The frigate USS President tried to break out of New York Harbor but was intercepted by a British squadron of four warships and forced to surrender.

USS President was a prime target of the Royal Navy during the War of 1812 as it was seen to have insulted British honor after the Little Belt Affair.

Napoleon's failed attempt at invading Russia in 1812 would relieve many British ships from European waters allowing them to impose a strict blockade on the United States.

[3] There was no chance of sailing in good weather, the only hope for escape was in the dangerous winter gales when the British forces would be blown offshore.

[4] Decatur tried to break out of New London in United States in early 1814, but turned back when he feared that pro-British local civilians were burning blue lights to alert the blockaders.

[6] The 24-pounder frigate HMS Endymion had attempted to cut out (send the boats to board and capture) the privateer Prince de Neufchatel and had lost many of her crew, and Captain Henry Hope had expected to be sent back to Britain as Endymion by that time was an old ship (built in 1797) and her crew had been weakened by the battle.

Hope went to unusual lengths to train his new crew in anticipation of imminent combat using the same methods as were used by Philip Broke on HMS Shannon.

[7] Unlike the other five of the six frigates, President was not fastened with diagonal riders which caused her hull to be prone to hogging and twisting.

)[5][9] The plan was that the smaller warships would break out later and rendezvous with President off Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic.

The frigate was damaged by the time that it was worked free: some copper was stripped away from the hull, the masts were twisted and some of them had developed long cracks.

Decatur claimed the hull was twisted, and the bow and stern hogged on the sand bar, although it is likely that this was the case before President had even left port as she was already overdue for repairs.

Endymion could not immediately take possession of her prize, as she had no usable boats;[1] Decatur took advantage of the situation, despite having struck, and made off to escape at 8:30 pm.

Pomone fired two ineffective broadsides (there was minimal damage to President's starboard side) into her, following which Decatur hailed to say that he had surrendered.

[30] Comparison of force (English measurement methods used for both ships) The damaged Endymion and President sailed in company to Bermuda.

Endymion and President arrived at Spithead on 28 March 1815 to a crowd of onlookers who witnessed the disparity in force between the two vessels, and the size of the American 44-gun frigates that had been victorious earlier in the war.

They later built a 60-gun frigate which they also named President to the exact lines of the captured ship in 1829, despite some elements of the design (countered stern) being obsolete.

This ship was used as a political statement as it was commanded by George Cockburn (who led the Burning of Washington) and made flagship of the North American station to remind the United States of its greatest losses during the War of 1812.The smaller American ships still in New York sortied before hearing of the capture of President, and reached the rendezvous off Tristan da Cunha.

Peacock subsequently captured several merchant ships in the Indian Ocean until receiving confirmation that the war had ended.