The US Warships were a fairly new breed that introduced many new innovations in the 1800’s. Lightly gunned Frigates such as the Constitution, Constellation and Essex proved they were able to outclass the huge lumbering British warships with their speed and maneuverability.
During the War of 1812, an even newer class of US Warship emerged out of Chesapeake Bay. They were known as the Baltimore Packets, but soon became the Baltimore Clipper. These schooners were lightly gunned, sleek and very fast. So fast they could sail almost directly into the wind at full speed!
The Harvey exemplified this class of roving privateers, overtaking and capturing British merchantmen laden with cargo to support the British expeditionary forces then attempting to recapture the former colonies. The Harvey was also used during the California gold rush, when it ran blockades and transported valuable cargo from New York to San Francisco.
