[August]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Which three were never completed? Constitution, Constellation and United States were the first three. President, the third 44, was certainly completed because she was the one captured by the British. Congress, the second 38, saw good service in the Barbary war and the war of 1812. Chesapeake, the "fourth 44", was the ship captured by HMS Leopard in 1807 in the "impressment" incident I wrote the 200th anniversary article on. She was also the "Don't give up the ship" ship captured in the fight with Shannon.

Further, though Chesapeake is listed as a "44" in the article, the evidence seems to be that this was on paper only. As launched she was actually smaller than the other two 38s, and there is no way she could ever have carried 44 guns. So she was never a "sister" to the three big 44s.

I stand corrected. Apparently they were eventually finished.