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The Daybook

HRNM Staff

Rear Adm. Christopher W. ColeCommander, Navy Region, Mid-Atlantic

The Daybook is an authorized publication ofthe Hampton Roads Naval Museum (HRNM). Itscontents do not necessarily reflect the official viewof the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense,the U.S. Navy, or the U.S. Marine Corps and do notimply endorsement thereof. Book reviews are solelythe opinion of the reviewer.

The HRNM is operated and funded byCommander, Navy Region, Mid-Atlantic. Themuseum is dedicated to the study of 225 years ofnaval history in the Hampton Roads region. It isalso responsible for the historic interpretation of thebattleship Wisconsin.

The museum is open daily. Call for information onWisconsin’s planned hours of operations. Admissionto the museum is free. The Daybook’s purpose is toeducate and inform readers on historical topics andmuseum related events. It is written by the staff andvolunteers of the museum.

Questions or comments can be directed to theHampton Roads N aval Museum editor. The Daybookcan be reached at 757-322-2993, by fax at 757- 445-1867, e-mail at gbcalhoun@nsn.cmar.navy.mil, orwrite The Daybook , Hampton Roads Naval Museum,One Waterside Drive, Suite 248, Norfolk, VA 23510-1607. The museum can be found on the World WideWeb at http://www.hrnm.navy.mil.

About The Daybook

Director Becky PoulliotCurator Joe JudgeEducation Specialist Bob MattesonExhibits Specialist Marta Nelson Ofelia ElboEditor of The Daybook Gordon CalhounArchitectural Historian Michael TaylorBattleship WisconsinOperations Manager Capt. Mary Mosier, USN (Ret.)Special Events Kathryn HolmgaardVolunteer CoordinatorThomas DandesHRNM OIC AO1 (AW/NAC) Sonny HallHRNM LPO QM1(SW) Clay PickardDirector, HRNHF Maj.Gen.Dennis Murphy, USMC (Ret.)

In This Issue...Volume 7 Issue 1

Features

The Museum Sage.......12All About the Money:Declaring Victory Over theFrench

Book Reviews .....................................10

Cover Photograph: There have been many military celebrationsin this region. Of no less importance was one of the very first ones.The highlight of the 1799 naval war with France was the capture ofthe French frigate L’Insurgente by the American frigateConstellation. Shown here in this 1799 painting by E. Savage,Constellation chases down the French warship and prepares to dobattle. Once captured, L’Insurgente sailed into Hampton Roadsunder an American prize crew where local citizens received herwith grand praise. The Gosport Navy Yard then refitted the prizeand recommissioned her for action under the American flag.

Day of Deceit: The Truth About PearlHarbor by Robert Stinnett. Reviewed byCapt. Howard Sandefer (Ret.)

Broadsides: The Age of Fighting Sail,1775-1815 by Nathan Miller. Reviewedby CWO4 Allen Mordica

The Director’s Column.......................2A Museum for the Millennium

Glorious News: Capture, Refit, and Loss of the Frigate Insurgent, page 6

Museum Receives Wisconsin Artifacts from Battleship Vets, Page 4

Jack From USS Maine Back on Exhibit, Page 3

The Daybook is published quarterlywith a circulation of 1,500. Contactthe editor for a free subscription.

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A Museum For the MilleniumThe Director’s Columnby Becky Poulliot

The Hampton Roa ds Naval Museumstaff is undertaking several ambitiousprojects to place us in the vanguard

of the hands-on educational movement. Bythe time you receive this issue of TheDaybook, the Wisconsin’s December 7th

homecoming ceremony will be a fondmemory. But the battleship’s grandopening to the public is set for April 16,2001, and we have to be ready to greet andteach an estimated 250,000 visitors per year.We are still seeking volunteer battleshiptour guides and will train them duringJanuary-March 2001. Two training optionsare available: a two week course on-site (26,28 February; 5, 7 March 2001); or a take-home course on video. All docents will givepractice tours onboard the ship to othervolunteers before going before the public.A tour guide can also specialize in a specificsection or station of the ship at first, beforeconducting an entire tour.

One specific museum audience that wecontinue to focus on is school age children

Reminder!The Hampton Roads NavalMuseum will be CLOSEDbetween January 2, 2001through March 30 to prepareexhibits for the battleshipWisconsin.from grades 4-6. The State’s Standards of

Learning for these grades emphasizeAmerican history and allow for field tripsto museums. Through the generous supportof the Centennial of the U.S.Navy Submarine Force NationalCommemorative Committee, this year we

are adding a new schoolprogram. “Silent Hunters:U.S. Navy Submarines inWorld War II” will allowstudents to become“members” of a U.S. Navysub crew. In addition tolearning about thehistorical significance ofU.S. Navy submarines, thestudents will learnphysical science principlesrelated to technology,light, sound and motion.

Getting the word out isjust as important as conducting the training.Through the efforts of Foundation BoardMember William J. Jonak, Jr. working withthe museum, a $5,000 granted has beenobtained from The Natural Sciences Fund(formerly the Society of Sciences) tosupport the museum’s ongoing educationprogram. The grant will fund the museum’splanned “Teacher Awareness Program,”

which will focus onorienting the public schoolsystems of Norfolk,Portsmouth, VirginiaBeach, and Chesapeake tothe extensive, curriculum-based, K through 12,educational opportunitiesafforded by the museum.The trustees of the local,Natural Sciences Fundresponsible for directingthis significant grant to themuseum are M. Lee Payne,Walter P. Conrad, Jr.,James E. Prince, Jr., andJonak.

I end this column byintroducing new additionsto our staff: Kathryn

Holmgaard and Tom Dandes. Kathryn, arecent graduate from William and Mary, isour Special Events Coordinator. She plansall our luncheon lectures and there are somegreat ones coming in 2001. Tom, ourvolunteer coordinator, endured a baptismby fire recently by arriving on the first day

of Wisconsin docent training. He handlesall volunteer applications and volunteerwork schedules.

I have included a photograph hereillustrating our latest endeavor. VirginiaBeach resident and television celebrityRudy Boesch really needs no introduction.He graciously agreed to do a public serviceannouncement for the Hampton RoadsNaval Museum and the VirginiaAssociation of Museums to celebrate“Museums in the Millennium.” Pleasewatch for this commercial advertising for usto air beginning in January 2001.

The Hampton Roads Naval Historical Foundation and the museum recentlyaccepted $5000 from the Natural Sciences Fund for an education outreachprogram. Pictured from left to right are president of the HRNHF, SamBarron Segar, William J. Jonak, a director of the HRNHF and the NaturalSciences Fund, Becky Poulliot, and Major Gen. Dennis Murphy, executivedirector of the HRNHF. (Photo by Gordon Calhoun)

Rudy Boesch of the CBS television show “Survivor”recently paid a visit .He filmed a public service announcement for us as a part of the VirginiaAssociation of Museum’s “Museums for the Millenium” program. Rudy isa retired master chief of 45 years and a resident of Virginia Beach. (HRNMphoto)

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Jack From the Locally-Based BattleshipUSS Maine Back on Display

The Museum’s New ArchitecturalHistory Program

A fter nine months of detailedconservation work, one of themuseum’s most priceless artifacts

is back on display. The gigantic canvas jackfrom the locally-based battleship USSMaine (BB-2/c) recently returned fromtextile conservators and is currently onpermanent exhibit in the museum’s Spanish-American War gallery, behind the 1884builder’s model of the warship. This flagflew at the bow of the battleship the nightshe exploded in Havana, Cuba.

The late Everett Conwell of Chesapeake,VA gave the flag to the museum in 1998.He received the flag from his grandfather,James B. Dean, who happened to be inHavana during the investigation of theexplosion.

It is often asked how we can be sure thisis the actual flag. In addition to the donor’soral history, there are several importantclues that support its claimed provenance.First, it is large and made of canvas and not

a modern day material.Second, it has 43 starswhich is the correctnumber of states for 1898.Finally, and mostimportantly, on the back ofthe flag is written: “UnionJack No. 3, Dec. 1892, NewYork Navy Yard.” The NewYork Navy Yardconstructed Maine andlaunched her in 1892.

The jack of the locally based USS Maine(BB-2/c) is back on display after ninemonths of work by textile conservators. Atleft is a painting of the battleship at anchorin Havana the day before she exploded.Notice the jack flying at the bow of the ship.(Photo of jack by Gordon Calhoun; Mainepainting, HRNM photo of an 1898 print byHenry Reuterdahl)

One of the great secrets of HamptonRoads Naval history is itsrich architectural material culture.

Located on local Navy facilities areeverything from the 17th century KiskiackHouse of Yorktown Naval WeaponsStation to the second oldest baseball field(McClure Field) in America.

In partnership with the Commander,Navy Region, Mid-Atlantic and the NavyRegional Historic Preservation Office,HRNM has begun a new educationprogram which will focus on the historyand architectural heritage of the Navy’sbuildings in the Hampton Roads region.This joint effort follows guidelines andrequirements as set forth in the NationalHistoric Preservation Act for treatment ofthe historic properties.

Specifically, the program uses Webbased materials, CD-ROMs, and on-site

school instructional to form acomprehensive education package, whichwill be available to all public schools andthe general public. The public schoolrelated materials are also being structured toconform to current Virginia Standards ofLearning requirements so that they will besuitable for teachers to use in classrooms ona regular basis.

The program is highlighted atthe museum’s web site(www.hrnm.navy.mil). After entering themuseum, clicking on the “ArchitecturalHeritage Program” button to take you to thenew site. This new web site addition

contains introduction material with goalsand objectives, a list of historic preservationlinks, current preservation news items andhistoric Navy building pictures withdescriptions. The “Quarterly Events”section also has a ready to use lesson planfor public school teachers, along with afeatured picture section.

For more information about thisprogram, please contact: Michael V. Taylor,HRNM, One Waterside Drive, Suite 248,Norfolk, Virginia 23510-1607, 757-445-8574, or send an e-mail tomvtaylor@nsn.cmar.navy.mil.

1907 drawing of the west wing of building N-23

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Sacred Everyday ItemsWisconsin Veterans Donate Artifacts for Exhibits

The heart of any museum exhibit isits artifacts. They allow the visitorto see history in front of them and

make a connection with it. Withoutartifacts, an exhibit is nothing more than a

shortened version of a book that could befound any store. Artifacts allow historiansto know a personal side of their subject.

The Hampton Roads Naval Museum andNauticus are extremely fortunate thatseveral veterans of USS Wisconsin havedonated personal possessions of theirs thatrelate to the ship. Pieces range fromcommon items such as pea coats and

jumpers to more unusual items like licepowder. The collection includesphotographs, flathats, basketballuniforms, guidebooks, ship’s plans,midshipman cruise information books, and

sea bags.In terms of straight,

monetary value, these items maynot fetch much. However, inmany ways one can not place aprice tag on items like aphotograph of one ofWisconsin’s young enlisted

sailors and his mother or a battle streamer thatflew over the ship during World War II.These artifacts represent the men who madeWisconsin into a living, breathing entity andtherefore, are priceless. Shown here aresome of them that will be on display in thenew exhibits. We are very appreciative ofthe vets for donating these items so thatothers may know their experiences.

Jersey donated byRoger Kliesen

Section badge donated by John A. Costello

Seabag donated byJohn M. Fox

Can of anti-licepowder donatedby Howard Lynn

Safety manual donated by Ronald Reeves

Pass donated by Russell Texter

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The Armor of Achilles: Composition ofAmerican Battleship Armor Plate Steel

The last issue of The Daybookfocus ed on the design andconstruction of Wisconsin and her

sister Iowa-class battleships. The articlereported that all battleships used a nickel-steel for armor plating, but that the Iowa-class battleship benefited from advances in

steel forgingt e c h n o l o g y .Specifically,steel millsmanufactured

higher quality steel through the use ofhigher temperature forges.

Since that article was written, newinformation has come to light. When themuseum posed the question about armorplate steel to the Internet, steel mill historiansand retired steel mill workers from across thenation took a great interest in finding outmore for us.

It turns out that Class “A” armor platesteel, the kind used on a portion of the Iowa-class’ armor belt, was made up of muchmore than nickel and iron. Rather, inaddition to using higher temperatureforges, metallurgists created a complexseries of elements to create an impressivealloy.

Specifically, they came up with thefollowing composition:

.15% Carbon

.35% Manganese

.02% Phosphorus

.02% Sulfur (no more than .02%, see below)

.25% Silicon2.60% Nickel1.40% Chrome.40% Molybdenum94.81% Iron

Instead of “nickel-steel,” we really shouldcall Wisconsin’s armor carbon-managnese-phosphorus-sulfur-silicon-nickel-chrome-molybdenum (whew!) steel. Sulfur was aby-product of raw materials and an impurity.Metallurgists set a limit of .02% of sulpherin the final product. The resulting alloy issome of the hardest known metal evermanufactured. This type of steel is stillturned out today under the names HY-80 andHY-100. However, it is used in muchdifferent products such as pressurized gasbottles and in hulls of modern submarines.

U.S. Steel, Bethelhem Steel, and LukensSteel manufactured both the Class “A” andClass “B”-armor used on Wisconsin.

Seabag donated by William R. Beeker

Signal flags donated byFrederick C. Mauritson

Suitcase, uniform, and flathat donated by Howard Lynn. “Crossing the Line”book donated by William K. Henson.

Learn more about the futureplans of the battleshipWisconsin at http://w w w . h r n m . n a v y . m i l /wisconsin.html

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Glorious Newsby Joe Mosier

“Glorious News!!” Using a typeface that would bethe equivalent of reporting the bombing of PearlHarbor by a 20th century newspaper, the NorfolkHerald reported on March 2, 1799 to local readersabout the capture of the French frigate L’Insurgente.

The citizens of Hampton Roadsopened their papers on 2 March1799 to “glorious news”. The first

reports had come in of a signal naval victoryin the Quasi-War with France. The UnitedStates frigate Constellation, under thecommand of Commodore Thomas Truxtunhad defeated the French frigateL’Insurgente in a battle off the island ofNevis in the West Indies. Although in thosepre-electronic days the news was almost amonth old, it thrilled the readers. Both theConstellation and her captain were well-known to the people of Norfolk andPortsmouth. More than a hundred of hercrew had been recruited locally, and someof her officers such as Lieutenant WillsCowper were Virginia-born. She had beena frequent visitor to the region duringperiods of refitting. The pride felt by thepeople of Hampton Roads was enormous.

The Sea Fight Constel lat ion had departed theChesapeake on New Year’s Eve in company

Capture and Career of the frigate Insurgent

with the brig Richmond and four merchantships. Twelve days later in the vicinity ofAntigua, Truxtun dispatched the brig andcontinued down the chain of islands towardthe American base at Basseterre Roads offthe island of St. Kitts. For three weeks,Truxtun worked to assign his subordinatevessels to the necessary but unglamoroustask of convoying merchant ships throughareas where French privateers were active.Secure that his system was well understood,

Truxtun proceeded on his own patrols inConstellation. At about noon on 9 February a fewleagues off the island of Nevis, lookoutssighted a ship to the west. Closing, Truxtuntook her to be a man of war. He showedthe agreed upon signal of the day, but thestranger failed to give a correct answer.Constellation beat to quarters and began thechase. About 2 o’clock in the afternoon asquall passed through the area. Truxtun’sseamen eased their lines in time to avoiddamage, but the main topmast of the othership was seen to go overboard. Thisallowed the Americans to gain groundrapidly. At a quarter past three,Constellation was close on the quarter ofwhat Truxtun was now sure was a Frenchfrigate. At 100 yards range, Truxtunopened the engagement with a starboardbroadside, beginning a fight that would lastabout 75 minutes.

The French ship brought her sternthrough the wind in a seeming attempt toclose for boarding. With her manpower

advantage (about 400 to 250) it might provea winning strategy. Constellation pulledahead, crossing her bows and raking thefrigate with another crippling broadside.The French had now lost their mizzentopmast, and their sails and rigging wereterribly cut up. Truxtun used his superiormaneuverability to range repeatedly acrossthe enemy’s bow and stern. With eachcrossing, the cannons on Constellation’sgun deck fired in turn as the French passed

into their sights. By half past four, theFrench captain, Michel Pierre Barreaut,realized the futility of continuing theincreasingly uneven fight and struck hisflag. Truxtun sent his first lieutenant, JohnRodgers, across to formally accept thesurrender of what he now learned was theFrench national frigate, L’Insurgente.Rodgers wrote home a few days later todescribe what he had seen. “I must confessthe most gratifying sight my eyes everbeheld was seventy French pirates (youknow I have just cause to call them such)wallowing in their gore, twenty-nine ofwhom were killed and forty one wounded.”The French had fired high during the battlein an attempt to disable the Americans’ sails

and rigging. While much of Constellation’srigging was damaged, this resulted in littleinjury to her crew. Injuries were to be foundonly among the men in the tops. Captain Barreaut professed astonishmentthat the fight had occurred between theships of two nations that were formally atpeace. As Truxtun later wrote NavySecretary Benjamin Stoddert; “The Frenchcaptain tells me, I have caused a war theFrance. If so I am glad of it, for I detestthings being done by halves.”

The difficulty now was in getting bothConstellation and her prize into port for

Insurgent continued on page 7

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Constellation chases afterL’Insurgente. When asked why heattacked the French frigate, Truxtunonly remarked “The Frenchcaptain tells me, I have caused awar the France. If so I am glad ofit, for I detest things being done byhalves.” (HRNM photo of a 1799engraving by E. Savage)

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Truxtun’s protégé was one Lt. John Rodgers. Soon tobe a iron fisted commodore in his own right, Rodgerstook command of L’Insurgente’s prize crew and broughtthe frigate back to Hampton Roads. (HRNM photo ofan 1803 painting)

Possessing of one of the most dominating personalitiesin U.S. Naval history, Commodore Thomas Truxtun wasthe commanding officer of Constellation and the seniorofficer in the Caribbean at the time of the battle withL’Insurgente. (Naval Historical Center photo of an 1817painting by Bass Otis)

repairs. While the damage was nowherenear as heavy as that to L’Insurgente ,Truxtun’s ship found it difficult to sail towindward. It took both ships nearly threedays to make the twenty or so miles to thesafety of Basseterre Roads. Once there,Truxtun basked in the praise lavished onhim by the island’s British residents. Hewrote Stoddert, “It is impossible for me tostate the joy demonstrated by theinhabitants on this occasion.” Thecommodore placed John Rodgers in chargeof the repair of L’Insurgente. In doing sohe warned Rodgers to spend as little aspossible on her refit.

Until a court condemned the prize, nomoney would pass into her captors’ hands.Moreover, “when the United States valuesthe ship, we shall have to pay perhaps ourproportion of her outfit.” In took a monthof hard work before Rodgers had the prizein a state of reasonable readiness to go tosea. A crew of about 124 seamen had beendrafted for Constellation and other shipsin Truxtun’s squadron to man her. Withthe one-year enlistments of his crewrunning out, Truxtun decided in late Aprilto take both ships back to Norfolk.

The Court Fight On 24 May 1799, the Norfolk Heraldreported: “Yesterday arrived in Hampton

Roads the U.S. Frigate Constellation,Commodore Truxtun and theInsurgente, Lieutenant Rogers [sic].They left St. Kitts on the 7th instant.”Celebrations were quick to follow. Thatevening the 54 th Regiment of theVirginia Militia held a parade atLindsay’s Gardens. An “elegant dinner”followed where toasts were offered toGeneral Washington, President Adams,the Navy, and (after he was modestlyallowed to leave the room) toCommodore Truxtun himself. Just as quickly began the effort ofjudging the prize money due toConstellation’s crew. By the rule of theday, once a prize was condemned, hervalue was set by the courts. To this endNaval Agent William Pennock broughttogether a commission of six men todetermine the value of L’Insurgente forthe District Court which would hear thecondemnation trial. Pennock was an oldfriend of Truxtun. One writer claims

Massachusetts. Fox put her value at$116,400; Granbery - $120,000; Myers -$136,000; Pierce - $110,000, Bramble$120,000 and Shacklock - $118,000. Theaverage of $120,066 was accepted by theDistrict Court when L’ Insurgente was latercondemned. By law the resulting monetary rewardwas to be divided by strict standards. Ifthe prize ship was held to be inferior in sizeand power to her captor, the prize moneywas split evenly between her crew and theFederal government. If, however, the prizewas judged superior, the winning crew keptall the money. In making its decision thecourt was again generous to Truxtun.

“I must confess the most gratifying sight my eyes everbeheld was seventy French pirates (you know I havejust cause to call them such) wallowing in their gore,twenty-nine of whom were killed and forty onewounded.”-An assessment of the battle from Lt. (and futurecommodore) John Rodgerspartner in the purchase of District ofColumbia land from Navy SecretaryStoddert. Whatever their motivations, thesix were generous in their calculations. Acertificate of value for L’Insurgente dated27 May 1799 still exists in the Josiah FoxPapers at Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Insurgent continued on page 8

Official French documents putL’Insurgente at 40 guns; 26 twelve-pounders, 10 six-pounders and 4 thirty-sixpound carronades. This gave the frigate anominal gun weight (the total weight of shotthat could fired without reloading) of 516

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that Pennock had served as theCommodore’s second lieutenant in theprivateer Mars during the Revolution. Thecommission he assigned all appeared tohave been favorable to Truxtun as well. Itconsisted of Naval Constructor Josiah Fox(builder of the ill-fated Chesapeake),Norfolk merchants John Granbery andMoses Myers, sea captain and merchantJohn Bramble, shipbuilder and chandlerNicholas Shacklock and David Pierce.Granbery, Myers, and Bramble were allstrong Navy supporters who had beeninvolved in the building of the subscriptionbrig Richmond.

Myers had frequently played host toTruxtun at his home and would later be his

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Constellation caught up with L’Insurgente and opened the action on the afternoon of Feburary 6, 1799. Within 75 mintues, L’Insurgentestruck her colors and surrendered. The young U.S. Navy now had its first big prize. (Naval Historical Center)

Once the ship to ship action was over, the fighting did not die down. A Norfolk prize court concluded thatL’Insurgente possesed superior firepower to his ship, thus making Truxtun, and his crew eligible forL’Insurgente’s full prize amount. (Naval Historical Center photo of an 1800 painting by E. Savage)

pounds. The actual weight would have beenslightly higher as the French “pound” wasabout 1/12 greater than the English measureused by the U.S. Navy. Constellation wasofficially rated as a 38-gun frigate. At thetime of her battle with L’Insurgente ,however, she actually mounted many morecannon.

Spencer Tucker in his fine work Armingthe Fleet states: “During the Quasi-Warwith France, when she captured theInsurgente , the American frigate hadtwenty-eight short 24-poundersmanufactured by Cecil Furnace on her maindeck and twenty 12-pounder carronades onthe quarterdeck and forecastle.” This gaveher a gun weight of 912 pounds, anadvantage of at least 60%. Truxun’s firstlieutenant, John Rodgers, was questionedby the court on the relative strength of thetwo vessels. He gave a minimalist answerciting only the official ratings of the frigates,40 guns versus 38. No one pressed himfurther, and the entirety of the $120,000prize money was awarded to Truxtun andhis crew. Navy Secretary Benjamin Stoddert

Insurgent continued on page 9

Insurgent continued from page 7

would have none of it. He received fromTruxtun a copy of the court decreecondemning L’Insurgente and passingownership of her to her captors. On 2 July,

Stoddert wrote the commodore: “Thedecree is an extraordinary one - not

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agreeable to law in directing the vessel tobe delivered to the captors - not agreeableto fact, in determining her force to besuperior to that of the Constellation. I amnot however disposed to appeal thisdecree. But anxious as I am on everyoccasion to do at least full justice to thecommanders, officers and seamen of ournavy, I cannot but feel that it is my duty todo justice to the public also….The sumfixed on by the gentlemen at Norfolk isfar beyond her value in my opinion. Sheis I presume seven or nearly seven yearsold [she was built at L’Orient in 1791] - arough built vessel, much the worse forwear….Upon a view of all circumstances,and as you will have to wait a little whileat New York, I think it will be best foryou to come on to the seat of governmenton this business.” A week later Stoddertwas still stronger in his refusal to acceptthe court’s decree. He wrote again toTruxtun. Calling the court’s finding onthe comparative force of the two frigateserroneous, he warned, “[I]t is my opinionthat the superior court on an appeal, wouldreverse the decree. I wish to avoid thedisagreeable circumstance of a contestbetween the United States, and the officersand seamen in the public service. I offeryou and the officers and seamen of theConstellation interested in the Insurgente,eighty four thousand five hundred dollars,for all your claim to that ship….I cannotexceed it. If this offer should not beagreeable, then I propose, that the shipshall be valued by competent persons,indifferently chosen - and I willimmediately pay into the hands of youragent, one half the amount of thatvaluation.” Truxtun knew it was an offer he couldnot refuse. While he agreed to the priceof $84,500, Truxtun did his best to keepas much of his share as possible. He wentso far as to refuse any commission toWilliam Pennock, the naval agent who haddone so much to help Truxtun through thecondemnation proceedings. He wrotePennock: “I sent you the condemnation ofL’Insurgente this morning. Not one dollarof commission will you or any one elsereceive on the prize at Norfolk. You mustbe satisfied with your commission on heroutfit as a U.S. ship. You are capitalfellows for commissions at Norfolk; let meask you, if you don’t dream of

commissions every night. I shouldhave no objections to a reasonablecommission being paid on amerchant vessel I might send in, butno commission, no, no, onL’Insurgente.” With that ratherpetulant outburst, the French frigatepassed into the ownership of theUnited States Navy.

The Brief Career of U.S.S.Insurgent By mid-June of 1799, SecretaryStoddert had already decided on anew commanding officer forInsurgent . He chose CaptainAlexander Murray, formercommander of the 20-gun convertedmerchantman Montezuma . Murrayhad served during the RevolutionaryWar as an army captain, a navylieutenant, and privateercommander. He had, by his owncount, fought in thirteen battles onland or at sea during that conflict.Stoddert considered him “a man ofgood temper, good sense, honor,and bravery.” Good sense left himdisgruntled by what he found whenhe took command in July. “I am

Insurgent continued from page 8

Insurgent continued on page 14

Insurgent’s first American commander was Capt. AlexanderMurray. Described as “a status snob” by naval historianChristopher McKee, Murray spent large sums of money to makesure he was the best dressed man in the Navy. Despite hispersonality flaws, Murray was an intelligent officer. and apassionate political advocate for the early Navy. (HRNM photo ofa c. 1800 painting by James Pearl)

“You must be satisfied with your commission on heroutfit as a U.S. ship. Not one dollar of commissionwill you or any one else receive on the prize at Norfolk...let me ask you, if you don’t dream of commissions everynight... but no commission, no, no, on L’Insurgente.”-Truxtun to Norfolk Naval agent William Pennock

very well pleased with the Insurgent,” hewrote Stoddert. “She is a fine commodiousfrigate, but am not perfectly satisfied withCaptain Truxtun’s arrangements, withregard to the masts, bowsprit and

bottom….” Why hadn’t Truxtun had themrepaired? The answer probably lay inTruxtun’s desire to assure the greatestpossible prize money for himself and hiscrew. By the end of July, Stoddert sent Murrayhis operational plan for Insurgent. Thefrigate was to be “a cruising vessel…to bestationed at no particular place, nor subjectto the command of any officer” senior toMurray. It was essential carte blanche to

patrol where the commanding officerwished. The only firm requirement was tobe off the island of Cayenne about 20September 1799. Given this leeway, Murraydecided to cruise off Europe. Insurgent left

the Chesapeake on 14 August. She madegood time, arriving off the Azores two weekslater and continued on to Lisbon which shereached on 13 September. It had been afrustrating cruise for Murray. For four weeks,he had pursued every sail in sight, but hadseen not a single French vessel. At Lisbonhe refilled water casks and took on freshprovisions. Insurgent sailed four days laterin company with HMS Phaeton for Gibraltar.

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Book Reviews

Nathan Miller. Broadsides: TheAge of Fighting Sails, 1775-1815. New York: John Wiley& Sons, Inc., 2000. 400 pages.$30.00

Broadsides:The Age of Fighting Sails,1775-1815by Nathan MillerReviewed by CWO4 Allen M. Mordica

Mr. Mordica is a chief warrant officer with the UnitedStates Coast Guard who is currently assigned to theCoast Guard’s Atlantic Logistics & MaintenanceCommand.

A more accurate subtitle for thisbook might be, The Zenith of theAge of Fighting Sail. The “Age of

Fighting Sail” is popularly accepted asbeginning by 1588 with the actionsbetween Queen Elizabeth’s fleet and theSpanish Armada in the English Channel.While Mr. Miller does touch briefly onsome of those foundations, a bit moreemphasis on 17th century naval eventswould have made his story much moreedifying. The war between the English andDutch during that time established the

foundation for many of the traditions,technological advances, policies and navalregulations that profoundly influenced thelater American War of Independence andthe Napoleonic Wars at sea. The reasonsfor the issuance of the “FightingInstructions” and circumstancessurrounding the execution of Admiral JohnByng on his own quarterdeck help explainthe causes for the oppressively strictadherence to the line-ahead battleformation in the British navy. Miller also moors his narrative tightlyto the life of Horatio Nelson in many places.He often refers to historical events farremoved from England and to their effecton the life and career of Nelson, orconversely, of his effect upon them. Itwould be easy to draw the conclusion thatduring his life Nelson was much moreinfluential on British naval policy andstrategy than he actually while he was alive.

That having been said, in the preface bythe author Miller freely admits that the focusof his book is to connect the historicalbackground relative to several popularbooks about fictional British naval officersof the 1776-1815 era. He specifically refersto the series written by C. S. Forester,Alexander Kent and Patrick O’Brien. Inthis goal he has indeed succeeded very well,relating a concise, informative andentertaining story of a most crucial periodof European (and American) history. Miller carries an enjoyable story fromthe British Admiralty to the shipyards andfleet anchorages, the squadrons patrollingremote stations in foul weather, to the epicfleet battles and single-ship engagementsin areas spanning half of the globe. Ratherthan being described as “set-piece” battles,each is shown in relation to the overallpicture of regional or global naval policies.Many sea battles and campaigns, forexample the running skirmishes betweenAdmirals Suffren and Hughes in the IndianOcean, are not generally known. Many notable characters, includingfamous political figures and great (andsome not-so great) commanders arebrought to life. Their political andprofessional agendas are explained andreferenced to events as they transpire. It isalso interesting to note how greatly personalissues influenced naval planning during thetime. One notable example is the Howebrothers, one an admiral and the other ageneral, and their differing views onconducting war on the American colonies.Another example is Horatio Nelson’sobsession with the Lady Hamilton and howhis relationship with her adversely affectedthe campaign against Bonaparte’s Frenchfleet in the Mediterranean Sea. The battles themselves are explainedwith necessary attention to the gruesome

detail unavoidable in accurately describingbattles at sea during the era. Vivid are theimages of men smashed by shot or piercedby huge splinters from the oaken side of aship. An example Miller used is hisdescription of Admiral Villeneuve atAboukir Bay where his legs were taken offby a roundshot and was set by his men in achair on the deck of Ville de Paris whilewatching his squadron being destroyed ashe bled to death. Some anecdotes, which became famousin naval legend, are explained as well. Someare well known, such as Capt. JamesLawrence’s dying words before losingChesapeake, “Don’t give up the ship” andOliver Hazard Perry’s famous summary ofthe Battle of Lake Erie, “We have met theenemy and he is ours.” Less known, butmore amusing, is the image of Nelson, uponbeing told of the flag signal from hiscommander to withdraw at the battle ofCopenhagen, putting a spyglass up to hisblind eye and remarking, “I see no signal.”Also of intrest is Admiral Collingwood’sirritated reaction to the famous flag signalat Trafalgar, “I wish Nelson would stop allthat signaling; we all know what our dutyis!” In short, this is a very well written,enjoyable and historically accurate referencebook. It deserves a place on the bookshelfalongside the fiction works mentioned above,and with other similar works.

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The Daybook Vol. 7 Issue 1

Day of Deceit: The Truth AboutFDR and Pearl Harborby Robert B. StinnettReviewed by Capt. Howard Sandefer (Ret.)

Theories about high members of theUnited States government havingprior knowledge of the attack at Pearl

Harbor began to surface about 10 days afterthe attack. Some Republicans were of thefixed opinion that FDR engineered the attackto get our nation into World War II on theAllied side. The notion persists, even afterfour investigations into that sad occurrence.

Robert B. Sinnett has attempted to paintthe whole story, including previously reportedevents, such as the SS Lurline radio intercepts,as well as new material he had released underthe Freedom of Information Act. The resultis difficult to read. Many different people wereinvolved, diverse information tracks were inexistence, and a somewhat confused timelinewas used. This is not surprising, given thenumber of people involved in intelligencegathering.

Through some circumstance not explained,LCdmr. Arthur H. McCollum wrote amemorandum designed to incite an attack bythe Japanese. LCdmr. McCollum was the headof the Far East desk of the Office of NavalIntelligence. Reasons a lieutenant commanderwould write such a memo, and the Presidentof the United States adopt it, were not revealed.The eight step memorandum was constructedon several estimated situations. It waspostulated that “a small U. S. Naval Forcecapable of seriously threatening Japan’ssouthern supply routes already (was) in thetheater of Operations.” and “A considerableDutch Naval force is in the Orient that wouldbe of value if allied to U. S.” The memo furthergoes on to assert that, “...prompt aggressivenaval action against Japan by the UnitedStates would render Japan incapable ofaffording any help to Germany and Italy ....and Japan itself would be faced with asituation in which her navy would be forced

to fight on the most unfavorable terms oraccept fairly early collapse of Japan.” Theseestimates were wrong.

One of the eight recommendations of theMcCollum memo called for basing the mainstrength of the Pacific Fleet in Hawaiianwaters. Admiral James O. Richardson, whowas the Commander of the U. S. Fleet at thetime, objected. He stated his reasons forwishing to return to the West Coast inunmistakable language. He was relieved byAdmiral Husband Kimmel.

Several chapters document the commandswith access to the secret decrypted messages.According to Stinnett, General MacArthur andAdmiral Hart in the Philippines were readingmost of the intercepts, and were well awareof the developing threat. Their informationcame from Station CAST, the decryptionstation on Corregidor. Chief of NavalOperations Admiral Harold Stark,Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffGeneral George C. Marshall, PresidentRoosevelt, and others in Washington werereading the decrypts. It seems the onlycommanders not reading these messages wereKimmel and Short.

Much is made of the direction findingefforts that located Japanese forces bymessages. It is asserted that during the periodfrom 26 November to 8 December 1941, whenthe Japanese fleet was said to be understrict radio silence that “extensivecommunications” originated during theperiod. The source is a communicationssummary from Cmdr. Rochefort dated 25November. According the Stinnett, Rochefortconvinced Kimmel and Bloch that submarinesand carriers were proceeding toward PearlHarbor.

Assuming that the scenarios were correctand that Kimmel and Short were preventedfrom acting by the President before the “warwarning” message, how was it determined thatan attack could be generated on Hawaii andnot in the Philippines? Why were MacArthurand Hart not cut out of the loop? Indeed, theRainbow Five plan envisaged the attack onthe Philippines and the necessity of using theFleet to resupply the garrison there. This

problem had been gamed at the Naval WarCollege on alternate years throughout the 30’s.

Given all of this plus events that alreadyhappened in World War II (for example, theBritish air strike on the Italian fleet in 1940),Stinnet is correct to question conventionalwisdom. But in this book, he does not askthe right questions. Better ones to ask wouldbe, for example:

Why was the one radar set not being usedto train interceptor pilots?

Why were air patrols not being flown on adaily basis?

Why were Combat Air Patrols not beingflown at dawn and dusk at a minimum?

Why were Kimmel and Short the onlycommanders denied the information in theJapanese intercepts?

In summary, this book is a little tooconfusing, and more space could have beendevoted to detailing the people mentioned.The book also seems to be devoted to clearingthe names and records of Kimmel and Short.Lingering questions still plague this reviewer.

Perhaps the real key to the Pearl Harbordisaster can be determined from theIntelligence progression: Collect, Evaluate,Disseminate. From Stennitt’s book, it isapparent that much was collected, and littlewas evaluated or disseminated.

Robert B. Stinnett. Day of Deceit:The Truth About FDR and PearlHarbor . New York: The FreePress, 2000. ISBN 0-684-85339-6. 386 pages. $26.50

Howard Sandefer is a retired captain and a 1961graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He alsois a docent at the museum

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The Daybook Vol. 7 Issue 1

The Museum Sage

All About the Money:Declaring Victory Over the French

A common historical criticism ofAmerican wars is that our armedforces were only used to protect

America’s economic interests and notengaged in some noble cause of freedom.Even in the middle of a war, critics of thewar would often used this line of reasoning.Capt. Francis Chadwick, chief-of-staff of

the North Atlantic Squadron in 1898remarked that the only reason the UnitedStates declared war on Spain was “for theWall Street bankers.” A frequent criticismof the 1991 military action against Iraq wasthat we were only over there for the oilcompanies. There is even an argument (avery poor one) that the American Civil Warwas fought over control of the cotton trade.

There is little doubt that the Quasi-Warwith France was a war fought, at least inpart, over money. France had decided toraid our merchant ships operating in theWest Indies. The resulting lost in commercewas amounting to some hefty bills. Anotherreason for the commencing military actionagainst the French Navy (Congress nevergot around to passing a declaration of warbill), was reports of brutal atrocities beingcommitted by independent pirate ships andFrench privateers.

Completely shameless and unforgiving,Secretary of the Navy Robert Smith

admitted in one of the final reports on theQuasi-War that the conflict was all aboutmoney. He measured the success of thewar by comparing how much the war costthe American taxpayer to how muchcommerce the Navy protected. Grantedin 1799, the “American taxpayer” wasdomestic and foreign merchant vesselsimporting goods into the United States, asthe bulk of the Federal budget was importtariffs and not income taxes. Nonetheless,the American consumer would have to paythe difference when he or she purchasedan import at the marketplace.

Here is how Secretary Smith figured it:

During the war years of 1799-1801…

1) The United States exported$303,964,713 worth of goods

2) The United States Governmentcollected $33,547,442 in tariffs onimported goods

3) The United States spent $8,500,000 torun the war.

For its eight and half million, the Navywas able to put 45 warships (including 13frigates) to sea in the West Indies, topurchase and/or improve six navy yards(including Gosport), to purchase twoislands for construction material, and todesign six 74-gun ship-of-the lines (whichwere not built until 1815). Even the eightand half million price tag is debatable, atleast according to Smith. After the war,President Thomas Jefferson and Congressinstructed the Navy Department to auctionoff many of the Navy’s ships and shipstores used in the Quasi-War to privateowners. The subsequent barn fire salenetted the Government about two and halfmillion.

So in Smith’s mind, the war only costsix million. The net profit to theGovernment was $27,547,442. The Sage

would call that a victory. If only the historicalinterpretations of all wars could be so easy.

If one wanted to get really technical, evensix million dollars is a low figure. As theGovernment still owns the land of four ofthe yards (Norfolk Naval, Portsmouth Navy,

Maryland’s own Robert Smith, second Secretary of theNavy (1801-1809). (Naval Historical Center)

Washington Navy, and a portion ofPhiladelphia), plus the invaluable traininggiven to many budding junior officers, thelong-term benefits of the war to nationalsecurity are beyond calculation.

There is one possible motive behindSmith’s conclusions on the Quasi-War withFrance. On the surface of this document, itlooks somewhat odd that Smith would beso smug about a war that he didn’t havemuch to do with. Afterall, the Sage’s favoriteSecretary of the Navy Benjamin Stoddert ranthe war. However, it is possible Smith wastrying to stick it to Secretary of the TreasuryJohn Gallatin by showing the Swiss-bornaccountant the true cost-benefit of anAmerican fleet. Gallatin was well known forhis views that the Navy used up too muchof the Federal budget.

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Truely A Fate Worse Than Death

For those of you who have been oralready are in the Navy, the followinginformation will come as no surprise

to you. To the rest of us, this piece of historicaltrivia might come as a shock.

During the American Revolution, both theBritish government and the rebel leadershipvied, through various carrot and stickapproaches, for the support of the generalpublic. The carrot approach would ofteninclude incentives such as a monetary bonusto enlist, land grants (upwards of manythousands of acres in some cases), or, in thecases of slaves, their freedom.

The stick approaches were sometimesquite brutal. Both sides would useintimidation, threats, or outright coercion toensure loyalty among the ranks. One suchlegal method available to both sides was thetreason laws. Treason is, for obvious reasons,

one of the most serious offenses a person cancommit. In almost all cases the penalty forsuch a crime, past or present, is death.

Professor Linda K. Kerber of theUniversity of Iowa discovered that at least oneof the rebel colonies took a different approachon treason. She discovered that in 1776, theNew Jersey Council of Safety (most colonies’provisional governments were usually calleda “council of safety” or a “committee ofsafety”) passed a treason law that stated thatany male convicted of treason would behanged without the benefit of clergy.Meaning, in the minds of the council, thetraitor’s soul would go straight to hell.

The council, however, allowed thecondemned man one way out. The traitorcould receive a pardon if he enlisted in theContinental Navy. So, we now have proofthat the Navy is a fate worse than death.

Useful Web Sites

www.defenselink.mil-This is the official web forthe Department of Defense. It includes a searchengine for all official DoD websites (including themuseum’s), as well as official press releases, news,and information on military activities.

www.nvr.navy.mil-We are often asked by veterans iftheir particular ship is still in service. This web site is agood place to start. This is the official Naval VesselRegister. All ships on this list belong to the Navy eitheron active duty or in a decommissioned status.

In 18th century New Jersey, a traitor had twooptions: this or enlist in the Navy.

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The Daybook

Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Stoddert came closeto taking Truxtun to court over L’Insurgente’s value,but in the end was able to convince the commodoreto compromise. (Naval Historical Center photo)

From there Murray patrolled for a few daysbetween Cadiz and the Straits, again withoutseeing any French ships. With that lack ofsuccess, Murray decided to move on toMadeira and Tenerife. Still not a French flagto be found. On 13 October, almost a monthafter his due date at Cayenne, Murray gaveup his idea of European success and sailedfor the West Indies. As Insurgent reached Cayenne on 30October, Murray fell in with the sloop ofwar Maryland commanded by now CaptainJohn Rodgers. Murray learned that theBritish had captured Surinam and thoseisolated Cayenne, a former center of Frenchprivateer activity. The two ships sailed incompany again without spying the enemy.Frustrated, Murray gave up and sailed northto Barbados. He arrived there with “a sicklycrew” with six already dead and 20 on thesick list. Moreover, the copper sheathingwas pealing off Insurgent’s bottom. Despitethese difficulties, Murray stayed on in theLesser Antilles. He finally met with somesuccess when, working with CommodoreRichard Morris in the frigate Adams,Insurgent took part in the capture orrecapture of four ships. In January, bad luckstruck again. The masts, of which Murrayhad earlier complained, began to give out.Insurgent’s fore mast was falling apart fromdecay. Arrangements were made with the

British to install a new one. During seatrials after the repairs, Murray discoveredthat the mast the Royal Navy dockyard atAntigua had provided was actually full ofholes which had been disguised with putty.

The British refused to remedy theproblem. So it was with great relief that thedespondent Murray learned from Truxtun thatInsurgent had been ordered home toBaltimore via Jamaica. The trip back to theUnited States was distinctly unpleasant. On

Under the American flag, Insurgent made two cruises. Under Capt.Murray’s command, Insurgent sailed to European coastal watersreturning to the Lesser Antilles and then home to Hampton Roads.(HRNM photo of an 1842 engraving by William Croome)

13 March 1800, Murray wroteSecretary Stoddert, “[I] have thehonor to announce my arrival afterone of the most blusteringpassages I ever had which hasmade us almost a wreck.” Hewarned the secretary thatInsurgent was in desperate needof masts, bowsprit and coppering.“It will be,” he cautioned, “a workof time to do all that is required.” Time, of course, was in shortsupply for Stoddert. He neededships in too many places to havethe luxury of letting a frigate sittoo long in the yards. TheSecretary wrote ArchibaldCampbell, the navy agent inBaltimore, detailing the repairs tobe done. “Dispatch, economyand regularity must be attendedto in refitting this vessel.” AsCaptain Murray was slated tomove on to replace Truxtun ascommander of Constellation,Stoddert next needed to find a newcaptain for Insurgent. He settled on PatrickFletcher, formerly in command of USSGeorge Washington. Fletcher, like Murray,was a former lieutenant in the ContinentalNavy. Stoddert wrote of Fletcher, “He is anexperienced and good officer - and is a goodjudge of the fitting of warlike vessels.” On29 April 1800, the secretary ordered the newcommanding officer to Baltimore to takeover Insurgent, “giving every aid in yourpower to promote her equipment &preparations for sea.” Since her old crew had been paid off inMarch, Fletcher was faced with the tasksof both repair and recruiting. The crew builtup gradually toward her authorizedcomplement of 227 men as recruitingrendezvous were set up in New York,Baltimore and Norfolk. As persistent asthe workmen’s hammers, came the steadypounding of Stoddert’s demands to get the

ship ready for sea. French privateers heldat bay by U.S. squadrons in the West Indieshad found more lucrative grounds off theAmerican coast. Merchants werecomplaining to President Adams, and Adamswas complaining to Stoddert. On 3 July, thesecretary wrote Fletcher, “The Insurgentmust sail on the 15th of this month, whethershe is prepared or not….She is wanted for acruise on the coast for a short time, where itis not probable, she will meet with an enemy

of equal force, even if not completelyprepared.”

Shipboard tempers became short in theface of these time demands. A number ofthe crew became involved in a riot ashore inthe Fells Point area of Baltimore.Midshipman Enoch Brown was slashed onthe hand while trying to break up thealtercation. He had to be left behind as theship sailed down the Bay for a short stop inNorfolk before heading to sea. Insurgentsailed on 8 August for her operations area.By Stoddert’s plan she would return toAnnapolis after about a month at sea. Shewas never heard from again. Ships arrivingin Norfolk in mid-September reported aviolent storm at sea off the Carolina coast.Insurgent probably lost to an eternal enemyof much greater force than herself.Midshipman Brown had received the“million dollar wound.”

Insurgent continued from page 9

Vol. 7 Issue 1

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Battleship Wisconsin is here!

Find Out More about theShip, Planned Exhibits,and how YOU can getInvolved!

Go to...

Http://www.hrnm.navy.mil

Vol. 7 Issue 1

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The Daybook Vol. 7 Issue 1

In Our Next Issue....�

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Harper’s WeeklyGoes to War

The reality and grand spectacle of battle has been vividly portrayed by numeroussketch artists and photo journalists sent out into the field of battle. One suchartist, who went by the initials “E.A.,” sketched for Harper’s Weekly duringthe American Civil War. In these sketches, however, we see a very comical attitudetowards war. The sketch above is supposed to portray the 1861 exchange betweenU.S. Navy gunboats and Confederate batteries at Sewells Point. Instead of warshipsand forts, all we see is a cloud of smoke. The sketch to the left is a humorouslook at Allen in the field donning a “bullet proof” dress.

Battleship Wisconsin Enters the Field of Battle

Book Reviews- Germany’s Last Mission to Japan: The Failed Voyage of U-234by Joseph Mark Scalia and The Submarine Book: An Illustrated History of theAttack Submarine by Charles Lawliss

New Items and Changes to the Gallery