“I do therefore declare
all ports,
harbors,
bays,
creeks,
rivers,
inlets,
outlets,
and sea coasts
of the United Kingdom of Britain and Ireland in a state of strict and rigorous blockade.”
While naming his local business, owner David Tobash wanted to pay tribute to two things: Baltimore’s unique sense of local camaraderie, and the pivotal role it played in our nation’s history. After brushing up on our revolutionary-era trivia, the crew decided on The Chasseur [sha-sur], named for the most successful merchant ship in the War of 1812. Built by citizens of Baltimore, the ship earned its better-known nickname The Pride of Baltimore upon her triumphant return to Fells Point in 1815.
The Original Pride of Baltimore
One of the best equipped and crewed of the American privateers, Chasseur was a Baltimore clipper built and launched from Thomas Kemp’s Fells Point shipyard in 1812. Two years later, Captain Thomas Boyle unexpectedly sailed east towards the British Isles, where he unmercifully harassed their merchant fleet. In a characteristically audacious act, Boyle sent a notice to the King, by way of a captured merchant vessel, which he commanded was to be posted on the door of Lloyd’s of London. In it he declared that the entire British Isles were under naval blockade by Chasseur alone! This affront sent the shipping community into panic and caused the Admiralty to call vessels home from the American war to guard merchant ships, which had to sail in convoys. In all, Chasseur captured or sank eighteen vessels before returning home.
Upon Chasseur’s return to Baltimore on March 25, 1815, the Niles Weekly Register dubbed the ship, her captain, and crew the “pride of Baltimore” for their daring exploits.
