The launch of the world’s first steam-powered warship in 1814, Fulton the First, heralded the gradual transition from the age of sail to the age of steam. The United States Navy hoped that this ship would break the Royal Navy’s crippling blockade of New York City, but the conflict ended before it ever saw action. Previous scholars have argued that the Royal Navy was generally unconcerned, and rightfully so, about this American ‘steam frigate’. The vessel was supposedly vulnerable to Congreve rockets and red-hot shot, and thus posed no real threat. After briefly detailing the construction of the Fulton and its technical specifications, this article uses intelligence memoranda, newspaper reports, and traveller accounts to show that British military and diplomatic authorities, as well as the public, took seriously the idea (even if occasionally fictive) that this American invention could upset the balance of power in North America and Europe.

1814年，世界上第一艘以蒸汽为动力的军舰“富尔顿一号”的发射预示着从帆时代到蒸汽时代的逐渐过渡。美国海军希望这艘船能够打破皇家海军对纽约的残酷封锁，但冲突在它没有采取行动之前就结束了。先前的学者争辩说，皇家海军对此美国人的“蒸汽护卫舰”一向不关心，这是理所当然的。据称该船易受Congreve火箭弹和炽热射击的攻击，因此没有构成真正的威胁。在简要详细介绍富尔顿的建设之后 及其技术规范，本文使用情报备忘录，报纸报道和旅行者的账目表明，英国军事和外交当局以及公众对这种美国发明可能破坏平衡的想法（即使有时是虚构的）也非常重视。在北美和欧洲的权力。