| Capture ofLa Croyable | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theQuasi-War | |||||||
 An illustration ofStephen Decatur, Sr. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |  France | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Stephen Decatur, Sr. | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
| ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | None 1 schooner captured | ||||||
TheCapture ofLa Croyable, or theAction of July 7, 1798, occurred when theFrench privateerschoonerLa Croyable was taken by theAmericansloop-of-warUSS Delaware on 7 July 1798 during theQuasi-War. The engagement resulted in the first capture of any ship by theUnited States Navy, which had been formed just months before the action.[1][2]
Originally a merchant ship calledHamburgh Packet, USSDelaware was purchased by the United States Navy on May 5, 1798. With acomplement of 180 men and twenty mountedlong guns – sixteen 9-pounders (4.1 kilograms) and four 6-pounders (2.7 kilograms), she was given to CaptainStephen Decatur, Sr. to command.[3]Delaware set sail fromDelaware Bay on July 6 with instructions to joinUSS United States andUSS Ganges and patrol the section of theAtlantic Coast betweenLong Island andCape Henry.[4]
On July 7 the day after her first sail, USSDelaware happened upon the American merchant vesselAlexander Hamilton, which had been carryingwine andbrandy fromNew York City toBaltimore when she was stopped by a French privateer who ransacked her. She was reduced to limping across theGreat Egg Harbor Bay. When Captain Decatur heard these reports fromAlexander Hamilton's crew, he began scouting the bay for a potentially culpable French vessel.[4][5]
An attack by a French privateer on an American merchantman was not unheard of at the time. Tensions between the United States and France had been rising in the months prior to the attack. TheUnited States Congress had instructed all American warships in the newly-formed United States Navy to "capture any French vessel found near the coast preying upon American commerce."[2] Congress had also commissioned one thousandletters of marque to combat against the French hostilities of the day.[5] Captain Decatur, who had distinguished himself as a privateer during theAmerican Revolutionary War, was now looking to make the most of the opportunity to commandDelaware.[4]
In the midst of her search for the French privateers,Delaware spotted four sails on the horizon. Under Decatur's orders, the sloop's crew had her pretend to be a merchant vessel. The act was convincing enough to draw the attention and pursuit of the French privateer schoonerLa Croyable. It was not long before the captain of the French vessel discovered thatDelaware was a warship and tried to reverse course. After a lengthy chase,La Croyable found herself pinned against the shore of Great Egg Harbor Bay. She surrendered after only a few cannon shots.[4]
On July 8Delaware made her way back up theDelaware River with her prize and docked atFort Mifflin. After executing the US Navy's first victory of theQuasi-War, Decatur became a hero. He boasted of his catch to several people, including CaptainJohn Barry of USSUnited States.La Croyable was deemed a lawful capture by the U.S. government and renamed USSRetaliation. She was given to the command of LieutenantWilliam Bainbridge. Bainbridge would join a fleet of American ships in theCaribbean on October 15. Later in November, however, the French frigatesVolontaire andInsurgente attacked USSRetaliation, capturing her. This was the only American naval vessel to be captured during the entire Quasi-War, which was later recaptured by the U.S. Navy.[6]
39°18′18″N74°38′49″W / 39.305°N 74.647°W /39.305; -74.647
