The war of 1812 brought American naval might to the forefront. Carpenters and ship builders were important crew members and the USS Commonwealth had the best one. It was said Sewell Chamberlain could straighten a broken mast in a gale with only a rope, a hammer, and a flask of rum (Sewell hated heights). That after a barrage of cannon fire the hull was dry as a bone because Sewell patched up the holes so quick "water didn't have time to get in". Sewell wasn't just a great carpenter, he was also an able seaman. He understood wind power, buoyancy, and tidal changes. He was curious about aero dynamics, weight distribution, and speed. He wrote down all of his thoughts and ideas in his journal with sketches and diagrams in the margins. Sewell was an engineer before his time. He longed to back to his beloved Charlestown but home would have to wait. General Rice received word that a British gunner slipped through American defenses under a false flag and were intending to assault the east coast as they sailed to join their British compatriots at the Chesapeake Bay. Unless, the only available ship the USS Commonwealth could stop them. But how? The Commonwealth is one of the largest ships in the fleet, it could never catch up to a gunner. Sewell had an idea. He convinced the captain to dry dock the ship for modifications knowing there was no time to waste. With the help of the crew, Sewell was able to remove over 3 tons of unnecessary weight from the ship. Reduce is rudder, expand its sails and gain 7 knots in speed. The time used for improvements was more than made up for at sea. The USS Commonwealth routed the HMS Brutus easily and was so agile and intimidating that the Brutus surrendered without firing a single shot. Which was good because Sewell left all of the cannons, powder and most of the crew back on the docks in Boston.
But that's not why he was the greatest ship builder in the world.
When Sewell returned home from war he was given a hero's welcome and a job offer. To be Charlestown Navy Yard's new head foreman.
...to be continued
