Combat· War of 1812
Wasp vs HMS Reindeer
One of the hardest-fought sloop actions of the war, fought in the enemy's home waters.
About 250 miles off the south coast of Ireland, the USS Wasp under Master Commandant Johnston Blakeley closed with the British brig-sloop HMS Reindeer and fought her at point-blank range. The Reindeer's captain attempted to board, but the Wasp's crew, with the Marines under Sergeant William Barnes pouring in musketry, beat back the attempt and then carried the British deck themselves. The Reindeer was so thoroughly shattered, her hull torn open and her commander killed, that Blakeley burned her after taking off the survivors. The Wasp's losses fell heavily among the boarders. The victory, deep in British waters, was part of a celebrated cruise that spread alarm through British shipping before the Wasp's own mysterious end at sea later that year.
Podcast episodes on War of 1812
Record no. 230