List of sailing frigates of the United States Navy

This is a list of sailing frigates of the United States Navy. Frigates were the backbone of the early Navy, although the list shows that many suffered unfortunate fates.

The sailing frigates of the United States were unique in that their hulls were made of American live oak, a particularly hardy genus that made very resilient hulls; as a result of this, the ships were known to withstand damage that would have scuppered frigates of other nations. American frigates were also very heavily armed; the USN's 44s were actually armed with approximately 54 to 60 guns, giving them the firepower of a third rate ship of the line.

USS Constitution in 1987

Name	Dates	Fate
Adams	1799–1814
Alliance	1778–1785
Bonhomme Richard	1779
Boston (II)	1777–1780
Boston (III)	1799–1814
Bourbon	1783	never completed
Brandywine	1825–1864
Chesapeake	1800–1813	captured by the British
Columbia	1836–1861
Confederacy	1778–1781	captured by the British
Congress (II)	1777	never completed
Congress (III)	1799–1834
Congress (IV)	1841–1862
Constellation	1797–1853
Constitution Otherwise known as Old Ironsides.	1797
Cumberland	1842–1862	sunk by CSS Virginia
Cyane	1815–1835	captured from the British
Deane	1778–1783
Delaware	1776–1777	captured by the British
Effingham	1777	never completed
Essex	1799–1814	captured by the British
General Greene	1799–1814	destroyed by fire
Guerriere	1814–1841
Hancock	1776–1777	captured by the British
Hudson	1826–1844
Insurgent	1799–1800	lost at sea
John Adams	1799–1867
New York	1800–1814	burned by the British
Philadelphia	1799–1804	captured by Tripoli
Potomac	1822–1877
President	1800–1815	captured by the British
Raleigh	1776–1778	captured by the British
Randolph	1776–1778	exploded in battle
Raritan	1843–1861
Sabine	1855–1883
St. Lawrence	1848–1875
United States	1797–1865
Virginia	1776–1778	captured by the British

Notes