Chris Dickon

The Enduring Journey of the Uss Chesapeake: Navigating the Common History of Three Nations Chris Dickon

As the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 is observed in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, one of its most important artifacts sits relatively intact and unknown in England. The USS Chesapeake was launched in Portsmouth, Virginia in 1799, and captured by the British in one of the most storied naval battles of the War of 1812. Though broken up in Portsmouth, England in 1819, she endures more than any of the other American warships of her day, including the USS Constitution. Since 1820, the uncut and unaltered timbers of the Chesapeake have survived as the structure of a flour mill beside the Meon River in Wickham, Hampshire County, UK. When the Chesapeake Mill became obsolete and abandoned in the 1970s, the ship was in danger of being broken up once again. Then, at the beginning of the 21st century, the forces of historic preservation returned her to life in another form.