- L'Indien
L'Indien, a
frigate built for the U.S. Commissioners inFrance —Benjamin Franklin ,Silas Deane , and Arthur Lee — was laid down early in1777 by a privateshipyard inAmsterdam . Late in the yearJohn Paul Jones sailed for France, hoping to assume command of "L'Indien"; but, before his arrival, financial difficulties and opposition from the still-neutral Dutch government, under pressure fromGreat Britain , had forced the Commissioners to sell the new frigate to Louis XVI,King of France .For over three years the ship remained idle while several American and European agents schemed to obtain her. Finally, on 30 May 1780 the King granted her to the
Duke of Luxembourg , who simultaneously chartered her toSouth Carolina , represented by CommodoreAlexander Gillon of theSouth Carolina Navy . Gillon renamed the frigate "South Carolina".Subsequently, she took several prizes and led the combined
United States -Spanish expedition which captured theBahamas . British men-of-war HMS|Diomede|1781|6 and HMS|Quebec captured "South Carolina" as she attempted to dash out ofPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania , through the British blockade 20 December 1782.Perhaps her greatest significance comes from the fact the marine architect Joshua Humphreys studied her sleek hull and used her lines in designing the
United States Navy 's first frigates, especially USS|Constitution and USS|Constellation|1797|6.References
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