AH-WR-1457

USS Chippewa

Naval Brig · United States · Lost 1816 · The Bahamas

A War of 1812 clipper brig bound for Caribbean anti-piracy patrol wrecked on an uncharted reef that later claimed a second U.S. Navy ship in the same spot.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built in 1815 under Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's direction, USS Chippewa was a fast clipper brig that later joined the U.S. Navy's campaign against piracy and the slave trade in the Caribbean. On 12 December 1816, while sailing to join anti-piracy patrols, she ran aground on an uncharted reef off Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos and sank without loss of life. The same reef claimed the schooner USS Onkahye decades later, and both wrecks were the focus of a 2008 NOAA-supported archaeological survey.

Vessel

Built: 1815
Builder: Not established
Yard: Warren, Rhode Island
Material: Wood
Length: 108 ft
Beam: 30 ft
Tonnage: 410
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: United States Navy

Loss

Date: December 12, 1816
Cause: Grounding
Location: Reef off Northwest Point, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Water: Caribbean Sea
Voyage: Boston, Massachusetts → Gulf of Mexico, to join USS Congress on anti-piracy and anti-slave-trade patrol
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Site includes hull remains, copper sheathing, and a mast band; carronades matching Chippewa's armament were located during 2008 NOAA-supported surveys.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 2008
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Northwest Point, Providenciales
Region: The Bahamas

The Turks and Caicos Islands are part of the same Lucayan Archipelago as the Bahamas but are not separately listed in this registry's regions; filed under the-bahamas as the closest match. Precise wreck coordinates were not published in the sources reviewed.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)

Precise wreck coordinates and the extent of surviving structure are not established in the sources reviewed.

Wikipedia (USS Chippewa (1815))
Construction, service history, and loss narrative.
NOAA Ocean Explorer, "The Search for Trouvadore 2008"
Archaeological survey findings and site background for the Chippewa wreck.