Frances Diane Robotti

A sometimes simplistic account of the career of a failed gunnery experiment, The early nineteenth century saw many navies attempting to fit small ships with broadside weapons of astonishing power. The brig Essex was such a ship. For part of its career it carried 40 × 32-pounder carronades and six 12 pounder long guns. This wasn't a great idea, and ships with longer range capacity soon superseded this pattern. After a successful cruise in the South Pacific rounding up British whalers, the show more Essex was cornered and eventually captured by a sloop, HMS Cherub, and HMS Phoebe of 36 guns. She served for five years in the Royal navy after the peace. This book heavily relies on her cruise among the whalers. show less

Story of the USS Essex a 32 gun naval frigate (sail) that was built and paid for by the people of Salem Mass in 1799, and then given to the U.S. Navy.