USS Columbus was a 92-gun ship of the line in the United States Navy. Although construction of the warship was authorized by Congress on 2 January 1813, plunder of the Washington Navy Yard by British troops in 1814 during the burning of Washington, combined with efforts to keep US military stores out of British hands, led to the destruction of any initial framing. Days after Congress re-authorized the vessel on 29 April 1816, a keel was laid and construction resumed.
Commodore William Bainbridge letter re enslaved seaman James Hutton 6 June 1825 and his service on board USS Columbus and USS Spark
Sailmaker's plan of USS Columbus
An 1847 illustration of men manning the yards aboard USS Columbus
William Bainbridge was a commodore in the United States Navy. During his long career in the young American Navy he served under six presidents beginning with John Adams and is notable for his many victories at sea. He commanded several famous naval ships, including USSÂ Constitution, and saw service in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. Bainbridge was also in command of USSÂ Philadelphia when she grounded off the shores of Tripoli, Libya in North Africa, resulting in his capture and imprisonment for many months. In the latter part of his career he became the U.S. Naval Commissioner.
William Bainbridge
Bainbridge House in Princeton, New Jersey, the commodore's birthplace.
William Bainbridge, Commander of the USS Retaliation in 1798
Philadelphia aground off Tripoli, in 1803