USS Constitution vs. HMS Trincomalee

Jack1971

Banned
I visited USS Constitution on Saturday on my way to New Hampshire. A fine ship. I wondered how she would do against the only (apologies to HMS Unicorn) other wooden frigate afloat, HMS Trincomalee.

On the surface, it would seem Constitution would quickly crush Trincomalee, but the latter, unlike the other Leda class frigates, is made of teak, one of the strongest woods, and IIRC very resistant to rot. Trincomalee was also known to be fast.
 
As built HMS Trincomalee would be trouble. However, if she was as for her First active commission the situation is radically different.
She was re-armed with a smaller number of much heavier guns.

Her original condition was for 38, 46 with carronades, guns. 28 18 pounders, 2 9 pounders and 16 32 pound carronades. A similar armament to the Frigates that faired so poorly in 1812. I believe that this is the condition to which she has been restored. But, and its a big but, she never actually served with this armament.
Her 1847 armament, for her first commission, was reduced to 26 guns, 18 32 pounders, 6 8" shell guns and 2 9" shell guns.
http://www.castlesfortsbattles.co.uk/north_east/hms_trincomalee.html
This a considerably more formidable broadside, and although the study construction of USS Constitution granted considerable immunity to 18 pounder shot, 32 pounders, the armament of a ship of the line in 1812, are an entirely different matter.
(The even heavier shell guns exacerbate the matter)

It may depend on how we define the engagement.
 
I visited USS Constitution on Saturday on my way to New Hampshire. A fine ship. I wondered how she would do against the only (apologies to HMS Unicorn) other wooden frigate afloat, HMS Trincomalee.

On the surface, it would seem Constitution would quickly crush Trincomalee, but the latter, unlike the other Leda class frigates, is made of teak, one of the strongest woods, and IIRC very resistant to rot. Trincomalee was also known to be fast.

Trincomalee would be seriously outgunned: 28 × 18-pounders and 14 × 32-pounder carronades against 30 × 24-pounders and 20 × 32-pounder carronades. With very strong hull the frigates of her series had been built to overpower any other frigate while escaping from a ship of the line.
 
Wasn't Constitution's sister ship (ex-USS HMS President) defeated by a standard RN frigate?

The Trincomelee was a heavy frigate of an earlier style dating from the end of the American War of Independence intended to carry a main batter of 18 pounder long guns, the HMS Endymion was an improved copy of a French design and carried a main battery of shortened 24 pounder cannon, so she had considerably more throw weight than a "standard" RN frigate.
 
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