USS Nautilus (1799)

USS Nautilus
History
United States
NameUSS Nautilus
BuilderSpencer
Cost$18,763
Laid down1799
AcquiredPurchased, May 1803
Commissioned24 June 1803
FateCaptured by Royal Navy, 6 July 1812
Royal Navy EnsignUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Emulous
AcquiredBy capture 6 July 1812
FateSold or broken up 1817
General characteristics
TypeSchooner Rerigged as Brig 1810
Displacement185 long tons (188 t)
Tons burthen213 (bm)
Length87 ft 6 in (26.67 m) (overall) 71 ft 6 in (21.79 m) (keel)
Beam23 ft 8 in (7.21 m)
Depth of hold9 ft 10 in (3.00 m)
PropulsionSail
Complement103 officers and enlisted
Armament
  • Initially: 12 × 6-pounder long guns
  • From 1811: 12 × 18-pounder carronades + 2 long guns
  • British service: 12 × 12-pounder carronades + 2 × 6-pounder guns

Nautilus was a schooner launched in 1799. The United States Navy purchased her in May 1803 and commissioned her USS Nautilus; she thus became the first ship to bear that name. She served in the First Barbary War. She was altered to a brigantine. The British captured Nautilus early in the War of 1812 and renamed her HMS Emulous. After her service with the Royal Navy, the Admiralty sold her in 1817.