The capture of HMS Alert by USS Essex was the first British vessel taken by the United States in the War of 1812.
Key Facts
- Date
- 13 August 1812
- Duration of engagement
- Eight minutes
- USS Essex guns
- 32
- HMS Alert guns
- 20
- Alert in US service until
- 1829
- Broadsides fired by Essex
- 1
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the early weeks of the War of 1812, USS Essex under Captain David Porter was at sea seeking British vessels. Captain Laugharne of HMS Alert mistook Essex for a merchantman because Porter kept his gunports closed, which led Laugharne to maneuver his ship to within pistol-shot range, believing he faced no serious threat.
On 13 August 1812, USS Essex revealed her carronades and fired a single broadside against HMS Alert. The engagement lasted only eight minutes, after which Alert was forced to surrender. Porter then permitted Laugharne to sail to Newfoundland to disembark his crew before formally surrendering the vessel to American authorities in New York.
Alert became the first British warship captured by the United States in the War of 1812, providing a symbolic early American victory. The prize vessel served in the US Navy until 1829, and a shipment of British Brown Bess sea service muskets found aboard was used to arm American Marines at the Washington and Boston Navy Yards.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Captain David Porter.
Side B
1 belligerent
Captain T.L.P. Laugharne.