Oil on canvas                                               20th Century
Viewing area 22 3/4" x 34 3/4"                   Framed 20" x 49"
Signed lower right                                       H. Chapelle, 1932

The wine bottle is shown for size comparison only.

 

Presented is a framed blueprint of USN Sloop of War "Wasp" drawn by noted naval architect and historian, Howard I. Chapelle 84 years ago in 1932.  It shows the hull profile and full hull lines, including details below the waterline, bow, etc. Signed lower right "H Chapelle."

She was the second USS WASP of the United States Navy. Constructed in 1806 at the Washington Navy Yard and commissioned in 1807 under command of Master Commandant John Smith. She was captured by the British in the early months of the War of 1812.

DETAILS of this USS WASP sloop of war, 1807-1812:

Length on deck          105’7” (32.2 m).
Beam, mld                   30’0”
Beam, max                  30’11”        
Displacement               460 tons
Complement               140 officers and enlisted
Armament                   16 x 32 pndr. carronades plus  2 x 12 pndr. guns 

Service history: Wasp’s service in 1807 and 1808 remains unrecorded. In 1809, she was cruising the eastern coast of the United States. By the end of 1810, she was operating from the ports of Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, presumably concentrating on the waters along the southern portion of the country's eastern coast. In 1811, she moved to Hampton Roads, Virginia, where she and brigantine Nautilus, joined frigates United States and Congress in squadron commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur. Wasp continued to operate along the coast of the middle states after the United States went to war with Britain in June 1812. Her single action of that war came in October 1812. On the 13th, she exited the mouth of the Delaware River and, two days later, encountered a heavy gale which carried away her jib boom and washed two crewmen overboard. The following evening, Wasp came upon a squadron of ships and, in spite of the fact that two of their number appeared to be large men-of-war, made for them straight away. She finally caught the enemy convoy the following morning and discovered six merchantmen under the protection of HMS Frolic, a standard 18-gun brig sloop of the Cruiser class. At half past eleven in the morning of 15 October, Wasp and Frolic closed for battle, commencing fire at a distance of 50 to 60 yards. In a short, but sharp, fight, both ships sustained heavy damage to masts and rigging, but Wasp prevailed over her adversary by boarding her. Unfortunately for the gallant little ship, a British 74-gun ship of the line, HMS Poictiers appeared on the scene, and Wasp became a British prize. Wasp's commanding officer, Master Commandant Jacob Jones, had to surrender his small ship to the new adversary because he could neither run nor hope to fight such an overwhelming opponent. Wasp was taken in the Royal Navy as HMS Loup Cervier. In 1813 she was again renamed Peacock but was foundered in August 1814 off the southern coast of USA. The Wasp Islands, part of the San Juan Islands of Washington state, were named after the USS Wasp.

Significant details of the USS Sloop of War USS Wasp

 

CONDITION: The frame is is in excellent condition and the paper dust cover on the back is fresh. The blueprint has not been inspected outside the frame, but looks in perfect condition. There is a small sticker inside the glass at the lower right. It looks to be old.

 

Close up of the Transom,  Stern sections of the Sloop of War Wasp

BIOGRAPHY of Howard I. Chapelle: Chapelle was born on February 1, 1901.  From 1919, he worked as a marine apprentice and designer for a number of shipbuilders. After 1936, he went into business for himself, and later served as head of the New England section of the Historic American Merchant Marine Survey, a New Deal project designed to research American naval history and staffed by unemployed marine architects. 

During World War II, Chapelle served in the United States Army Transportation Corps ship and boat building program. In 1950, he ventured to England where he researched colonial ship design on a Guggenheim fellowship. In 1956/57, he served the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization as a consultant on fishing boat construction to the government of Turkey. Upon returning to America, he was appointed Division of Transportation curator of the National Museum of History and Technology. Ten years later, in 1967, he stepped down as curator to assume the role of Senior Historian. He retired in 1971, accepting the title of Historian Emeritus. Chapelle died in Lewes, Delaware, on June 30, 1975. 

Noted Works: Chapelle was a small-boat enthusiast and sailor. He felt that inexpensive yachts based on traditional work boats were the most practical way to go sailing and designed a number of small boats. His article on a 14-foot (4.3 m) Chesapeake sharpie skiff is typical of many of his articles 

His book American Small Sailing Craft (1951) W.W. Norton & Company is considered a classic among small-boat builders and historians. In it he documented many fast-vanishing American working boats. Other classics are The History of American Sailing Ships and The History of the American Sailing Navy: American Small Sailing Craft (1951) all by W. W. Norton & Company

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