USS Sea Horse (1812)

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The first USS Sea Horse was a one-gun schooner that the Navy purchased in 1812 for service on Lake Borgne, near New Orleans, Louisiana. It is claimed she was one of 15 vesselsTemplate:Citation needed available to Commodore Daniel Todd Patterson in New Orleans at the outbreak of war with Britain in 1812. The Sea Horse and USS Alligator accompanied a squadron of five gunboats at the end of 1814. In addition to these vessels, there was also a further gunboat at Fort St. Philip, as well as the USS Carolina (1812) and USS Louisiana (1812).Template:Sfnp

She saw action as a tender to a squadron of gunboats, under the command of Lieutenant Thomas ap Catesby Jones, that in December 1814 opposed the British advance on New Orleans.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Self-published inline On the afternoon of December 13, 1814, at 2:00pm Jones dispatched Sea Horse to a store house, to remove its contents, to prevent capture by the British. Template:Sfnp

At 3:45pm, Sea Horse was moored at Bay St Louis next to a store house and a battery of two 6–pounder cannons. The schooner, with assisted by the battery,<ref name=Jones12mar1815>Letter from Jones to Patterson dated 12 March 1815, within Brannan (ed). pp.487-490</ref> fired on three approaching launches with grapeshot, forcing them to retire out of range. Sea Horse faced a subsequent attack by four more launches as reinforcements, commanded by Captain Samuel Roberts of HMS Meteor.Template:Sfnp This renewed attack was "repulsed after sustaining for nearly half an hour a very destructive fire."Template:Sfnp In the face of superior numbers, Sea Horse was scuttled and the store was set alight, an explosion occurring at 7:30pm with a large fire being visible thereafter.<ref name=Jones12mar1815/>Template:Sfnp Jones subsequently confirmed that he had permitted Sailing Master William Johnson, her commanding officer, to destroy Sea Horse to prevent her being captured.Template:Sfnp