The USS Delaware vs La Croyable, or the Action of July 7, 1798, was a single ship action fought between the French schooner La Croyable and the sloop-of-war USS Delaware. The engagement resulted in the first capture of any ship by the United States Navy, which had been formed just months before the battle.Originally a merchant ship called the Hamburgh Packet, the USS Delaware was purchased by the United States Navy on May 5, 1798.