Quote Originally Posted by Greyblades View Post
Although it may not be my place to question your info scipiousgoblin, wikipedia (which is probably not the most reliable of sources but still...) says it was the USS Bonhomme Richard that took the serapsis not the Constitution .
Correct, he's thinking of the HMS Guerriere.

On US Navy vs. Royal Navy in the War of 1812:
The quality of US crews was, on average, much higher than that of the Royal Navy during the war - due to a combination of higher pay and better living conditions as compared to the US merchant marine. But the primary reason was size. The US fleet numbered in the dozens, the Royal Navy had hundreds. The US Navy had the luxury of picking their crews from an overabundance of applicants. The Royal navy had major issues crewing their ships (perhaps you lot shouldn't have flogged quite so much ) and took whoever they could (literally) get their hands on.