Frigate Essex
From Salem Links and Lore
- The Frigate Essex was built in 1799 after Congress passed an act to accept 12 vessels built on credit-debt. The war with France was heating up and the U.S. government was too poor to build their own ships. In a few short weeks, $74,700 was raised by Salem residents and Enos Briggs was named ship builder.
- The Essex measured 850 tons; 146 foot in length; her mainmast was 85 foot. Rigged as a three-master, she sailed the high seas as a warship for the next 13 years. She was one of the first ships in the U.S. Navy.
- She was captured by two British vessels in the harbor of Valparaiso in 1813.
See Also
U.S.S. Essex and the birth of the American Navy by Frances Robotti, 1999.
Salem and the Indies by James Duncan Phillips, p.138-40, 411.
The Frigate Essex papers : building the Salem Frigate 1798-1799 Peabody Essex Museum.
