USS America (1782)

The USS America was a 74-gun ship of the line in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. She was designed by the French naval architect Jacques-Noël Sané and was the only ship of her type built for the Continental Navy.

Ordered by the Continental Congress in 1777, her construction began in 1778 at Kittery, Maine, under the supervision of shipbuilder John Langdon. Due to financial constraints and labor shortages brought on by the war, her construction took several years.

By 1782, with the Revolutionary War nearing its end, the Continental Navy faced significant financial difficulties. As a gesture of gratitude for French assistance during the war, the Continental Congress decided to present the completed America to France.

The USS America was formally presented to Captain Chevalier de Kersaint of the French Navy on June 21, 1782. She was then commissioned into the French Navy as the Amérique. The transfer was conducted as an act of goodwill, solidifying the alliance between the newly formed United States and France.

The Amérique served in the French Navy until she was decommissioned and sold in 1786. While she never saw combat under the American flag, the USS America represents a significant example of naval architecture and the strong alliance between the United States and France during the American Revolution.