Featured Image: The Serapis flag as flown by John Paul Jones
The Continental Navy was commissioned by the Continental Congress on October 13, 1775. It was disbanded after the peace treaty that ended the Revolutionary War. In 1785 Congress decided the young nation could no longer afford the cost of maintaining a naval force. Congress began the process of cost cutting of the national budget by auctioning off the vessels officially ending the Continental Navy.
Scottish born John Paul Jones was the first well known naval commander of the Continental Navy.
With the help of Virginian Richard Henry Lee, Jones acquired a posting as a 1st Lieutenant in the fledgling Continental Navy aboard the 24-gun frigate USS Alfred on December 7, 1775. A posting aboard the sloop USS Providence with the rank of Captain during the summer of 1776, Jones was instrumental in the transport of troops, supplies and escort duty. During a six-week voyage to Nova Scotia Jones would create havoc during the “Raid on Canso” plus the capture of 16 prizes.
A long running dispute with Commodore Hopkins would leave Jones with no command until June 13, 1777 aboard the USS Ranger. Sailing for France on November 1, 1777 would meet with Benjamin Franklin with the expectation of taking command of the new vessel L’Indien. Thwarted yet again, Jones returned to command the Ranger, a dispirited crew saw little to be gained by raiding the town of Whitehaven and contrary winds pushed the Ranger back into the Irish Sea. A change of wind direction put Jones off the British coast, again near Whitehaven allowing Jones and his crew to attack the town causing some damage, but not the scale of damage he had hoped for.
Jones’ next foray was on St. Mary’s Isle with the intent of capturing the Earl of Selkirk, Dunbar Douglas in order to exchange the Earl of American Sailors impressed by the British Navy. Unfortunately the Earl was not at his estate, causing Jones to abandon the effort and return to the Irish Sea.
Jones captured the British Naval sloop of war Drake as a prize but an ongoing dispute with his crew did little to settle the differences with the crew of the USS Ranger; in the aftermath, Jones capture of the British sloop Drake was hailed as a significant symbol for the Continental Navy.
Captain Jones’ heroic battle between the 42 gun vessel “Bonhomme Richard” and the 44 gun Frigate “Serapis” would cement Jones reputation as a hero of the Revolution with his statement when called to strike his colors, “I have not yet begun to fight”. Jones would end his career in the Continental Navy in 1787.
I have great respect for Jones as an American patriot but I find his service in the Russian Navy to be incongruent with his avowed love of freedom.
American born Lambert Wickes was a captain in the Continental Navy having been a merchant captain before entering service in the Continental Navy in early 1776.
The Continental Congress purchased the 18 gun Brig they would name the “Reprisal” March 28, 1776. In May, Wickes was ordered to proceed to the West Indies to bring munitions to General Washington’s troops; as part of his mission he was also ordered to transport William Bingham to his post in Martinique as agent for the American Colonies. On June 29, 1776 while en route Wickes would be involved in the Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet. Wickes and Captain John Barry of the USS Lexington came to the aid of the Captain Hugh Montgomery of the brig Nancy returning from St. Croix and St. Thomas with 386 barrels of gunpowder. The actions of Wickes and Barry would be instrumental in the saving of 200 barrels of badly needed gunpowder. Unfortunately Wickes brother Richard would be killed in this action. Clearing the Delaware Capes on July 3, Wickes captured a number of prizes in the West Indies before returning to American waters.
On October 24, 1776, Wickes received orders to transport Benjamin Franklin to France. Ambassador Franklin gave Wickes permission to engage the British brigantines George and LaVigne, capturing both vessels. Unfavorable winds forced Wickes to drop anchor on November 29th; 4 days later Wickes hailed a fishing boat to ferry Franklin and his grandson to mainland France.
Cruising into the Bay of Biscay and the mouth of the English Channel in January 1777; on January 5, 1777, Wicked captured HMS Swallow carrying mail between Britain and Portugal. Wickes took 5 additional prizes before entering the French post of Lorient. In April 1777 a squadron of Continental vessels that included Reprisal, Lexington and Dolphin under the command of Wickes began operations. Leaving French waters on May 28 the squadron cruised around Ireland during the months of June, July and August. This small squadron at one point captured 15 ships in the span of 5 days.
On September 14, 1777 Reprise and Dolphin departed French waters bound for home. On approximately October 1, 1777, Reprisal went down off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, the sole survivor being the cook. We are left to wonder what Wickes accomplished had he not perished so early in the Revolution.
Irish born Gustavus Conyngham migrated to America in 1763 to work for his cousin Redmond Conyngham in the shipping industry. He apprenticed under a Captain Henderson, learning his craft well and was promoted to a Captaincy on the vessel Charming Peggy. As the Revolution began in 1775, Conyngham sailed to Europe in late 1775 to procure war supplies for the rebellious colonial’s war effort.
The winds of fortune did not allow Conyngham the results he had hoped for. Having made a deal with Dutch traders, he had started for home only to be arrested by British officials. He and his crew made a miraculous escape only to be becalmed thereby risking capture by the British again. In order to purchase another vessel, Conyngham sold the Charming Peggy to Dutch interests only to be deprived of not only his vessel but the funds in order for him to buy another vessel due to corruption within the Dutch government.
20 year old Conyngham went to France where he met with Benjamin Franklin who had been entrusted with several commissions for the Continental Navy. On March 1, 1777 Franklin awarded young Conyngham command of the lugger Surprise. He promptly captured the British vessels Prince of Orange and Joseph. The Price of Orange was carrying mostly mail; Conyngham sent it to Dunkirk to be unloaded while the Joseph was loaded with wine and oranges. He sent the Joseph to France as a prize, but due to a treaty between France and Britain that forbade the selling of captured goods in France. Lord Stormont demanded that the Joseph be returned to British authorities and further that Conyngham be arrested. He was consequently jailed in a French prison charged with piracy.
Franklin managed to get Conyngham released from prison and by a bit of chicanery via false buyers sent the vessel Greyhound to sea where Conyngham boarded her and renamed her Revenge. Conyngham ignored his orders to return to America, instead began a rein of raids on British shipping that eventually caused a 10% rise in British shipping insurance rates. In a two month period he captured or sank over twenty vessels in the Baltic and North Sea.
Earning the nickname “the Dunkirk Pirate” he sailed to the West Indies where over the next eighteen months he sank or captured over sixty British vessels. Many British merchants resorted to hiring French and Dutch vessels to carry their merchandise to avoid the specter of the Dunkirk Pirate seizing and selling their goods as prizes. The King of England said it would give him great pleasure to hang Conyngham. When he captured a vessel carrying wartime supplies, he returned to American waters arriving in Philadelphia February 21, 1779.
Although being hailed an American hero, the Continental Congress took umbrage with the young captain’s disregard for written orders and the loss of his original vessel which had been confiscated by the French Government. Also as the Revenge was not owned by Conyngham, the Revenge was sold at a private auction.
A subsequent capture by the British would send him to prison at Pendennis Castle on charges of piracy. An escape and recapture would send him to Mill Prison in Plymouth, England. Scheduled to be hanged, Benjamin Franklin wrote to General George Washington who then wrote to British officials saying he would hang six British officers he had captured if Conyngham were to hang.
Digging a tunnel some considerable distance under the walls of the prison, Conyngham and 11 other prisoners escaped British justice once again. Arriving on the Netherlands held Texel Island, John Paul Jones arrived after his battle with the Serapis. He would transport Conyngham to a Spanish port where he boarded the vessel Experiment headed for an American post. Recaptured by the British March 17, 1780 he was returned to Mill Prison where he remained until released in a prisoner exchange. Preparing to return to acts against the British Crown, he received news of the treaty ending the war between the United States and Britain.
The Continental Congress was never very kind to Conyngham, blaming him for the loss of a vessel and not being able to produce his commission, he was never paid for the prizes he captured, but he never allowed his arguments with the politicians to come between him and the country he loved. He died November 27, 1819.
Note: Retired Navy Captain John Barnes found Conyngham’s commission in some papers that had once been in Benjamin Franklin’s possession. He would publish his find in September of 1902. He would later be called “the most successful of all Continental Navy Captains”.
Editor’s note: I strive to find the correct illustrations for any vessel, aircraft, artillery piece etc, for Walt’s articles. Sometimes I am more successful than others. I am unsure that the image for the Revenge is the correct one even though it is labeled as that vessel on multiple sites. I base that on the rig of the vessel. During the Age of Sail, small differences in rigging and sail plan could mean the difference between a Brig, Brigantine or Lugger. The Spanker rig (the lateen rigged sail on the mizzen mast) on the image of the Revenge makes it a lugger, though in all the references I could find the Revenge is called a Brig.