Conflict of Interest
20 APRIL 1779
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Enlisting sailors into wartime service in the earliest days of our Navy was quite a task. Navy life was hard and risky, rewards were few, punishments were harsh and frequent, time away from home was long, and more money could be made for less dangerous work in the privateering industry. Little wonder that most Continental Navy ships spent more time tied to the pier for want of a crew than they spent cruising. In fact, on several occasions the Eastern Navy Board considered banning privateering altogether to help bolster recruiting for the Continental Navy. Indeed, after taking months to outfit a crew, Navy ships would avoid unnecessary port calls–in an effort to reduce the opportunity for desertions.
On 13 March 1779, the Continental Navy frigate WARREN, 32, under the command of John B. Hopkins (son of the former Commander in Chief, Continental Navy, Esek Hopkins) left Boston in the company of the frigate QUEEN OF FRANCE, 28, and the ship-sloop RANGER, 18. They were to patrol our northeastern seaboard in search of British merchant shipping. On the morning of April 6th, they encountered the eight-gun British privateer Hibernia escorting eight ships in convoy. Seven of the nine were captured, and when it was discovered that they carried sorely needed military supplies, Hopkins elected to return to port ahead of schedule. On this date, his squadron put in at Boston, initially to the cheers of Congress–cheers that quickly faded.
One of the few enticements to Naval service in these days was the freedom for the officers and crew of a warship to profit from the sale of ships and cargoes they captured. Hopkins and CAPT Joseph Olney in QUEEN OF FRANCE figured to realize a sizable windfall from these prizes. Both captains had bought up the shares of most of their crewmen at a fraction of their value (seamen often sold their shares at a discounted rate rather than wait out the lengthy legal processing). In a surprise to no one, Hopkins and Olney ignored the instruction of the Navy Board to anchor in Nantasket Road and instead, tied up to the main dock.
The unfortunate result was predictable–most of the crew deserted. Within days of landing WARREN and QUEEN had lost enough crewmen to preclude any timely return to sea duties. In the eyes of the Navy Board, Hopkins and Olney were, “by Appearances and their Conduct…more attached to their own Interest and Emouluments than to the honor & benefit of the United States.” Both captains were relieved, a move that effectively ended their careers (the Navy had more captains than ships at the time). This incident is, of course, one basis for our current admonition against personal profit from the execution of official duties.
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CAPT James Bloom, Ret.
Fowler, William M., Jr. Rebels Under Sail: The American Navy during the Revolution. New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1976, pp. 99-100.
Maclay, Edgar Stanton. A History of the United States Navy: From 1775-1893, Vol I. New York, NY: D. Appleton and Co., 1893, pp. 97-98.
Miller, Nathan. Sea of Glory: A Naval History of the American Revolution. Annapolis, MD: USNI Press, 1974, pp. 410-11.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: The nine-ship convoy that was captured was enroute from New York to Georgia to reinforce the British efforts in the southern colonies. Captured were Jason, 20; Maria, 16; Hibernia; three brigs and a schooner. In addition to military stores sufficient for a regiment of dragoons, on board were discovered 21 English Army officers including a colonel named Campbell.
Under the (now outlawed) practice of privateering a civilian shipowner could arm his commercial vessel and use her to attack enemy shipping under the auspices of a “letter or marque” issued by Congress. He could pocket profits from the sale of captured ships and cargoes, but unlike Continental Navy captains, he did not have to share a cut of the profits with Congress.
For trivia buffs, WARREN was the first American Navy warship named for a medical professional. Dr. Joseph Warren left his Boston medical practice in 1775 and was appointed by Congress to the rank of MGEN in the Continental Army on 14 June of that year. He commanded the defense of Breeds Hill (Bunker Hill) three days later, where he was felled by a British musket ball.