Birthplace of the US Navy—Is Where?
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and solve the problems that had been rampant for more than three years. The British Army, based in Boston, went pretty much where it pleased, took what it wanted (including stocks of powder), and used every method it could to quash the rebellion of the pesky colonists who were so ungrateful for the over-arching, all-encompassing arms of Mother England. It quickly became apparent that the only viable solution involved arms, and arms were something in very short supply in the Patriots’ inventory. Arms manufactories were, for all intents and purposes, non-existent; the requisite muskets,
Marblehead) to attack British shipping off the New England coastline. It is that date which the US Navy has taken as its “birthday” and simultaneously began the controversy, which is the subject of this essay. Now that you have a little history, let’s look at the controversy itself. With all that going for it, one might say Marblehead, Massachusetts, could properly justify their claim as the “Birthplace of the US Navy” since that was where the first ships were purchased that flew the navy flag of the United States, right? Hold on! Not so fast!
cannons, swords, bayonets, bullets, cannonballs, and powder thus had to come from abroad. Merchants in Marblehead, Massachusetts, had trading partners in Spain and an agreement was reached to supply the necessary arms. Only one problem remained—getting them to New England. Washington, though an army man through and through, recognized that they would have to have a navy to effectuate the plan. Ships would also be useful in disrupting the British supply chain. He petitioned Congress for the money. Rather than wait for the political wheels to grind, at the same time he commissioned a Marblehead man, Captain Nicolas Broughton; a Marblehead ship, Hannah; and a Marblehead crew into the service of the United Colonies of North America. Ultimately, on 13 October 1775, Congress responded, passing a bill establishing a naval force, while also encouraging a small fleet of privateers (mostly from
When General Washington commissioned Hannah, the schooner was moored in Beverly Harbor and, thus, sailed from Beverly on her first Navy commission. Hence, according to the good folks in Beverly, their town—not Marblehead—should be given the title. The argument dragged on for years with no resolution satisfactory to anyone. What to do? Pass the decision on to a “higher authority.” Enter the Secretary of the Navy. In 1935, the towns of Marblehead and Beverly jointly solicited the Secretary of the Navy, Charles Swanson, to travel to Massachusetts and investigate each town’s claim. Secretary Swanson was not a New England man and, with little idea of what lay ahead, readily accepted the invitation (it got him out of Washington, after all!) anticipating a simple task of checking some historical facts and rendering his decision. It was only days after his arrival that he found Marblehead’s claim viable and true.
photo by bkg333, via wikipedia commons, (cc by-sa 4.0)
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uccess has many parents; failure is an orphan. Or so say the pundits among us. So, naturally, many towns—several, but not all, in New England—want to take the credit for being the birthplace of the United States Navy. When the 2nd Continental Congress passed a bill funding the purchase of ships for the Continental Army and militia to use, in effect they created a navy, though not in the sense we think of a navy today, with hundreds of gray ships armed to the teeth and sailing the oceans of the world. No, the ships in 1775 were purchased merchant vessels, hastily converted to carry small cannon and light armament. These would be used to run the British blockade, carrying desperately needed supplies for the war effort—gunpowder in particular— and then to harass British transports bringing both soldiers and matériel to Boston, and later New York. The vessels of this “first” navy were generally smaller, schooner or brig rigged, and often beginning to show signs of wear and tear from their service in the merchant fleet. The famous US Navy “Six Frigates” would come later, from a bill passed in 1794. It was a most difficult time for the nascent Revolution. While the American Patriots were eager to do their part, there weren’t enough of them initially, and there were often Loyalists skulking around trying to undermine the efforts of those colonists desperate for independence. Gunpowder was in short supply, and the British and their Loyalist colonials did everything possible to separate the Patriots from what powder they possessed and preclude the possibility of replenishing that stock. It became crucial to obtain powder from friendly foreign nations. While civilian merchant vessels could do the job, British warships patrolling the coast of New England often intercepted the ships on their return voyage. Not only would they seize the cargo, but they would usually take the ship itself and press its crew into service in the Royal Navy. Clearly, something must be done. The Continental Congress had already enlisted George Washington to head the army and sent him to New England to try
by William H. White
SEA HISTORY 178, SPRING 2022