The HMS Macedonian, a 38-gun sailing frigate, was built at Woolwich, England, in 1809, launched 2 June 1810, and commissioned soon thereafter, Lord William FitzRoy in command. Among the original crew was the 13-year-old Samuel Leech, who later wrote a memoir of his experiences.
Macedonian first delivered a company of soldiers to Lisbon, Portugal, then remained in the area, guarding against the possibility of French naval attack. During this period, FitzRoy made personal profit by falsification of records of ships' stores, for which he was court-martialled in March 1811 and dismissed from the service (he was quietly reinstated in August, presumably due to his aristocratic rank).
FitzRoy's replacement, William Waldegrave, was an interim appointment whose command lasted for only a few weeks before he was himself replaced by John Carden. One of Carden's first actions was to hire a band, a move popular with the crew, but he did not get along with the first lieutenant David Hope.
In January 1812, Macedonian was ordered to secretly deliver some bills of exchange to Norfolk, Virginia, and to bring back an equivalent quantity of gold and silver specie, as part of a scheme to keep the Bank of England solvent. During the visit, Carden socialized with the notables of Norfolks, including Commodore Stephen Decatur (whom he was soon to meet under much less friendly circumstances), but bungled the mission by inadvertently revealing what was planned, and had to return to Lisbon empty-handed.
In September, Macedonian was ordered to accompany an East Indiaman as far as Madeira, then to cruise in search of prizes as long as his supplies permitted. The frigate left Madeira on 22 October, but only a few days later, on the morning of 25 October, encountered the USS United States, commanded by none other than his erstwhile dinner host Decatur. The USA had just declared the War of 1812 on Britain, and both captains were eager to achieve personal glory in a fight.
On 25 October Macedonian was steering N.W. about 1000 miles west of the Canary Islands when, at daybreak, a sail was seen on the lee beam. Capt. Carden immediately stood towards and soon made out a large American frigate. After exchanging shots at long range for an hour a close action commenced. The enemy's force was so superior that there could only be one end to the battle; after two hours and ten minutes with all her masts badly damaged, all the guns on the quarter-deck and forecastle disabled except for two and a great proportion of the crew killed or wounded, Capt. Cardan was forced to surrender his ship. His opponent was the United States, built with the scantlings of a 74-gun ship and armed with thirty long 24-pounders on her main deck and twenty-two 42- pounder carronades and two long 24-pounders on her quarter-deck and forecastle.
At a muster on the 28th it was determined that Macedonian had lost 36 killed, 36 severely wounded, many of whom were unlikely to recover, and 32 slightly wounded. Lieut. David Hope was severely wounded in the leg, and later even more so in the head, and taken below but was soon back again on the deck. Lieut. John Bulford was also wounded but remained at his quarters. Lieut. Samuel Mottley and the master, Mr Walker, were unwounded.
The prisoners were taken to New London were they were treated with great kindness by Com. Decatur and his officers who returned all the private property taken in the ship. They were taken by cartel to Bermuda where they faced a court martial on board San Domingo on 27 and 31 May 1813. The "firmest and most determined courage and resolution" with which the officers and men of Macedonian behaved throughout the action was praised and they were all honourably acquitted.
Many (all - according to Com. Decateur) of the crew of the United States had served in the Royal Navy. A quarter-master discovered his first cousin on board her, two seamen found brothers and an officer's servant, a young lad from London named William Hearne, also found his brother.
Macedonian made one futile attempt with United States and sloop Hornet to break the British blockade by way of Hell Gate, N.Y., 24 May 1813. She then remained in the Thames River, Conn., until the end of the War of 1812.
On 20 May 1815 she departed for the Mediterranean to join Commodore Decatur's 10-ship squadron in the Algerian War, a renewal of naval action against the Barbary powers, to stop harassment of American shipping. On 17 June the frigate assisted in the capture of Algerian flagship, frigate Mashuda by frigates Constellation and Guerriere, the sloops-of-war Epervier and Ontario.
The signing of a treaty with Tunis and Tripoli 7 August, following that with Algeria in June, won maritime freedom in the Mediterranean. The next 3 years Macedonian patrolled there and off the East Coast.
From January 1819 to March 1821 the frigate operated off the Pacific coast of South America, giving aid and protection to the commercial ships in the area during the disorders following the Latin colonial revolts, before returning to Boston in June 1821. She next cruised in the West Indies helping to suppress piracy, into 1826.
On 11 June 1826 Macedonian departed Norfolk for service on the Pacific station, returning to Hampton Roads, Va., 30 October 1828 where she was decommissioned.
The ship had been entirely unserviceable for years but had been carried on the naval registers as a convenient method of obtaining maintenance funds from Congress. By her existence in the register her alleged cost of maintenance could be budgeted and so obtained from congress; then the funds could be diverted to other needs. Little or nothing was spend on the Macedonian herself.
It was decided to rebuild the ship as a frigate, as enough sloops were then in service, but commands for senior officers were in demand. The old ship, even though built from much praised English oak, was entirely rotten. A new ship was designed by Humphreys, a double banked, and much sharper then former US frigates, in fact a clipper model with a long and well formed run and proved to be a fast sailor. She was pierced for 58 guns, but rated at 36. Originally commissioned with 36pdr medium and a 8 8" shell guns.
She had been intended to carry 32x32pdrs and 24x32 carronades, but proved incapable of carrying such a heavy armament. Early in her life, most of her spar deck guns were removed.
Work finally began in 1832 at the Norfolk Navy Yard, after funds and yard space was made available, The old prize frigate "being rebuilt" was not broken up until 1836, her figure head of Alexander the Great was transferred to the new ship, and just prior to launching of the "rebuilt" Macedonian, the old hulk "vanished".
With Jamestown, she carried food to Ireland in the great famine, making good time under hard driving.
During 1849-1852, she was razeed from a spar deck frigate to a spar decked corvette,Her relatively small size and sharp model made her unsuitable as a full fledged frigate.
Stripped of her high spar-deck bulwarks. quarter galleries, and had her head extensively altered. Her spars were lengthened, and a handsome ship resulted. This converted she was a 24 gun ship, and lasted until 1875, when she was sold.