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History of Lynx
At the outbreak of the War of 1812, the American Navy consisted of only 17 ships - eight frigates,
two brigs, and seven assorted smaller vessels including a few schooners which saw service in the Barbary Wars.
When a nation went to war, owners of private vessels were granted special permissions, called "letters of marque," to prey upon
the enemy's shipping; thus, "privateers." While rarely engaging enemy warships, their impact was felt by English merchants who
insisted on warship escorts for their vessels. To perform this duty, warships were drawn away from engaging the scant American Navy
and blockading our coast, and thus did the privateers, motivated by profit, assist in our national defense. Among the Baltimore privateers
was the sharp-built tops'l schooner, LYNX.
Privateers were so effective at running the British blockade and harassing the British merchant fleet that the
ship yards, which built them, became primary targets for British revenge. The most notorious of these were at Fell's Point
(Baltimore) Maryland.
But in order to get to them, the British force had to sail beyond Ft. McHenry, which protected the entrance to Baltimore's inner harbor
and Fell's Point. For 25 hours on 13 and 14 September 1814, the British bombarded the fort with over 1500 iron shot and mortar shells,
but were unable to achieve their goal. It was here, on the morning of 14 September that Francis Scott Key, a lawyer from Georgetown DC, was moved
to write the "Star Spangled Banner" which, 131 years later, became our National Anthem.
Although captured early in the war, the original LYNX with her rakish profile and superior sailing abilities, served as an
inspiration to those ships that would follow.
For further background on the ship and the 1812 era, click on the titles below and the papers will launch as .html or .pdf files.
If you do not have Acrobat Reader, click here to download it now.
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