The Providence at sea.
Firing a salute off Annapolis. Photos courtesy the author.
Sloop Providence at Yorktown by John R. Wadleigh, Rear Admiral, USN (ret.)
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Sloop Providence from Newport, Rhode Island, the 67 ' reproduction of the Continental Navy's first authorized ship and the first combat command of John Paul Jones, stood up the York River on October 16, leading several sailing craft carrying soldiers of the "Rochambeau March" to the scene of the final battle of the Revolution. Victory at Yorktown in 1781 would not have been possible if the British under General Cornwallis could have been reinforced by sea. Six weeks before the Yorktown battle a French fleet under Admiral DeGrasse had defeated the British fleet off the Virginia Capes, sealing up Cornwallis's army. French and American forces were'able to close in by land and by sea, as Providence and her consorts were demonstrating. After a busy summer in New England waters, joining historic celebrations and cruising youthful apprentices of the American Sail Training Associaton, Providence had a brief refit and headed south on October 1 under the command of Al Roderick, with a crew augmented by ten volunteers. Dawn of October 15 found Providence and Pride of Baltimore moored at the Naval Academy's Crown Sailing Center ready to receive reinforcements for troops massing at Yorktown, Virginia. These reinforcements were units of a 1200-man army of militia organizations travelling the route of General Rochambeau's French regiments from Newport to Virginia in 1781. Providence had already taken part in the first leg of the "march," carrying Rhode Island "colonials" from Newport to Providence on June 7. As guns boomed, the Colonial sloop and Baltimore clipper cast off and with a northwest breeze headed towards Greenbury Point. Weather was favorable and the embarked troops lolled on sunny decks, happily comparing their lot with that of more numerous compatriots going overland, by bus, van, and on foot, parading for enthusiastic well-wishers en route. The Providence of 1977 is a fast sailer and led The Pride all the way. John Paul Jones would have approved! Stand-
ing into port the next morning the two ships engaged in a mock 18th century action off the Yorktown waterfront-under the guns and missles of modern warships gathered for the celebrations. Seven modern destroyers and frigates including a USS Comte DeGrasse and a French DeGrasse were anchored in the river. HMS Ariadne, representing Britain's Royal Navy, smartly returned the dipped colors of Providence, saluting an opponent of two hundred years ago. Sloop Providence was conceived and built as a Bicentennial project of the state of Rhode Island. The first Providence, as the Katy, became the first ship of Rhode Island's Navy of 1775, later renamed when she was given to the new Continental Navy. Participation of the modern sloop at Yorktown added another chapter in support of our maritime heritage, which the many hundred members of Seaport '76 Foundation, her owners, want to continue on into the future. <t
Admiral Wadleigh served as President of Seaport '76, I 974-77. For his full account of Providence, see SH 12, pages 22-24.
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