Shortly thereafter they were followed by five ships of the British Halifax Squadron commanded by Commodore Philip Broke. The squadron was composed of one ship of the line and four frigates , , , and , who were in close pursuit for two days. In a remarkable feat of navigation and audaciousness, Hull evaded the British squadron by warping his ship ahead and using his long boats to tow "Constitution". The chase by the Halifax Squadron was long and arduous and established Hull's reputation for courage, daring and seamanship. "For sixty four hours the frigate had been insight of an overwhelming enemy and most of the time actively pursued by them," yet Hull prevailed.