[3] The frigate departed New York in mid-September 1799 and headed for the West Indies to protect American shipping from attacks by French privateers, during the Quasi-War with France.

[7] French schooner L'Heureuse Rencontre was captured, and privateer "General Massena" also, and "Isabella", a prize of Berceau was recaptured, in February.

[10] But Adams most successful month came in May when she recaptured an unidentified schooner and teamed up with Insurgent once more in freeing a British letter of marque.

[11] In need of repairs, Adams returned to New York on 3 June 1800, after briefly running aground off Cape Hatteras,[12] On 18 August Capt.

The Barbary states on the northern coast of Africa were capturing American merchantmen attempting to trade in that ancient sea and enslaving their crews.

[15] In a letter dated 13 April, 1802 Preble asked for a furlough due to a rapid decline in his health since arriving in New York in January.

She arrived there on 22 July and remained in that port blockading the Tripolitan cruiser Meshuda lest she escape and prey on American shipping.

Alexander Murray in July 1805, Adams cruised along the coast of the United States from New York to Florida protecting American commerce.

In the autumn of the following year she was again laid up in Washington and – but for service enforcing the Embargo Act in 1809 – remained inactive at the nation's capital until the outbreak of the War of 1812.

Charles Morris, she was ready for action by the end of the year, but was bottled up in the Chesapeake Bay by blockading British warships until she finally managed to slip out to sea on 18 January 1814.

During this cruise, she took five more merchant ships chased two more into the River Shannon, and barely managed to escape from a much larger British warship.