Log 5

USS CONSTITUTION LOG
31 DECEMBER 1813 - 3 APRIL 1814
FROM THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

31 Dec 1813	1500 Sailed from Boston.
4 Jan 1814	William Nine fell overboard and drowned.
8 Jan 1814	"...rolling heavy seas..."
11 Jan 1814	"...unrigged the Quarter Davits..." -- stowed Gig in 1st cutter.
13 Jan 1814	0630 In chase -- 3 shots -- American schooner REGULATOR -- 1100 in chase -- 1600 sprung both foretopmast studdingsail booms -- lost chase at night.
14 Jan 1814	Exercised at general quarters.
15 Jan 1814	0700 In chase -- 0900 Portuguese ship ADRIANNA (20 guns) -- 1900 Quarter Gunner Thomas Coursey died of typhus -- 2000 burial by Chaplain.
17 Jan 1814	Stowed larboard bower anchor, unstocked, on gun deck -- got below all small spars, lumber, etc. -- Lat. 19-40N, Long. 41-55W.
19 Jan 1814	Stowed starboard bower anchor in fore channel.
26 Jan 1814	"The ship rolling deep but easy and taking in a good deal of water at her gun deck ports..." -- Lat. 10-39N, Long. 40-50W.
28 Jan 1814	Stewart set all sail with the wind dead aft to see what the ship could do: got only 10 kts -- Lat. 6-7N, Long. 43-49W.
29 Jan 1814	"...rolling her gun deck in..."
30 Jan 1814	Exercised at general quarters -- "boatswain's Mate Richard Ormerod's pistol going off at half cock in his belt wounded him severely in the thigh..." -- Lat. 5-5N, Long. 50-19W.
31 Jan 1814	George Coomes fell and broke his "knee pan."
1 Feb 1814	1400 In chase -- 1430 chase free inshore -- Lat. 6-42N, Long. 56-58W.
3 Feb 1814	0600 In chase -- 0700 saw it to be HM war brig -- 1630 brig appeared to go aground -- CONSTITUTION hauled off --Lat. 7-19N, Long. 58W. [She was HM brig MOSQUITO (18).]
4 Feb 1814	"Standing Nwd to windward of Barbadoes, thinking it best to change our cruising ground as the brig chased yesterday will no doubt give the alarm on this Coast."
5 Feb 1814	Exercised at general quarters.
8 Feb 1814	1400 In chase -- 1800 seen to be British packet; gaining -- lost at night. [She was HM brig COLUMBINE (18) which alerted Admiral Durham's squadron to windward of Barbadoes.]
11 Feb 1814	"...painting ship's outside black and yellow..." -- Lat. 13-36N, Long. 56-48W.
13 Feb 1814	2300 In chase of 2.
14 Feb 1814	0200 Brought to British LOVELY ANN -- prized -- carrying lumber, fish, and flour -- 0845 fired a shot through the sails of second chase which hove to: HM schooner PICTOU (14 guns) -- LOVELY ANN used as flag pf truce to take paroled British crews to Barbadoes -- Midshipman Pardon Mawney Whipple in charge -- 1930 fired PICTOU -- Lat. 11-13N, Long. 56-25W.
16 Feb 1814	"Running down for Tobago..."
17 Feb 1814	1115 In chase -- 1230 took schooner PHOENIX prize, bearing lumber and having official dispatches aboard; scuttled her.
18 Feb 1814	0500 Sighted Grenada -- exercised at general quarters.
19 Feb 1814	0600 In chase -- 0700 One shot brought to British brig CATHARINE; scottled her -- Lat. 12-40N, Long. 62-49W.
21 Feb 1814	1800 St. Croix NW 6 leagues.
22 Feb 1814	1100 In chase off Puerto Rico -- 1300 put all British prisoners in a Swedish schooner going to St. Barts.
23 Feb 1814	1000 In chase: another Swedish brig -- 1030 in chase thorough Mona Passage, "gaining slowly" -- 1600 saw chase was a frigate -- 1630 coming up fast, having wind when chase didn't -- 1700 counted 14 ports at gun deck level -- 1730 thought it might be USS PRESIDENT; made day signal -- the other hoisted British colors and fired a gun to windward -- headed for her larboard quarter -- wind N 1/2 E -- set foresail in light wind, sent down royals, cleared for action -- the Britisher seemed to make preparations to fight -- 1745 becalmed -- Britisher got a breeze and made all sail -- 1915 nearly out of sight -- 1930 in chase, having finally gotten a fresh breeze. [Chase was HMS PIQUE, 36 guns; PRESIDENT was in port at this time.]
24 Feb 1814	Lost chase -- 0600 chased schooner: an American privateer. [PIQUE actually had doubled back during the night, passing CONSTITUTION without being seen.]
25 Feb 1814	Alexander Gerrish died and was buried at sea.
27 Feb 1814	[Sunday] Lat. 25-5N, Long. 71-48W.
1 Mar 1814	0800 In chase -- 1000 hove to Swedish ship MARIA HELENA in ballast -- 1030 in chase of brig -- Spanish -- Lat. 26-24N, Long. 73-39W.
6 Mar 1814	0800 In chase -- 1100 lost chase in rain squall -- Lat. 28-44N, Long. 77-33W.
7 Mar 1814	0930 In chase -- Russian ship INDEPENDENCE to Havana from Charlotte Amalie -- Lat. 29-14N, Long. 78-44W.
8 Mar 1814	John Lawson died and was buried at sea.
12 Mar 1814	Lat. 32-14N, Long. 80-10W -- 24 on sick list [about average].
13 Mar 1814	1400 Off Charleston, South Carolina -- exercised at general quarters.
14 Mar 1814	"John Goss seaman fell from the Mizen Topsail Yard struck his head on a carronade and was immediately killed..." -- gale in offing -- Lat. 31-30N, Long. 79-56W.
15 Mar 1814	0900 In chase -- 1100 lost chase in thick haze -- 1715 in chase inshore; fired gun -- 1830 boarded Swedish brig EMBDEN, under British license and carrying naval stores for Bermuda Dock Yard.
18 Mar 1814	1200 In chase -- 1500 identified as Swedish.
19 Mar 1814	1100 In chase -- 1330 Prussian ship NICHOLAS ADOLPHUS -- Lieutenant Ballard mentioned -- Lat. 28-8N, Long. 73-16W.
21 Mar 1814	"The Mainmast appeared to work in the neck rather too much..." -- "...several scorbutic cases had occurred..."
22 Mar 1814	Doctor Charles Cotton mentioned -- exercised at general quarters.
25 Mar 1814	Lat. 29-2N, Long. 61-1W.
26 Mat 1814	"Observed the Mainmast work very much and discovered a considerable Crack extending from the neck of the mast nearly down to the fife rail..." -- Lat. 32-5N, Long. 58-20W.
27 Mar 1814	"...the Mainmast still very much bent forward although the stays were slack..." -- heavy squall -- Lat. 34-13N, Long. 59-23W.
1 Apr 1814	Foggy; on Georges Bank.
3 Apr 1814	0800 Saw 2 ships standing toward ship -- 0830 knew they were warships -- 0915 set skysails and royal studdingsails -- nearly calm -- 1000 they were 3 1/2 miles back, coming up fast -- started water -- jettisoned spare spars and some beef -- started spirits -- 1030 range opening -- 1200 "...rounded Halfway Rock & bore for Marblehead..." -- 1230 arrived at Marblehead -- British laying 6 miles off -- 1600 shifted to Salem Harbor -- 1730 arrived in Salem.