Show SPEAKING OF SEA TERRORS TERRORS- DAREDEVIL DAREDEVIL DAREDEVILs FRIGATE FRIGA TE ESSEX U. U S. S N. N s PULLED OFF AUDACIOUS A UDA dO US EXPLOITS QI TS CENTURY Y AGO A GO GOof Cruise of Eitel Eifel F Friedrich Outclassed by Gallant American Craft Which Drove British Flag From South Pacific P Du During Eighteen Months' Months Solitary Raid i 1 1 t I T l i HI l J Z c l r 1 t f t r 4 d J y 1 i I I r y yN I N 1 I w 1 w 1 i I j The battle torn decks deck of the gallant frigate Essex at the tho end of I last lut her brilliant fl h having lost more than half his men In a fierce fight against two bin big British ships hlo orde orders fight r s th the he Capt colors i ros struck David t Porter i I You hear a lot about tho the exploits of ot the tho German cruisers latel l an and these days Hut But did you ou ever hear of ot the crul cruise o of the tho frigate Essex of oC the United Slates States na navy Some terror o of the tho sea was this gallant gallant gal gal- al lant American warship Tho The Essex l was built bulit in Iii 1 1199 by the tho people of Salem alem Mass who hewed and haul hauled hauld d its timbers donated Its Hs guns Suns and equipment and presented It it H. and span to Uncle San Sam am as a n sign Ign of their devotion I Its commander was Capt David Porter Por Por- I ter a ll hero ro of or the thc United States navy I Aboard It when It tailed sailed from the tho Delaware Delaware Delaware Dela Dela- ware river on the of October 1812 1512 was a crew of or ii men and one ono bo boy 11 years ears old old old-a a lad destined to become as famous I as the Essex's own commander David Glus Glasgow ow Captain Porter sailed with a n roving commission lon Ills His Intent was to lure the British men of ot war away from Crom tho the United States Slates tate coast const It took look a month to make Port on the tho north coast o of Brazil and two I weeks longer to cross the tho equator and th tin th first still cell II This Th uror I I I to be the time British packet Nocton carrIn carrying carry carr In ing ten guns gunt one thirty m min men n and Porter took the tho guns the tho men and anel tho the mono money aboard the tile Essex set find and started the tho prize ship shill homeward It was ill luck that later the h recaptured It H. On Christmas da day the Essex captured the British schooner Elizabeth and a week weck later Captain Porter conceived conceived con- con the daring idea of ot taking his ship around tho the Horn Into the Pacific Pac ocean whom where no Yankee warship had ov over r been It t was no small snail adventure this for Cor time the Essex was wa In size not much larger than a fishing smack of toda today Ship was cleaned foil and loaded near the middle of ot the tho South Atlantic and anel on January t 26 1513 her prow was headed for Cor tho the Horn It tool took twenty days day's to get to this thin southernmost point of ot land lanel landon landon on the New World hemisphere hemisphere and antI three days daft of or desperate ato battling with storms and monster waves to round It It H. But earl early In March l the Essex Esse had reached South Americas America's western shore and aorl then the fun un began I When the tho Porter entered this region twenty five o British whalers were driftIng driftIng drift drift- I Ing Int about bout like swans on a n lagoon Some did not Clot know wow a war was on Others never dreamed si n lone IanI Yankee nl I war era raft craft ft I would dare venture so far ar from rom home In among them thom like hike a n fox tox among fit fat Lm t hens hns tho little frigate darted seizing g despoiling till soon all aU were madl madly for Ol cover Within six months Porter and his gal sal lant lint crew had captured fourteen ships some with rich car cargoes oes many ninny larger large r than his own had harl sent home hone prizes prize s valued at more moro than had hat equipped a squadron of ot four fleet ct aux cruisers and had driven tho the flag flig o of Great Britain ln into hiding along the entire west coast Such luck of ot course could not last England Englan became aroused arousal rl rushed over over- some somo of her I strongest battleships and rl c early In the tha spring of or ISH caught Porter Por Por- ter at i disadvantage In tho the port of ot Valparaiso Here two ships against one one thirty thirty- eight long range guns against six six a n battle lasting two hours and twenty minutes was fought till more morl than half his men were killed or disabled wh when n tho the brave captain struck his flag and surrendered earning even from heated foes toes the tho tribute of or profound respect |