142 OUR FIRST FRIGATES. 



bers of the frigates. In order to prevent all errors the molds prepared by Mr. 

 Humphreys were shipped to Georgia and it was directed that the timber be cut in 

 January and February, these months being recommended as the most suitable of the 

 year for cutting timber. 



In this connection it may be of interest to give extracts of the principal dimen- 

 sions of the frigates, as contained in Humphreys' final reports : — 



"44-GUN FRIGATES. 



"Length of gun deck from rabbet of stem to post 174 feet 10^/2 inches. 

 Length of keel 145 feet. 



Molded breadth of beam in the extreme part 43 feet 6 inches. 

 Height of wing transom above rabbit of the keel 25 feet 8^ inches. 

 Height of lower deck transom above rabbit of keel 20 feet 9 inches. 

 Height between gun deck and lower deck 6 feet 4 inches. 



"36-GUN FRIGATES. 



"Length of gun deck from rabbet of stem to post 163 feet 7 inches. 



Length of keel 136 feet. 



Molded breadth of beam in extreme part 40 feet. 



Height of wing transom above rabbit of keel 24 feet. 



Height of lower deck transom above rabbit of keel 19 feet 2 inches. 



Height between gun deck and lower deck 6 feet." 



In both types of ship the keel to be of good sound white oak in three pieces, the 

 middle piece to be not less than 80 feet. 



In December the Secretary of War, at the request of the House of Representa- 

 tives, submitted a report showing the progress made up to that time. He calls at- 

 tention to the difficulties of construction in the following terms : — 



"That few or no materials of any sort either for construction or equipment ex- 

 isted in their proper shape ; that everything if not to be created was to be modified ; 

 that the wood of which the frames were to be made were standing in the forests ; 

 the iron for the cannon lies in its natural bed, and the flax and hemp perhaps in 

 their seed; that the materials will soon be collected and the building vigorously 

 pushed, so that the frigates according to the opinions contained in the documents 

 herewith submitted may be afloat in the course of the year 1795." 



In view of the later history of our first frigates, and especially of the records 

 of the Constellation, Constitution and United States, the following quotation from 

 the report of Joshua Humphreys is of interest: — 



"As soon as Congress had agreed to build frigates, it was contemplated to 

 make them the most powerful, and at the same time the most useful ships. After 



