ready for sea by early September 1803.<ref name="cressman64"/>
 
In service, ''Argus'' was reported to sail swiftly and easily, although prone to heavy pitching when lying to<ref name="cressman65">Cressman, p. 65.</ref> (i.e., when her sails were arranged so as to counteract each other). On more than one occasion, observers described her as a remarkably handsome ship.<ref>Cressman, pp. 64, 65.</ref>
 
==First Barbary War==
''Argus'' set sail from Boston on 8 September 1803, bound for the Mediterranean and service with the Mediterranean Squadron in the [[First Barbary War]]. She soon suffered a badly sprung [[bowsprit]] in exceptionally heavy seas, and Decatur put into [[Newport, Rhode Island|Newport]], Rhode Island, on 18 September 1803 to have it fixed, reasoning that repairs would be far easier in the [[United States]] than in the Mediterranean.<ref name="cressman65">Cressman, p. 65.</ref> She returned to sea on 28 September 1803<ref name="cressman65">Cressman, p. 65.</ref> and set a course for [[Gibraltar]], where she arrived after a [[transatlantic voyage]] on 1 November 1803. There, Decatur exchanged commands with Lieutenant [[Isaac Hull]], relinquishing command of ''Argus'' to Hull and relieving Hull of command of the [[schooner]] {{USS|Enterprise|1799|6}} on 9 November, as was ordered on 7 November.<ref name="cressman65">Cressman, p. 65.</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://ibiblio.org/anrs/docs/E/E3/nd_barbarywars_v03p02.pdf |title=Naval Documents related to the United States Wars with the Barbary Powers Volume III Part 2 of 3 September 1803 through March 1804 |pages=203, 211 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |via=Ibiblio |access-date=12 December 2024}}</ref>
 
''Argus'' made a brief cruise to the east and then, in accordance with orders from now-[[Commodore (rank)|Commodore]] Preble, commander of the Mediterranean Squadron, returned to Gibraltar to watch the [[Morocco|Moroccans]] while the rest of the squadron sailed east to [[blockade]] [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]]. During the early part of 1804, she cruised the western Mediterranean in an unsuccessful search for a [[Ottoman Tripolitania|Tripolitan]] [[cruiser]] reportedly operating in that area. In March 1804, she received orders to join the rest of the squadron off Tripoli.
 
===Blockade of Tripoli===
[[File:Bombardment of Tripoli, 3 August 1804.tif|left|thumb|USS ''Argus'' (the third from the right) participating in the bombardment of [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]], 3 August 1804, painting by [[Michele Felice Cornè]], 1752-1845]] Her boats captured a small sloop loaded with earthenware anchored close to the Tripoli coast on 30 April, 1804.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://ibiblio.org/anrs/docs/E/E3/nd_barbarywars_v04p01.pdf |title=Naval Documents related to the United States Wars with the Barbary Powers Volume VI Part 1 of 3 April 1804 through September 1804 |pages=76 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |via=Ibiblio |access-date=2 February 2025}}</ref> ''Argus'' arrived off Tripoli in company with ''Constitution'' and ''Enterprise". On 31 May she captured [[Ketch]] "Virgine Del Rosario" leaving Tripoli.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://ibiblio.org/anrs/docs/E/E3/nd_barbarywars_v04p01.pdf |title=Naval Documents related to the United States Wars with the Barbary Powers Volume VI Part 1 of 3 April 1804 through September 1804 |pages=137 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |via=Ibiblio |access-date=9 February 2025}}</ref> She left the blockade late in the month of June to join a [[Neutral country|neutral]] ship at [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]], [[Sicily]], and escort her back to Tripoli with supplies for the captive officers and crew of the frigate {{USS|Philadelphia|1799|6}} which had been taken by the Tripolitans after she had run aground on an uncharted reef off Tripoli in October 1803.
 
''Argus'' resumed her blockade duties on 7 July 1804. At that point, Preble began preparations for a [[shore bombardment]]. Heavy weather, however, postponed the action until early August. On 3 August 1804, the squadron moved in to provide long-range support for the [[gunboat]]s and [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]] boats actually engaged in the bombardment. The bombardment was considerably less damaging to the defensive works protecting Tripoli than hoped for, though the American gunboat crews boarded and carried several of the Tripolitan vessels sent out to engage them. The squadron conducted another ineffectual bombardment of Tripoli on 7 August 1804. Two days later, Commodore Preble embarked in ''Argus'' to reconnoiter Tripoli harbor. During that mission, Tripolitan shore batteries fired upon ''Argus'', and she was struck below the [[waterline]] by a single shot. Fortunately for her, the shot did not pass all the way through her hull, and she remained on station off Tripoli.
 
On 28 August 1804, the squadron conducted a third bombardment of the defenses of Tripoli in which its guns inflicted severe damage. A week later, on the night of 4 September 1804, ''Argus'' was among the ships that escorted the ill-fated [[fire ship]] {{USS|Intrepid|1798|6}} to the entrance of Tripoli harbor. When ''Intrepid'' blew up prematurely, killing her entire crew, ''Argus'' remained there to pick up survivors, but none had appeared by sunrise when she returned to her blockade station. On 12 September she captured Greek polaca "St. Michael" attempting to run the blockade into Tripoli.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://ibiblio.org/anrs/docs/E/E3/nd_barbarywars_v05p01.pdf |title=Naval Documents related to the United States Wars with the Barbary Powers Volume V Part 1 of 3 September 7 1804 through April 1805 |pages=26 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |via=Ibiblio |access-date=28 March 2025}}</ref> On 26 November, 1804 she arrived at Alexandria, Egypt carrying U. S. government agents whose mission was to make contact with the former Bashaw of Tripoli to get him to lead an expedition to take Derna and Benghazi.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://ibiblio.org/anrs/docs/E/E3/nd_barbarywars_v05p02.pdf |title=Naval Documents related to the United States Wars with the Barbary Powers Volume V Part 2 of 3 September 7 1804 through April 1805 |pages=300-301 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |via=Ibiblio |access-date=26 April 2025}}</ref> On 19 February, 1805 she departed Alexandria for Syracuse, Sicily.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://ibiblio.org/anrs/docs/E/E3/nd_barbarywars_v05p02.pdf |title=Naval Documents related to the United States Wars with the Barbary Powers Volume V Part 2 of 3 September 7 1804 through April 1805 |pages=362 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |via=Ibiblio |access-date=11 May 2025}}</ref> She arrived in the [[Gulf of Bomba]], nation of Tripoli, on 17 April with supplies for the expedition advancing on Derna.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://ibiblio.org/anrs/docs/E/E3/nd_barbarywars_v05p02.pdf |title=Naval Documents related to the United States Wars with the Barbary Powers Volume V Part 2 of 3 September 7 1804 through April 1805 |pages=363 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |via=Ibiblio |access-date=11 May 2025}}</ref> On 22 April, 1805 she captured an Ottoman flagged 30 ton lateen vessel off the Gulf of Bomba that was carrying contraband goods, including gunpowder, to [[Benghazi]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://ibiblio.org/anrs/docs/E/E3/nd_barbarywars_v05p03.pdf |title=Naval Documents related to the United States Wars with the Barbary Powers Volume V Part 3 of 3 September 7 1804 through April 1805 |pages=529-530 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |via=Ibiblio |access-date=28 May 2025}}</ref>
 
===Capture of Derna===
Through the winter of 1804–1805, ''Argus'' alternated between blockade duty off Tripoli and periods in port at [[Malta]] and Syracuse. In the spring of 1805, she participated in one of the more celebrated episodes of American naval history, the [[Battle of Derna (1805)|capture]] of [[Derna, Libya|Derna]]. During the preceding months, she had made several voyages to [[Egypt]] in support of [[Consul (representative)|Consul]] [[William Eaton (soldier)|William Eaton]]{{'}}s efforts to raise a force of men to take Derna in conjunction with the deposed [[pasha]]. After a march of over 600 miles (970&nbsp;km) across the [[Libyan Desert]] in what is now [[Libya]], the polyglot army&nbsp;– there were only 10 Americans in the whole force&nbsp;– arrived at Derna on 25 April 1805. ''Argus'' had met the army a day or two earlier at the [[Gulf of Bomba]] to provide provisions. Now, she made preparations to provide bombardment assistance for the landward assault.
 
Eaton{{'}}s force launched its attack on Derna on 27 April 1805. ''Argus'' and the schooner {{USS|Nautilus|1799|6}} anchored about half a mile (800 meters) to the eastward of the fortifications. The Tripolitans opened fire almost immediately upon ''Argus'' and the [[sloop-of-war]] {{USS|Hornet|1805 sloop|6}}, anchored quite a bit nearer than ''Argus'' and ''Nautilus''. By 14:45 that afternoon, gunfire from the ships silenced all of the guns in the city. A desperate charge led by [[United States Marine Corps]] Lieutenant [[Presley O'Bannon]] managed to carry the gun batteries by storm and breathed new life into the assault. After hoisting the [[Flag of the United States|American flag]] over the battlements, O'Bannon ordered the already loaded captured guns to be turned on the town. By 16:00 that afternoon, the entire town had fallen to Eaton's army, and the enemy fled to the hinterland. The capture of Derna has been immortalized in the words of the ''[[Marines' Hymn]]'' ("... ''to the shores of Tripoli''").
 
After Eaton's and O'Bannon's victory, a Tripolitan army, which had been sent to reinforce the town, arrived and began preparations to retake Derna. ''Argus'' remained offshore to provide gunfire support in the defense of the town throughout the occupation of Derna. When the Tripolitans finally assaulted the town on 13 May 1805, ''Argus'' joined in the fray and enabled the defensive forces narrowly to beat back the charging enemy troops. ''Argus''{{'}}s guns wreaked havoc among the enemy forces during their headlong retreat. Between that time and early June 1805, the Tripolitans made a few more half-hearted approaches during which ''Argus''{{'}}s long 12-pounders (5&nbsp;kg) came into play. However, things remained relatively quiet, for negotiations with the pasha in power were already underway. On 11 June 1805, orders arrived for Eaton{{'}}s force to evacuate Derna as negotiations had been concluded. The troops and the deposed pasha were embarked in ''Constellation'' that evening, and ''Argus'' and the other American ships quit the area.
 
==Operations, 1805–1812==
''Argus'' continued to cruise the Mediterranean until the summer of 1806. She returned to the [[United States]] at the [[Washington Navy Yard]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], on 13 July 1806 and was laid up there [[in ordinary]]. In 1807, she was fitted out at the Washington Navy Yard, returned to full commission, and began a series of cruises along the [[United States East Coast|Atlantic coast]] of the United States to enforce the [[Embargo Act of 1807]], which she continued through the outbreak of the [[War of 1812]] between the United States and the [[United Kingdom]] in June 1812.
 
==War of 1812==
After the outbreak of war, ''Argus'' continued her cruises off the U.S. Atlantic coast. During one cruise between 8 October 1812 and 3 January 1813, she captured six [[Prize (law)|prizes]] and escaped from a British [[Squadron (naval)|squadron]] after a three-day chase.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Petrie|first=Donald|date=Summer 1994|title=Forbidden Prizes|journal=The American Neptune|volume=54| issue = 3|pages=167–168|via=Archive.Org}}</ref> Through clever handling, she even managed to take one of the prizes as she was fleeing from the overwhelmingly superior British force.
 
===Capture by HMS ''Pelican''===
 
====Prelude====
Under the command of Master Commandant [[William Henry Allen]], ''Argus'' broke out of [[New York Harbor]] on 18 June 1813, evading the British [[blockade]]. Her mission was not warlike to begin with; it was to deliver [[William H. Crawford]] to his post as Minister to the [[First French Empire]]. ''Argus'' arrived at [[Lorient]] in [[Brittany]], [[France]], on 11 July 1813, disembarked Crawford, and put out to sea again three days later to begin raiding British shipping in the [[English Channel]] and [[Irish Sea]]. During the next month, she captured nineteen [[merchant ship]]s. Rather than weaken his crew by sending the captured ships to American, French, or [[Neutral country|neutral]] ports under [[prize crew]]s, Allen set most of the captured ships on fire. The intense operations exhausted ''Argus''{{'}}s crew.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=Roosevelt114>[[#Roosevelt1882|Roosevelt, 1882]] p.114</ref>
 
The shipping losses soon caused [[Maritime insurance|insurance]] rates for merchant shipping to increase. The cargo on the captured ships was worth about two million dollars.<ref>{{Cite book|title = The History of the City of New York|last = Lamb|first = Martha|pages = 639}}</ref> The [[British Admiralty]] sent orders to all available ships to track down and defeat ''Argus''. The British [[brig-sloop]] {{HMS|Pelican|1812|6}} had just arrived in [[Cork Harbour]] in [[Ireland]], having escorted a convoy from the [[West Indies]], and immediately put to sea again on 10 August 1813. ''Pelican''{{'}}s captain was Commander John Fordyce Maple, an officer who had joined the Royal Navy when he was twelve years old in 1782, two years before William Henry Allen was born.<ref name=":0" /><ref>[[#Dye1994|Dye, 1994]] p.150</ref>
 
On 13 August, ''Argus'' took two final prizes. One of them was from [[Porto]], Portugal, and was carrying [[wine]]. Both American<ref name=Roosevelt114/> and British<ref>[[#Forester1956|Forester, 1956]] p.134</ref> historians have claimed that ''Argus''{{'}}s crew looted some of the captured cargo, and that their debauched state affected their performance during the coming battle with ''Pelican''. As with ''Argus''{{'}}s previous captures, the Americans set fire to the prize; as ''Pelican'' was near enough to sight the smoke from the burning vessel, she made for the American ship straight away.
The first '''USS ''Argus''''' was a [[brig]] in the [[United States Navy]] during the [[First Barbary War]] and the [[War of 1812]].
 
====Battle and capture====
''Argus'' was laid down as ''Merrimack'' on [[12 May]] [[1803]] at [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], by [[Edmund Hartt]]; renamed ''Argus'' on [[4 June]] 1803; and launched on [[21 August]] 1803.
[[File:Capture of U.S. Brig Argus, Commander William H. Allen, by H.M. Brig Pelican, Commander John F. Maples, 14 August 1813 (NH 56759).jpg|thumb|''Pelican'' capturing ''Argus'']]
 
At 05:00 on the morning of 14 August 1813, ''Argus'' and ''Pelican'' sighted each other five leagues (about 15 miles) west of [[St David's Head]]. ''Argus'' was the faster but more lightly armed vessel, with eighteen 24-pounder [[carronade]]s and a 12-pounder chase gun against the ''Pelican''{{'}}s sixteen 32-pounder carronades, one 12-pounder long gun, and two 6-pounder long guns.<ref name=Roosevelt115>[[#Roosevelt1882|Roosevelt, 1882]] p.115</ref> Allen could have used ''Argus''{{'}}s greater speed to escape. Instead, he decided to engage in battle. Allen{{'}}s decision to accept battle against a heavier opponent stemmed from confidence gained while he was the [[First lieutenant#U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard|first lieutenant]] of the [[frigate]] {{USS|United States|1797|6}} when she captured the British frigate {{HMS|Macedonian}} on 25 October 1812; following his promotion he had boasted that he could "take any British 22-gun sloop-of-war in ten minutes."<ref name=":0" /><ref>James (1824), vol.6, p. 221.</ref>
Though no document recording the date of her commissioning has been found, ''Argus'' set sail from Boston on [[8 September]] 1803. She put into [[Newport, Rhode Island|Newport]] on the 18th in some unspecified state of distress and remained there for 10 days. The brig returned to sea on the 28th, set a course for the [[Mediterranean Sea]], and arrived at [[Gibraltar]] on 1 November. There, her first commanding officer, Lt. [[Stephen Decatur]], relinquished command to Lt. [[Isaac Hull]] and assumed command of Hull's former ship, [[USS Enterprise (1799)|''Enterprise'']]. She made a brief cruise to the east and then returned to Gibraltar to watch the [[Morocco|Moroccans]] while the rest of Commodore [[Edward Preble|Preble's]] squadron sailed east to blockade [[Tripoli]]. During the early part of [[1804]], she cruised the western Mediterranean in an unsuccessful search for a Tripolitan cruiser reportedly operating in that area. In March 1804, she received orders to join the rest of the squadron off Tripoli.
 
The wind was from the south, giving ''Pelican'' the weather gauge (i.e. the [[Windward and leeward|windward]] position). Allen sailed westward on the port tack (i.e., with the wind to port) and opposed his port side battery to ''Pelican's'' starboard battery.<ref name=Roosevelt114/>
She arrived at Tripoli in company with [[USS Constitution|''Constitution'']] and ''Enterprise'' on [[19 June]], but left the blockade late in the month to join a neutral ship at [[Syracuse, Italy|Syracuse]] and escort her back to Tripoli with supplies for the captive officers and crew of the frigate [[USS Philadelphia (1799)|''Philadelphia'']] which had been taken by the Tripolitans after she had run aground on an uncharted reef off that port the previous October.
 
[[File:Boarding the Argus.jpg|thumb|The British prepare to board ''Argus'']]
''Argus'' resumed her blockade duties on [[7 July]]. At that point, Preble began preparations for a shore bombardment. Heavy weather, however, postponed the action until early August. On [[3 August]], the squadron moved in to provide long-range support for the gunboats and mortar boats actually engaged in the bombardment. The bombardment was considerably less damaging to the defensive works protecting Tripoli than hoped for, though the American gunboat crews boarded and carried several of the Tripolitan vessels sent out to engage them. The squadron conducted another ineffectual bombardment of Tripoli on the 7th; and, two days later, Commodore Preble embarked in ''Argus'' to reconnoiter Tripoli harbor. During that mission, shore batteries fired upon the brig, and she was struck below the waterline by a single shot. Fortunately, the shot did not pass all the way through her hull; and she remained on station off Tripoli following the attack. On the 28th of August, the squadron conducted a third bombardment of the defenses of Tripoli in which its guns inflicted severe damage. A week later, on the night of [[4 September]], ''Argus'' was among the ships that escorted the ill-fated fire ship Intrepid to the entrance of Tripoli harbor. When [[USS Intrepid (1798)|''Intrepid'']] blew up prematurely, ''Argus'' remained there to pick up survivors, but none had appeared by sunrise when she mournfully returned to her blockade station.
 
Four minutes after the ships exchanged their first broadsides, Allen lost a leg. His first lieutenant was also badly wounded, and ''Argus''{{'}}s rigging was badly cut up. ''Pelican'' tried to cross ''Argus''{{'}}s stern to deliver [[raking fire]] but ''Argus''{{'}}s second lieutenant, [[William Howard Allen]] (not related to the commanding officer), threw his sails aback to slow the American brig and instead raked ''Pelican''.<ref name="Roosevelt114" /> This did not fatally cripple the British vessel, and the two brigs continued to exchange broadsides, with ''Pelican'' now to leeward. After four more minutes, ''Argus''{{'}}s rigging was too badly damaged for the Americans to prevent ''Pelican'' from crossing ''Argus''{{'}}s stern and delivering several raking broadsides.
Through the winter of 1804 and [[1805]], the brig alternated between blockade duty off Tripoli and periods in port at [[Malta]] and Syracuse. In the spring of 1805, ''Argus'' participated in one of the more celebrated episodes of American naval history, the capture of [[Derna]]. During the preceding months, she had made several voyages to [[Egypt]] in support of [[William Eaton|Consul Eaton]]'s efforts to raise a force of men to take Derna in conjunction with the deposed pasha. After a march of over 600 miles (970 km) across the desert in what is now known as [[Libya]], the polyglot army—there were only 10 Americans in the whole force—arrived at Derna on [[25 April]] 1805. ''Argus'' had met the army a day or two earlier at the [[Bay of Bptnba]]<!-- Surely a typo. --> to provide provisions. Now, she made preparations to provide bombardment assistance for the landward assault.
Finally, three-quarters of an hour after the action began, the two vessels came into contact, ''Argus''{{'}}s bow against ''Pelican''{{'}}s quarter. British boarding parties mustered, but before they could board ''Argus'' the Americans surrendered.
 
Unusually for the War of 1812, the American gunnery in this engagement was comparatively ineffective, although ''Pelican''{{'}}s sides were "filled with grapeshot" and two of ''Pelican''{{'}}s carronades had been dismounted.<ref name=Roosevelt115/> British gunnery was "at least of the standard which had brought victory in a hundred victories against the French."<ref>[[#Forester1956|Forester, 1956]] p.135</ref>
The "American" force launched its attack on the [[27 April|27th]]. ''Argus'' and [[USS Nautilus (1799)|''Nautilus'']] anchored about half a mile (800 m) to the eastward of the fortifications. The Tripolitans opened fire almost immediately upon ''Argus'' and upon [[USS Hornet (1805)|''Hornet'']], anchored quite a bit nearer than her two consorts. By 2:45 that afternoon, gunfire from the ships silenced all of the guns in the city. A desperate charge led by Lt. [[Presley O'Bannon]], USMC, managed to carry the gun batteries by storm and breathed new life into the assault. After hoisting the American flag over the battlements, he ordered the already loaded captured guns to be turned on the town. By 4:00 that afternoon, the entire town had fallen to Eaton's army, and the enemy fled to the hinterland. The capture of Derna has been immortalized in the words of the [[Marines' hymn|Marine's Hymn]], "... to the shores of Tripoli."
 
====Aftermath====
Eaton's mixed force held the town until almost the middle of June. However, after Eaton's and O'Bannon's victory, a Tripolitan army, which had been sent to reinforce the town, arrived and began preparations to retake Derna. There, ''Argus'' remained offshore to provide gunfire support in the defense of the town throughout the occupation of Derna. When the Tripolitans finally assaulted the town on [[13 May]], ''Argus'' joined in the fray and enabled the defensive forces narrowly to beat back the charging enemy troops. ''Argus'' guns wreaked havoc among the enemy forces during their headlong retreat. Between that time and early June, the Tripolitans made a few more half-hearted approaches during which ''Argus'' long 12-pounders (5 kg) came into play. However, things remained relatively quiet, for negotiations with the pasha in power were already underway. On [[11 June]], orders arrived to evacuate Derna as negotiations had been concluded. The troops and the deposed pasha were embarked in ''Constellation'' that evening, and the American ships quitted the area.
''Pelican'' and the captured ''Argus'' went in to [[Plymouth]], [[England]]. Allen died there of his wounds a week after the battle. He was buried with full military honors. The rest of the crew, including sailing master [[Uriah P. Levy]], were held as [[Prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] in England for the duration of the war.
 
In 1813, construction commenced for a replacement 18-gun brig ''Argus'' at the [[Washington Naval Yard]] — but the ship was destroyed in the [[burning of Washington]] the following year before it could be launched.<ref name=Roosevelt>{{cite book | last = Roosevelt | first = Theodore | title = The Naval War of 1812, or the History of the United States Navy during the Last War with Great Britain, Part II | publisher = G.P. Putnam’s Sons | date = 1902 | ___location = New York, NY | pages = 45–47 | url = https://archive.org/details/navalwarorhisto00roosgoog/page/n59/mode/1up?view=theater | access-date=August 2, 2022 | quote= On August 20th, Major-General Ross and Rear-Admiral Cockburn, with about 5,000 soldiers and marines, moved on Washington by land… Ross took Washington and burned the public buildings; and the panic-struck Americans foolishly burned the ''Columbia'', 44, and ''Argus'', 18, which were nearly ready for service.}}</ref>
''Argus'' continued to cruise the Mediterranean until the summer of [[1806]]. She returned to the [[United States]] at the [[Washington Navy Yard]] on [[13 July]] and was laid up there in ordinary until [[1807]]. At that time, she was fitted out at the Washington Navy Yard and began a series of cruises along the Atlantic coast of the United States. Those cruises lasted into [[1813]] after America's entry into [[War of 1812|war against Britain]]. During one cruise between [[8 October]] [[1812]] and [[3 January]] 1813, she captured six valuable prizes and eluded an entire British squadron during a three-day stern chase. Through clever handling, she even managed to take one of the prizes as she was fleeing from the overwhelmingly superior English force.
 
==See also==
On [[18 June]] 1813, ''Argus'' put to sea from [[New York, New York|New York]] bearing the honorable [[William H. Crawford]], the United States minister to [[France]]. She arrived in [[L'Orient]], France, on [[11 July]], disembarked the minister, and put to sea again on the 14th. She spent the next month conducting a highly successful anticommerce cruise in the [[English Channel]], thence around the southern coast of England and into [[St. George's Channel]]. At that point, early in the morning of [[14 August]], ''Argus'' ran afoul of [[HMS Pelican|HMS ''Pelican'']]. Failing to gain the weather gage, ''Argus'' shortened sail and ran along the starboard tack as ''Pelican'' came up from behind. ''Argus'' wore ship and opened with her port battery. ''Pelican'' answered with her starboard guns. Soon into the action, <i>Argus</i>' commanding officer, [[William H. Allen]], suffered a mortal wound when a round shot amputated his right leg. The captain, however, remained at his station until he fainted from loss of blood. <i>Pelican</i>'s gunfire did fierce damage to ''Argus'' rigging. Within 15 minutes, ''Argus'' was unmanageable for all practical purposes, and ''Pelican'' raked her at will. At 6:45, the British ship was in position to board; but, as her seamen began to storm on board, ''Argus'' [[Striking the colors|struck her colors]]. During the 45-minute action, ''Argus'' lost 10 men killed&mdash;including her captain&mdash;and 13 wounded.
* [[List of ships captured in the 19th century]]
* [[Bibliography of early American naval history]]
 
== See also Citations==
{{Reflist}}
See [[USS Argus|USS ''Argus'']] for other ships of this name.
 
==References==
{{DANFS}}
* {{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a11/argus-i.htm}}
* Cressman, Robert J. "Historic Ships:'The Handsomest Vessel of Her Rate.'" ''Naval History'', June 2014, pp.&nbsp;64–65.
* {{cite book |last=Dye |first=Ira |title=The Fatal Cruise of the Argus: Two Captains in the War of 1812 |ref=Dye1994 |publisher=<br>Naval Institute Press |year=1994 |isbn=1-55750-175-0 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/fatalcruiseofarg0000dyei }}, [https://archive.org/details/fatalcruiseofarg0000dyei <!-- quote=dye, The Fatal Cruise of the Argus: Two Captains in the War of 1812. --> Book] <!--*[[#Dye1994|Dye, 1994]] pp.xx-yy -->
* {{cite book |last= Dye |first=Ira |author-mask=2 |title=Uriah Levy: Reformer of the Antebellum Navy |ref=Dye2006 |year=2006 |publisher=<br>University Press of Florida |pages=299 |isbn=0-8130-3004-8}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=gj51QgAACAAJ Book]
<!--*[[#Dye2006|Dye, 2006]] pp.xx-yy -->
* {{cite book |last=Forester |first=Cecil Scott |title=The Age of Fighting Sail: the story of the naval War of 1812 |url=https://archive.org/details/ageoffightingsai00fore |url-access=registration |ref=Forester1956 |publisher=<br>Doubleday, New York. |pages=296 |isbn=0-939218-06-2|date=1956-01-01 }}, [https://archive.org/details/ageoffightingsai00fore Book]
<!--*[[#Forester1956|Forester, 1956]] pp.xx-yy -->
* {{cite book |first=William |last=James |title=The naval history of Great Britain, 1793 - 1827...Volume 6 |year=1837 |author-link=William James (naval historian) |publisher=<br>Richard Bentley, London |pages=586}}, [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.92798 E'Book]
* {{cite book |first=Theodore |last=Roosevelt |author-link=Theodore Roosevelt |year=1882 |ref=Roosevelt1882 |title=The Naval War of 1812 |publisher=<br>G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York. p.&nbsp;541.}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=YqN9dD1BJ1sC E'Book]
<!--*[[#Roosevelt1882|Roosevelt, 1882]] pp.xx-yy -->
* Smith, Joshua M. "'So Far Distant from the Eyes of Authority': Jefferson's Embargo and the U.S. Navy, 1807-1809," in William B. Cogar, ed. ''New Interpretations in Naval History: Selected Papers from the Twelfth Naval History Symposium'' (Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1997), pp.&nbsp;123–138.
 
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[[Category:BarbaryShips Wars|Argusbuilt (1803)in Boston]]
[[Category:War of 1812 ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Vessels captured from the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Barbary Wars American ships]]
[[Category:1803 ships]]
[[Category:Captured ships]]