Note on the Image                                                                                 Back to the Image

M4.  War of 1812, USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere

In 1812, USS Constitution, 44-gun American built frigate commanded by Captain Isaac Hull, engaged to fight 

with HMS Guerriere, 38-gun French built frigate by commanded by Captain James Dacres. After a 15 minute 

exchange of broadsides, Guerriere had suffered significant effect, while Constitution was virtually unhurt.

At 6.20pm, Guerriere’s mizzenmast fell, falling to starboard, and fouling the ship. With this, Guerriere had lost 

its ability to maneuver or escape. Seizing his advantage, Hull quickly sailed Consttution in front of Guerriere, 

placing Constitution broadside to Guerriere’s bow. The ships were so close that Guerriere’s bowsprit hung over 

Constitution’s deck.  

The Constitution’s guns, at a range too close to miss, fired down the full length of Guerriere’s decks, 

killing men, dismounting guns, and smashing timbers. Guerriere was a dismasted, rolling hulk, incapable of fighting, 

and Dacres surrendered his ship without further combat. Constitution’s third lieutenant, George Read, was sent 

aboard Guerriere as prize master. By the next morning, he reported that Guerriere was in danger of sinking. 

Hull quickly decided that taking the ship into port as a prize was impractical. He evacuated the British crew to Constitution, 

and at 3pm Gsuerriere was set alight.  The frigate exploded when the fire reached her magazine.

The battle between Constitution and Guerriere was the first major naval engagement of the War of 1812. The news shocked 

the British, who since 1794 had regularly defeated French 24-pounder frigates, and had grown accustomed to victory.

Defeating the world’s maritime superpower proved a tonic to the United States, which had been discouraged by reverses 

by land in Canada. It also set the pattern for the next two frigate duels in the War of 1812.

The powerful circular movement of waves draw us into the depth of the picture elliptically and diagonally.

Both frigates are of equal importance in the naval history but the use of the strong color contrast gives USS Constitution 

prominence.