wikipedia notes: HMS Guerriere was a British 3-masted sail frigate of 38 guns captured from the French, and commanded by Captain James R. Dacres when she met the USS Constitution in her last battle. During the afternoon of 19 August 1812, Latitude 40.20 N and Longitude 55.00 West about 400 miles S.E. of Halifax, a sail was sighted on the weather beam bearing down on them. She was soon made out to be a man of war and Guerriere prepared for action mustering 244 men and 19 boys at quarters. When the enemy hoisted American colours, Captain James Richard Dacres permitted the Americans in his crew to quit their guns. The two ships exchanged broadsides for half an hour before the enemy closed her starboard beam and sent HMS Guerriere's mizen mast overboard. Switching to the other bow, the enemy raked HMS Guerriere and swept her decks with grape and musket fire, and then attempted to board. Mr Samuel Grant, master's mate commanding the forecastle, was badly wounded and about the same time Mr Rober Scott, the master, was shot through the knee and the Captain severely wounded. Capt. Dacres ordered Lieut. Bartholomew Kent to lead the marines and boarders from the main deck towards the forcastle but the two ships parting at that moment meant that they were able to bring some of the bow guns to bear on the enemy. Mr William J. Snow, master's mate, commanded the fore-most main deck guns and Mr John Garby, acting purser, the after quarter deck guns. The two ships were clear of each other when Guerriere's fore and main-masts went over the side leaving her an unmanageable wreck. They managed to clear the wreckage but while they were rolling with the main deck guns under water, the enemy wore round within pistol-shot to rake them. At this point Capt. Dacres called his remaining officers together and they agreed to strike the colours to avoid further loss of life. 15 were killed, including the second lieutenant, Mr Henry Ready; six mortally wounded, 39 severely and eighteen slightly wounded. Lieut. Kent was wounded by a splinter early on. They found that the enemy was the USS Constitution, Capt. Isaac Hull, of thirty 24- pounders on the main deck, twenty-four 32-pounders and two bored out 18-pounders on the upper deck. Out of 476 men 9 were killed and 13 wounded. Capt. Dacres was surprised and shocked to find a large proportion of British seamen amongst her crew, a number of whom had joined in the boarding party. Guerriere was too badly damaged to take in so, as soon as the wounded had been taken out, she was set on fire by her captors, and Constituion returned to Boston.