Books
1 Best Novel About the Capture of USS Chesapeake
Bestselling authors first, then star rating.
Naval Battle
Capture of USS Chesapeake
1813-06-01
On 1 June 1813 USS Chesapeake sailed from Boston to meet HMS Shannon, which had been maintaining a close blockade under Captain Philip Broke. Chesapeake’s new commander, Captain James Lawrence, accepted battle before his crew had fully trained together.
The exchange of fire was brief and destructive. After the ships became entangled, Broke led a boarding attack, Lawrence was mortally wounded and Chesapeake was captured and taken to Halifax. The action became a celebrated British victory and an American story of courage associated with Lawrence’s dying command not to give up the ship.
The Fortune of War places Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin in Boston during the events leading to the engagement. The novel uses the real commanders and battle as the climax of its War of 1812 narrative, combining naval history with escape and espionage.
