Moments later, the captain of the Leopard responded with a barrage of broadsides, killing three Americans and wounding eighteen. When the British commander requested permission to search the ship for deserters, the American commodore James Barron refused to muster his crew for inspection.
In June 1807, the Chesapeake set sail from Norfolk and was intercepted by HMS Leopard. British were not happy and decided to make an example of the brazen Englishman, who joined the crew of USS Chesapeake. It is famous because it became the cause of the War of 1812 known as Leopard vs Chesapeake affair.Īs his vessel was patrolling the coasts of Virginia, former tailor Jenkin Ratford stole a boat and deserted to the shores of Norfolk. Leopard is a beautiful fast 4th rate that served during French revolutionary wars, Napoleonic wars and the War of 1812 between United States and Britain.
