The last voyage of the USS Argus
The naval part of the War of 1812 is best remembered for the titanic clashes between large frigates, such as the USS Constitution’s defeat of HMS Guerriere or HMS Shannon’s capture of the USS Chesapeake. But this was a war involving less powerful warships too. One such vessel was the 300-ton brig USS Argus. Built in 1803, and originally named USS Merrimack, she took part in both the First Barbary War and the American occupation of Derna in North Africa. When the US declared w
