The 20p stamp of Tristan da Cunha issued in 2001 depicts two ships, the ship in the foreground is the HMS PENGUIN, the other ship must be USS HORNET.
Built at the yard of William Price at Baltimore for the USS Navy as a wooden brig. She was designed by Josiah Fox.
28 July 1805 launched under the name USS HORNET, named after a long strong wasp whose sting is severe. She was the third vessel in the USS Navy under that name.
Tonnage 440 ton, dim. 106.9 x 31.5 x 14ft. (draught)
Armament 16 – 32pdr., 2 – 12pdr. guns.
Crew 150.
18 October 1805 commissioned under command of Isaac Chauncey.
She cruised first off the USA Atlantic coast before she on 29 March 1806 headed for the Mediterranean, where she joined the Mediterranean Squadron, which was protecting the American commerce against piracy.
29 November 1807 she arrived at Charleston and was decommissioned.
26 December 1808 recommissioned, where after she General James Wilkinson transported to New Orleans, cruised in home waters to enforce the Embargo Act, and carried dispatches to Holland, France and England.
When this act was repealed in November 1810, the HORNET was rebuilt and ship rigged at the Washington Navy Yard. Her beam was increased by 10 inches. In service on September 1811.
When in June 1812 war broke out between the United States of America and Great Britain with her colonies, the HORNET was cruising with Commodore John Bodgers Squadron.
09 July 1812 she captured the British privateer DOLPHI. When underway to the United States with a prize crew on board the DOLPHIN was re-captured.
Then used for the blockade of the Brazilian port Bahia.
24 February 1813 she captured the HMS PEACOCK armed with 18 guns, off Demerara, British Guiana.
After a short battle of 15 minutes the PEACOCK struck her colours and was taken as a prize, during the battle the PEACOCK lost her Capt. William Peake and 5 men, while 33 men were wounded.
The PEACOCK sunk the same day near the Carobank Bank off Demerara, where she sank in 5½ fathoms water; she took with her four British crew and three American prize crew.
The HORNET’s gunnery was greatly superior to that of the PEACOCK and that on the end of the battle the hull of the HORNET was barely scratched.
She sailed north to New London, where after she was blockaded by the Royal Navy till 14 November 1814 when she got the change to slip along the Royal Navy, at that time she was under command of Capt. James Biddle. She had orders to harass British commerce in the Indian Ocean.
After she left New London she captured another merchant vessel, which was on a voyage to New York.
December 1814 a peace treaty was signed by the USA and Great Britain
Unaware that the war had ended she sailed south and on 23 March 1815 she sighted the HMS PENGUIN off Tristan da Cunha, after a short battle the PENGUIN was captured.
23 August she returned in New York.
1818 After a cruise to the West Indies and Copenhagen, and a second to the Mediterranean in 1819, she was based at Key West and Pensacola, Fla. To help end piracy in the Caribbean.
29 October 1821 she captured the schooner MOSCOW off the coast of Santo Domingo.
The next nine year she was a unit of the West India Squadron.
04 March1829 she sailed from Pensacola and headed for the coast of Mexico and that was the last what was seen of the HORNET.
27 October 1829 the commander of the West India Squadron received information that HORNET had been dis-masted in a gale off Tampico, Mexico on 29 September 1829, and had foundered with the loss of all of her 145 crew.
On Tristan da Cunha 2001 20p sg ?, scott 488.
Source: The lost ships of the Royal Navy 1793-1900, by W.P.Gosset. Ships of the World by Lincoln Paine.
http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/h8/hornet-iii.htm