From: Dictionary of American Fighting Ships, Vol. A, 1991, Navy 

Department, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History 

Division, Washington, D.C.



ASP



Sch:

t. 56;

cpl. 22;

a. 1 12-pdr., 2 12-pdr. car.



The second ASP-a three-gun schooner purchased on 17 February 1813 at 

Alexandria, D.C. (now Virginia), as ADELINE-was outfitted as a warship 

at the Washington Navy Yard. Under the command of Midshipman James B. 

Sigourney, ASP cruised the Chesapeake Bay into the summer of 1813.



On 14 July, she and another small warship, SCORPION, got underway from 

the Yeocomico River, Va., and entered the bay. They soon encountered two 

British brig sloops, HMS CONTEST and HMS MOHAWK, which immediately gave 

chase. SCORPION made good her escape up the Chesapeake, but ASP's poor 

sailing qualities forced her to put back into the river. The two British 

ships anchored off the bar and prepared a boat expedition. At the sight 

of oncoming British boats, ASP cut her cable and tried to escape farther 

up the river. At that point, three of the British boats attacked but 

were beaten off. Then two other British boats joined the first three for 

a second attempt which proved successful. The Americans fought valiantly 

in spite of the lopsided odds. Midshipman Sigourney and 10 of his 20-man 

crew were killed defending their ship while the remainder escaped ashore 

when the issue became hopeless. The British set fire to ASP and retired. 

At that point, her second in command, Midshipman H. McClintock, led the 

remnants of ASP's crew back on board, extinguished the flames, and put 

her back in fighting trim. For whatever reason, the British declined to 

renew the combat.



ASP finished out her Navy career at Baltimore, Md. First, she served as 

tender to the frigate JAVA then under construction and later became a 

receiving ship at Baltimore. The schooner continued that service until 

sold in 1826.