Separating Shannon from the Chesapeake-Leopard affair

Was Chesapeake's encounter with Shannon connected to her departure for Mediterranean service?

No. Shannon belongs to the War of 1812 in 1813; the recollection shifts to the earlier Chesapeake-Leopard affair.

The proposed Mediterranean connection is corrected by dating the Shannon battle to 1813. Chesapeake's earlier service and the Chesapeake-Leopard affair are then distinguished from that action. In the Leopard incident, British fire led Barron to strike his colours and a boarding party removed four men described here as deserters. The British declined to accept Chesapeake as a prize.