Essex (CVA 9) - Naval Cruise Book

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. ' 1 1 A xt - .X . . - ,v i lf.--?f,f-i,Q?i,if -.'2.,,, f . Q fi sc n f ff-72. Slim, 2.12 l..6alegm 'f -X f , Q .Q . Z 1 fr 5 ' V .gh x-,V Lf, . 1.2- Gif: k ir-, -Lrk W' ,In all 11 h A ,l f 1 k TAKE NOTICE .Sona of .Freedom l all true 'Liberfyet' your QOUMU5 QCP forxh,'?Qixi3f2?S'ef .vfyguy afliiltance in building the Fxigaic, so fappgfez 'French iniblence and PiY41ffY- 1-C1 CVSYY lmfilf? ,fwffcgion of a If-Zire Oni ffrccy be ambizious tqbizgi fdreihpk in hurrying down the timber 152 tsalciiyi -,and till the complement wanung. where tha, nqtile, 'ifinilure is 68 be tkbrimggd. tomuintain your riglxizi 'jn'1ibn,'zhe Seas, and make the name of fpeileflfamong the nations of the' world! . largeft and lqngcit trees are wanted., and,'Q:i1ggg5T!-ijfgvi -them' fore-Knees and 355215 Timbefi Uffdiilt ,,'zfees,arc.y1antefl, for the Keel. mica, all ,ilogiiiggiil dlrll mgffmirt .1461 Rei: in lvngtliyand' agquarqg,'2!?fi2Hf4fxo,1ca11, tm. gba 3su.a.fcgs,1g,g?ggg3gaff32i wang: to make cbntraels for large or xruaii o i i tnfsds may fun belt, land wzll p y the RIS as The fourth ship Qeasa , .K f . ., . 4 , V, . . . - F,-l,,,, 7:75-l.,, sv,, ' X ff, 0 V . ' , ,, W .fa . 4 i - gg: -' A121-M44 1-, Sim, x Q-QQ S gf,ff,',,f f f- .,, , ,, ,gl -,,,f..'- . f. -- - - 1 , f ,, 1. Y E,-myffirqggf-f.fa.'a ww 51,-. f' -1 ' -' - iff X., .v f , M V X v, A 72 54:22- ,fee ,,f ., J- 5 . . , 5.-X3 t ,,.1,4. - , ., abs 9 V .. .+ . .saggy--Q as 2 ' , e ' fa f '., V ' X21-v--Q f:,45:5.g,k. ,JD , .1 yi, td, 2- af My QW a , .V fy E- ,Q Mfivf, A 25.93 .,,Q,,,, Q, my L , V ,., ,ffv iff.. M-.-r..,-gvn afg ,1 ft- K V , N-in -:ff Ayn.. : .. --wgaffsw O '.............,.1'y' Ilallle :ESSEX continuing tradition E Nav ibus Pugnissirna flue gightinlzot Ship USS ESSEX CCVA-95 is the fourth United States naval vessel to bear the name of Essex County Massa- chusetts. Few other ships in our Navy can claim more illustrious forbears than the present ESSEX. The first ESSEX was built at Salem in Essex County, Massachusetts, with funds raised for the purpose by public subscription. Altogether some 3139362.00 was raised in this fashion from among the local citizenry, who were proud to equal the efforts of the Boston patriots who had financed the construction of such famous ships as the BOSTON and the PRESIDENT. Construction was begun at Salem in the spring of 1799 by master shipwright Enos Briggs, to plans drawn by the celebrated though somewhat unconven- tional Samuel Hackett of New Hampshire. Though of- ficially rated a 32 gun frigate ESSEX, like many of her contemporaries, carried a considerable additional armament on her weatherdecks, and when launched on 30 September 1799 she carried twenty-six long 12- pounders and ten long 6-pounders. She was 141' in length with a beam of 38' and a gross tonnage of 850. Her crew mustered in at 228 hands, including her first commander, Lt. Edward Preble, USN. Under Preble the following year ESSEX was the first American man- of-war to double the Cape of Good Hope. Her subse- quent roll of commanding oflicers includes some of the most celebrated names in American naval history: Barron, Bainbridge, Decatur, and Rodgers. Under Bain- bridge on 13 August 1812 ESSEX was credited with the first prize of the War of 1812 when she captured HMS ALERT in a running battle off the coast of New- foundland. But it was under the command of the re- sourceful Captain David Porter, USN, that ESSEX was

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Cornrnander VV'il1ie.r11 Joseph Moran Even though he is still a relative newcomer to ESSEX, Commander Moran has already won us over by his reserved and careful manner and genuine and easy Warmth. He is the third Exec We have known since we have the yards at Norfolk and contrasts with his predecessors as they did before him. You are already a part of ESSEX, Commander . . . Welcome aboard.

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to make its place in naval history. Rounding Cape Horn in midwinter of 1813, the adventurous Porter took his ship in search of the rich and hitherto unmolested British commerce in the Pacific. During the next year Porter and ESSEX captured thirteen British vessels, including the privateers ATLANTIC and GREEN- WICH. These deprivations proved so costly to His Majesty's Government that the Admiralty dispatched HMS PHOEBE, 36 guns, and HMS CHERUB, 20 guns, to the Pacific to seek out and destroy the intruder. After a lengthy search up and down the coast of South America, the superior British force found its quarry anchored with her prizes in the neutral port of Val- pariso, Chile. Porter furiously prepared for sea, but his luck had run out and ESSEX, unable to clear a foul anchor, ran aground outside the harbor. In the ensuing battle Porter, outgunned and unable to ma- neuver so as to bring his battery to bear, was forced to strike after a bloody two-hour battle in which 152 members of his crew became casualties. Porter and the remnants of his crew escaped to the sanctuary of Val- paraiso, but ESSEX was refitted and renamed by the Royal Navy, whose standard she carried until 1837 when she was sold out of the service. Nothing is known of her ultimate fate. The second American naval vessel to bear the name ESSEX began its career much less impressively than its famous namesake. Launched in 1856 at St. Louis, Missouri, it was originally christened NEW ERA and was designed for service as a river ferry by its owners, the Wiggins Ferry Company. With the advent of war between the States, however, both sides began wide- spread programs of converting earstwhile peaceful vessels to men-of-war. The NEW ERA was one of those selected by the Federal Government for con- USF ESSEX 32 e Courtesy Captain Raymond J. Toner USN from a painting by Charles R. Patterson