The Frigate Essex of Salem was a warship of many “firsts”. As the first to round the Cape of Good Hope into the Indian Ocean during her maiden cruise, making the first capture of a British naval vessel during the War of 1812, and later becoming the first US Navy ship to round Cape Horn into the Pacific, this ship and her intrepid captains bravely sailed to the far corners of the globe during her short, but remarkable career. The Essex completed high-stakes missions such as escorting convoys, gunship diplomacy, transporting Federal officials, and outright warfare. 

Jeff Swartz is the past docent and the newest member of the Pickering House Board of Trustees. He will share the career and adventures of the Frigate Essex from the time she left her birthplace in Salem through her service in the First Barbary War and War of 1812, to her capture by the British off Valparaiso, Chile in 1814, and finally her demise as a prison hulk in Dún Laoghaire (Dunleary), Ireland. Grab a snack or hardtack and a bottle of beer, wine or grog while enjoying this virtual lecture.