USRC James Madison

History
United States
NameUSRC James Madison
NamesakeJames Madison
Ordered26 June 1807
Launchedc.1807
Commissioned1807
Refit1811
Captured22 August 1812
NotesContrary to some reports, she did not become HMS Alban; that was the American vessel William Bayard.[1]
United Kingdom
OwnerLord Belmore, of Enniskillen
Acquired16 June 1813, by purchase
RenamedOsprey
HomeportKillybegs, Donegal
FateSold 1819
Kingdom of the two Sicilies
OwnerFerdinand I of the Two Sicilies
Acquired1819 by purchase
HomeportNaples
FateUnknown
General characteristics
Tons burthen
  • 172 79⁄94 (bm; UK) per bill of sale[2]
  • 224 4⁄94 per Letter of Marque[3]
  • 201 18⁄94 per calc.
Length86 ft 3 in (26.3 m)[2]
Beam22 ft 10 in (7.0 m)[2]
Depth of hold7 ft 11 in (2.4 m)[2]
Sail planSchooner; later brig
Complement
  • Revenue cutter:20-25 peacetime service;[2] 65-70 on wartime cruise
  • Privateer:40[3]
Armament

The USRC James Madison was a schooner named for Founding Father James Madison and launched in 1807 at Baltimore for service with the United States Revenue-Marine. During the first months of the War of 1812 she captured several merchant vessels, but in August 1812 HMS Barbadoes captured her. Lord Belmore, of Enniskillen, bought her and converted her to a privateer brig named Osprey. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 she became a yacht for a family trip to the eastern Mediterranean. In 1819, at the end of the trip, Bellmore sold her to Ferdinand I, King of Naples; her ultimate fate is unknown.

  1. ^ Winfield (2008), p. 368.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Wells (1998), pp.227-241.
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference LoM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).