Isaac Hull

Isaac Hull
Captain Isaac Hull
Born	(1773-03-09)March 9, 1773 Derby, Connecticut Colony, British America
Died	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
Place of burial	Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1798–1843
Rank	Commodore
Commands held	USS Constitution
Battles/wars	Quasi War *Battle of Puerto Plata Harbor War of 1812 *USS Constitution vs. HMS Guerriere
Awards	Congressional Gold Medal

Isaac Hull (March 9, 1773 – February 13, 1843) was a Commodore in the United States Navy. He commanded several famous US naval ships including USS Constitution and saw service in the Quasi War, the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. In the latter part of his career he was commander of the Washington Navy Yard, and later the Mediterranean Squadron.

Early life

File:PostcardSheltonCTBirthplaceOfCommodoreHull1908.jpg

Claimed birthplace, Shelton, Connecticut

Isaac Hull was born in Derby, Connecticut (some sources say Huntington, now Shelton, Connecticut), on March 9, 1773. Early in life he joined his mariner father, Joseph, on local voyages and longer trips to the West Indies. After his father died while still young, Isaac was adopted by his uncle William Hull, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War.

During the mid-1790s, the young Hull commanded several merchant vessels, losing some to French privateers.

Naval Service

He was commissioned a Lieutenant in the newly formed United States Navy in March 1798 and distinguished himself during the next two years while serving on board the frigate Constitution in the Quasi-War with France.

First Barbary War

When troubles with the Barbary states heated up in 1802, he went to the Mediterranean as First Lieutenant of the frigate USS Adams. Hull later commanded the schooner USS Enterprise and the brig USS Argus, receiving promotion to the rank of Master Commandant in 1804 and to Captain in 1806. During the next few years, he supervised the construction of gunboats and, in 1809 and 1810, was successively given command of the frigates, USS Chesapeake, USS President and Constitution.

Command of Chesapeake

In 1809 Hull briefly commanded the USS Chesapeake.

Command of Constitution

Medal awarded to Hull by the United States Congress

Isaac Hull assumed command of Constitution in June 1810; his time on the ship was eventful. He took the ship on a European cruise in 1811–1812, returning home before the War of 1812 broke out between the United States and Great Britain. An enemy squadron closely pursued his ship off the East Coast in July, but Hull skillfully evaded them. On August 19, 1812, Constitution encountered the British frigate HMS Guerriere at sea and pounded her to a wreck in an action that electrified the Nation and demonstrated that the small U.S. Navy was a worthy and dangerous opponent for Britain's otherwise overwhelming maritime might.

Hull commanded the Portsmouth Navy Yard at Kittery, Maine, for the rest of the War of 1812, then briefly served on the Board of Navy Commissioners in Washington, D.C. before taking over leadership of the Boston Navy Yard. During 1823–1827, he commanded the Pacific Squadron operating out of South America aboard USS United States. Commodore Hull's next assignment, as Commandant of the Washington Navy Yard, ran from 1829 until 1835. Between 1839 and 1841, he commanded the Mediterranean Squadron.

Rendered unfit for further service by age and ill health, he spent the next two years on leave. Commodore Isaac Hull died at the age of 69 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is buried there in Laurel Hill Cemetery.

Portrait of Hull, published in Polyanthos, 1814

Namesakes and honors

The U.S. Navy has named five ships in honor of Isaac Hull, including: USS Commodore Hull; USS Hull (DD-7); USS Hull (DD-330); USS Hull (DD-350); and USS Hull (DD-945).

The Commodore Isaac Hull Memorial Bridge spanning the Housatonic River between Derby and Shelton is named after him.

Hull Street in Montgomery, Alabama is named in honor of Hull. It runs parallel to streets named after other Barbary War/War of 1812 naval heroes: Decatur Street, named for Stephen Decatur; McDonough Street, named for Thomas Macdonough; Lawrence Street, named for James Lawrence; Bainbridge Street, named for William Bainbridge and Perry Street, named for Oliver Hazard Perry.

See also

• Bibliography of early American naval history
• List of ships

Bibliography

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Further reading

• London, Joshua E. Victory in Tripoli: How America's War with the Barbary Pirates Established the U.S. Navy and Shaped a Nation. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2005. ISBN 0-471-44415-4

External links

• How Isaac Hull Built the USS Washington
• New Hampshire History Online — Isaac Hull