THE INDOMITABLE LEXINGTON

Many of the original thirteen colonies organized their own navies during the Revolutionary War.  For example, in February of 1776 the Maryland Committee for Safety sent Abraham Van Bibber to St. Eustatius in the Dutch West Indies to secure a ship.  He purchased a brigantine Wild Duck and filled her with precious gunpowder for the Maryland militia.  But within a week of reaching Philadelphia on the 9^th of March, Wild Duck was purchased by the Marine Committee of the Continental Congress and fitted out as the Continental Navy’s 14-gun sloop-of-war LEXINGTON.  CAPT John Barry commanded her, but before he could get to sea, the British slapped a blockade on their rebellious colonies.  Barry eluded that blockade, however, and on April 7^th, off the Virginia Capes, he met the sloop/tender HMS EDWARD, 6.  A fiery one-hour battle resulted in EDWARD’s defeat and transfer to Philadelphia.  LEXINGTON next raced south to meet ADM Sir Peter Parker’s attack on Charleston, where Barry barely escaped capture.

LEXINGTON marked that summer with her sisters; REPRISAL, 18; HORNET, 10; and WASP, 8, at Cape May behind the blockade of HMS LIVERPOOL, 32.  When the Pennsylvania Navy brig NANCY grounded while sneaking into that harbor on June 28^th, boats from the four Yankee ships lightered all but 100 of the 386 barrels of gunpowder she carried.  Barry rigged those remaining 100 barrels to detonate just as a British party boarded the next morning.  LEXINGTON slipped to sea again in July and captured the Tory privateer, LADY SUSAN.  Seven of the privateer’s crew signed on with Barry, one of these was Richard Dale, who quickly became Master’s Mate of LEXINGTON.

Under a new commander, CAPT William Hallock, the brigantine eluded the British blockade again in the autumn of 1776–this time bound for Cap Francois, Hispaniola, to secure a cargo of military provisions.  When LEXINGTON returned to the Delaware Capes on this day, a sail belonging to the British frigate HMS PEARL, 32, appeared on the horizon.  Shortly the frigate overhauled LEXINGTON.  The enemy prevailed in the duel that followed, and the brigantine’s hold was used to imprison the American officers and 70 crewmen.  But as the British prize crew secured the ship for the night, the captive Colonials began baiting them with promises of rum.  Their story seemed all the more believable to the British, who knew the ship had just returned from the Caribbean.  When the thirsty captors opened the hatches to investigate, the Continentals sprang forth and retook the ship.  Led by Master’s Mate Dale (who later served as mate to John Paul Jones on BONHOMME RICHARD) they resumed their mission to deliver LEXINGTON’s invaluable cargo to Baltimore.

Watch for more “Today in Naval History”  25 DEC 24

CAPT James Bloom, Ret.

Department of the Navy, Naval History Division.  Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol 4 “L-M”.  Washington, DC: GPO, 1969, p. 100.

Fischer, David Hackett.  Washington’s Crossing.  New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2004, 156-57.

Fowler, William M., Jr.  Rebels Under Sail:  The American Navy during the Revolution.  New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1976, p. 252.

Miller, Nathan.  Sea of Glory:  A Naval History of the American Revolution.  Annapolis, MD: USNI Press, 1974, p. 118.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:  We are so used to thinking of the United States as a whole that it may seem strange that many of the original 13 colonies commissioned their own navies.  But each colony had been founded independently, each was governed independently, and the idea that all 13 would unite under one government seemed just as strange in that day.

Despite her successes above, LEXINGTON did not finish the war in American hands.  She ultimately fell to the enemy in a controversial battle with a weaker British sloop.  She nevertheless became the inspiration for five subsequent US warships named in her honor, including the WWII carrier CV-2 and her replacement CV-16.  The latter served as our training carrier, AT-16, in the 1990s.

African-Americans are widely believed to have served aboard many Continental Navy warships, however LEXINGTON, PROVIDENCE, and RANGER are the only three documented to have had black crewmembers.

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                      THE CAPTURE OF NANCY

As GEN George Washington watched Boston from the Dorchester Heights during the Fall of 1775, he noted how easily the British kept their forces supplied by sea.  While Washington’s army scrounged for food, uniforms, gunpowder, lead, and other essentials, British cargo vessels came and went with impunity from the harbor below.  The Continental Navy was months away from being able to field warships, so Washington took matters into his own hands, sending COL John Glover to charter New England fishing schooners laid up for the winter.  These were armed and sent in pursuit of British supply ships, hoping both to harass the enemy and to capture needed supplies for his own army.  One such chartered schooner was the 74-ton Two Brothers from Beverly, Massachusetts.  Four 4-pounders were mounted and a dozen smaller guns.  She set sail under her commissioned name LEE on 29 October, skippered by the patriot and seasoned local captain John Manley.

To this point the converted schooners of “Washington’s Navy” had been a disappointment to His Excellency, having failed to capture any prizes of significant value.  But on this day a dedicated Manley sailed boldly into Boston’s main shipping channel to chase down the 80-ton sloop Polly, with her cargo of turnips and Spanish-milled dollars.  Close enough to the harbor to make out the cross-trees of His Majesty’s warships, Manley was sure he had been spotted.  He hurried Polly to Beverly, but when no warships were seen coming out, Manley slipped back to the entrance to Boston Harbor.  Soon the 250-ton brig Nancy tacked into view.

Manley noted through his glass that thought the brig was three times his size, she appeared lightly armed.  He recognized that a cannonade this close to the harbor would rouse the entire British fleet, but he ordered LEE to close nonetheless–keeping a weather eye for stirrings of a fight from the brig.  For her part, Nancy had battled terrible gales on her crossing from England, and when her weatherworn master, Robert Hunter, observed the schooner he assumed she bore the harbor pilot.  He luffed his sails and raised a welcoming signal.  Manley played this serendipity perfectly, sending eight men in a longboat with their weapons hidden.  They swarmed across with muskets cocked.  Hunter was taken completely by surprise and surrendered without a shot.  Manley whisked this prize north, again without any stirrings from Boston Harbor.

In one capture Manley proved the value of Washington’s naval efforts.  Nancy yielded 2000 muskets, 100,000 flints, tons of lead, and 10,000 cannonballs, along with bayonets, tents, cartridge boxes, and camp kettles sufficient to field 2000 troops.  The windfall proved invaluable to Washington’s army!

Watch for more “Today in Naval History”  2 DEC 22

CAPT James Bloom, Ret.

Department of the Navy, Naval History Division.  Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol 4 “L-M”. Washington, DC: GPO, 1969, p. 80.

Hearn, Chester G.  George Washington’s Schooners:  The First American Navy.  Annapolis, MD: USNI Press, 1995, pp. 92-95.

Nelson, James L.  George Washington’s Secret Navy:  How the American Revolution Went to Sea.  New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2008, pp. 208-15.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:  Too boot, Nancy bore a new 13-inch brass mortar which was positioned in the American defenses awaiting the opportunity to give back a measure of colonial devotion to King George III!  The mortar had been inscribed with the King’s initials, “G.R.,” which were quickly replaced with “G.W.”

Like most of the ships in “Washington’s Navy,” LEE was named for a colonial hero of the day, in this case MGEN Charles Lee, a subordinate commander in Washington’s army.

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