Editing Quasi-War (section)

==Forces and strategy==
[[File:Clarisse vs Louisia and Mercury-P6280099.JPG|thumb|The French privateer ''Clarisse'' attacking the American merchantmen ''Louisa'' and ''Mercury'' on January 3, 1800]]

Since [[Ship of the line|ships of the line]] were expensive to build and required highly specialised construction facilities, in 1794 Congress compromised by ordering [[Original six frigates of the United States Navy|six large frigates]]. By 1798, the first three were nearly complete and on 16 July 1798, additional funding was approved for the {{USS|Congress|1799|6}}, {{USS|Chesapeake|1799|6}}, and {{USS|President|1800|6}}, plus the frigates {{USS|General Greene|1799|6}} and {{USS|Adams|1799|6}}. The provision of naval stores and equipment by the British allowed these to be built relatively quickly, and all saw action during the war.{{sfn|Eclov|2013|p=69}}

These vessels were enhanced by so-called "subscription ships", privately funded vessels provided by individual cities. They included five frigates, among them the {{USS|Philadelphia|1799|6}}, commanded by [[Stephen Decatur]], and four merchantmen converted into [[Sloop-of-war|sloops]]. Primarily intended to attack foreign shipping, they earned huge profits for their owners; the {{USS|Boston|1799|6}} captured over 80 enemy vessels, including the French corvette {{ship|French corvette|Berceau|1794|2}}.{{sfn|Sechrest|2007|p=119}}

With most of the French fleet confined to Europe by the [[Royal Navy]], Secretary Stoddert was able to focus resources on eliminating the few vessels that evaded the blockade and reached the Caribbean. The U.S. also needed convoy protection, and while there was no formal agreement with the British, considerable co-operation took place at a local level. The two navies shared a signal system, and allowed their merchantmen to join each other's convoys, most of which were provided by the British, who had four to five times more escorts available.{{sfn|Eclov|2013|pp=8–10}}

This freed the U.S. Navy to concentrate on French privateers, most of which had very shallow [[Draft (hull)|draft]] and were armed with a maximum of twenty guns. Operating from French and Spanish bases in the Caribbean, particularly [[Guadeloupe]], they made opportunistic attacks on passing ships, before escaping back into port. To counter those tactics, the U.S. used similarly sized vessels from the Revenue Cutter Service, as well as commissioning their own privateers. The first American ship to see action was the {{USS|Ganges|1794|6}}, a converted [[East Indiaman]] with 26 guns, but most were far smaller.{{sfn|Eclov|2013|pp=71–72}}

The [[revenue cutter]] {{USS|Pickering}}, commanded by [[Edward Preble]], made two cruises to the [[West Indies]] and captured ten prizes. Preble turned command of ''Pickering'' over to Benjamin Hillar, who captured the much larger and more heavily armed French privateer ''l{{'}}Egypte Conquise'' after a nine-hour battle. In September 1800, the ''Pickering'' and her entire crew were lost at sea in a storm.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.navyandmarine.org/ondeck/USRCS_Lost_at_Sea.htm |title=USRCS Lost at Sea |access-date=9 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728123235/http://www.navyandmarine.org/ondeck/USRCS_Lost_at_Sea.htm |archive-date=28 July 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Preble next commanded the frigate {{USS|Essex|1799|6}}, which he sailed around [[Cape Horn]] into the Pacific to protect U.S. merchantmen in the [[East Indies]]. He recaptured several U.S. ships that had been seized by French privateers.<ref>The United States Coast Guard [http://www.uscg.mil/history/articles/h_CGatwar.asp The Coast Guard at War]</ref><ref>Love 1992, p. 68</ref>

The first significant study of the war was written by U.S. naval historian Gardner W. Allen in 1909, and focused exclusively on ship-to-ship actions.{{sfn|Allen|1909}} This is how the conflict is generally remembered in the U.S., but historian Michael Palmer argues American naval operations cannot be assessed in isolation. When operating in the Caribbean {{Blockquote|...they entered a European theater where the war had been underway since 1793... British ships chased and fought the same French cruisers and privateers. Both navies escorted each other's merchantmen. American warships operated from British bases. And most importantly, British policies and shifts in deployment had dramatic effects on American operations.{{sfn|Palmer|1989|p=x}}}}