PORTER, DAVID

born Feb. 1, 1780, Boston, Mass., U.S.

died March 3, 1843, Pera, Tur.

U.S. naval officer.

He joined the navy (1798) and served in the Tripolitan War . In the War of 1812 he commanded the Essex , the first U.S. warship to operate in the Pacific Ocean; he captured several British whaling vessels and took possession of Nuku Hiva, the largest of the Marquesas Islands (1813). He was blockaded by British frigates in Valparaíso, Chile, where he surrendered (1814). He served on the board of naval commissioners (1815–23) and commanded a squadron to suppress piracy in the West Indies (1823–25). For unauthorized action against Spanish authorities in Puerto Rico, he was court-martialed and suspended from duty. He resigned in 1826 and became commander of the Mexican navy (1826–29).