Hull, Isaac, 1773-1843

Isaac Hull (1773-1843) commanded USS Constitution in her 1812 victory over Guerriere, in which it earned the sobriquet "Old Ironsides." He later commanded the Boston, Portsmouth, and Washington Navy yards and was appointed Commodore of the Mediterranean Squadron in 1838.

Isaac Hull was born 9 March 1773 Huntington (now Shelton) CT. His commands included the schooner Enterprise and the brig Argus in 1803, the frigate Constitution in 1810-1812, the Navy Yards at Boston, Portsmouth and Washington, the Pacific Station (1824-1827) and the Mediterranean Station (1838-1841). He died 13 February 1843 Philadelphia PA.

Isaac Hull, U.S. naval officer, was born in Shelton, Connecticut on March 9, 1773. He joined the Navy in 1798 and saw action in the hostilities with France that year, the War with Tripoli and the War of 1812, when he, in command of the Constitution, defeated HMS Guerriere. He was CO of the Pacific and Mediterranean Squadrons in the post-war period.

Naval officer.

1773, March 9. Born Shelton, Conn.

Raised by uncle in Newton, Mass.

1798, March 9. Appointed lieut., U.S.N.

1810. Given command of "Constitution."

1812, Aug. 19. Captured British frigate "Guerrière."

1813, Jan. 2. Married Anna McCurdy Hart.

1815. Took command of Boston Navy Yard.

1824. Achieved rank of commodore, and command of Pacific station in frigate "United States."

1829. Appointed commandant of Washington Navy Yard.

1838. Chairman of the Navy Board of Revision.

1839. Jan. 4. Arrived at Port Mahon in "Ohio" to command Mediterranean station.

1841, July 17. Arrived in Boston.

1842. Retired to Philadelphia.

Isaac Hull (1773-1843), the nephew and adopted son of William Hull (1753-1825), was a naval officer in the U.S. Navy from 1798 to 1841. During the Tripolitan War, Hull, commander of the brig _Argus_, cooperated with William Eaton in capturing the town of Derne, as this was essential to Eaton's plan of restoring Hamet Caramalli as Bashaw of Tripoli.

William Eaton (1764-1811) graduated from Dartmouth College in 1790. He was commissioned captain in the U.S. Army in 1792 and, in 1798, was appointed U.S. consul to Tunis. During the Tripolitan War, Eaton served as a special representative of the American government, with the title "Navy Agent to the Barbary States."