Essex Junior carried Porter toward the United States as a cartel ship intended to return him home. When the British razee HMS Saturn stopped the vessel, Porter left in a boat. He came under fire from American coastal batteries but reached the United States. Treating the journey as an escape allowed him to claim freedom from parole restrictions and resume service. His public account turned an arranged return into a claim of escape from British captivity.
Notable Point · 2:12:24-2:13:36
Porter turned release aboard a cartel ship into an escape story
Returning aboard Essex Junior under cartel arrangements, Porter left by boat when challenged and presented his homecoming as an escape from British captivity.