USS Raritan (1843)
The first USS Raritan was a wooden-hulled, three-masted sailing frigate of the United States Navy. During the Mexican-American War, she participated in the Blockade of Mexico and supported several amphibious landings across the eastern Mexican Coast. After the war, she served as the flagship for several squadrons before she was laid up in 1852. At the start of the American Civil War, she was destroyed by retreating Union forces to prevent her capture when Gosport Shipyard was captured by the Confederate States.
Development
Of the original six frigates of the United States Navy, the three designed to carry 44 guns achieved early success during the War of 1812. In response, Congress authorized the construction of six additional 44-gun heavy frigates, which became known as the Java class in 1813. However, their wartime construction proved detrimental; in the rush to complete the ships quickly, the quality of materials and craftsmanship suffered. Only two vessels of the class entered service, both of which had short operational careers due to issues regarding their hurried development.Four years later, Congress authorized the construction of nine additional frigates as part of a peacetime "gradual increase" of the Navy. In an effort to avoid a repeat of the Java class, the Navy emphasized a deliberate construction process, which allowed time to source high-quality materials and ensure quality craftsmanship. Congress did not allocate sufficient funding to complete all of the newly authorized frigates. Instead, the Navy adopted a strategy of constructing the ships nearly to completion, after which they were laid up in shipyards under protective structures. This approach was intended to preserve the hulls, as launching the ships prematurely would have led to rapid deterioration and would have been costly. The plan was to launch and complete each vessel in the event of war, thus retaining the quality vessels without the high cost associated with maintaining them during peacetime. The class would include Raritan and her eight sisterships. She was laid down at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1820, and was only launched on 13 June 1843.