Seeds of Our Defense Procurement Issues
When Congress passed the Naval Act of 1794 on March 27th, 1794, the modern U.S. Navy was born. Note that the Continental Navy, was created in 1775 and was disbanded in the summer of 1793. For 11 years, the United States of America, a nation whose economy depended on overseas trade, had no navy.
The act is very specific in what Congress wanted. To be fair, John Barry, the man considered the father of the modern U.S. Navy, had significant input into the text of the bill. You can see Barry’s influence in the specificity of the desired armament, mission, and desired manning. They can be found in Sections 2, 3, and 4.
Section 2 states that six ships, four with 44 guns and two with 36. Sections 6 through 8 address pay, rations, terms of enlistment, etc.
It was Sections 1 and 9 that caught my attention. When Vice President John Adams signed this bill into law, the United States was paying tribute to the Dey of Algiers, the Bey of Tripoli, and other leaders along the North African littoral. By the time the U.S. went to war with the Barbary Pirates in 1803, 20+% of the Federal budget went to tribute to these pirates in the hopes that they would stop seizing U.S merchant ships.
Section 1 states, WHEREAS the depredations committed by the Algerine corsairs on the commerce of the United States render it necessary that a naval force should be provided for its protection. In other words, we need a navy to protect our ships.
Section 9 states, Provided always, and be it further enacted, That if a peace shall take place between the United States and the Regency of Algiers, that no farther proceeding be had under this act. This section gave Congress carte blanche to interfere with the funding (and later armament) of the construction of these ships, depending on how they perceived the threat. This section was added by the Federalists to appease Thomas Jefferson’s and James Madision’s allies in the Democratic-Republican party who did not want to pay for a Navy.
Nonetheless, six frigates were authorized. Chesapeake, Constitution, President, and United States would have 44 guns. Congress and Constellation, 38. Then Secretary of War Henry Knox (the first Secretary of the Navy had not yet been appointed), suggested that in order to help boost the economy, the six frigates should be built in six different yards in six different cities in six different states. President Washington approved and contracts were issued to shipyards in Baltimore, Boston, Gosport (now Norfolk), Kittery (Maine), New York, and Philadelphia to build Joshua Humphrey’s design.
Back then, frigates of this size would take 12 – 18 months to build in Virginia where work could proceed year-round, and longer in northern cities where harsh weather could impede progress. However, it took almost five years from the date the bill was passed until the last frigate, President was commissioned in on April 10th, 1799.
The first off the ways was United States, launched on May 10th, 1797, followed by Constellation on September 7th, 1797, Constitution on October 21st, 1797. Two years would pass before the next three ships, Chesapeake, Congress, and President were completed. Why?
Money. Each year, the Democratic-Republicans (which became the Democratic Party in 1824) forced Congress to reduce and/or cut funding for the frigates, or pay for the crews, etc., etc., etc. No money, no progress.
The next obvious question is why did Congress fund their completion? It is a one-word answer – war. When the French Navy and privateers began seizing U.S. merchant ships in the Caribbean, we needed to protect them, and the three completed frigates weren’t enough. Once the last three were finished, the war was over, and Jefferson was now in office and the frigates were decommissioned, thus beginneth Jefferson’s war with the U.S. Navy.
1997 Photo by JO2 Todd Stevens of the U.S.S. Constitution under sail for the first time in 116 years.