The Battle off Halifax took place on 28 May 1782 during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. It involved the American

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

''Jack'' and the 14-gun Royal Naval

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

off Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

David Ropes commanded ''Jack'', and Lieutenant John Crymes commanded ''Observer''. The battle was "a long and severe engagement" in which Captain David Ropes was killed.

Background

During the American Revolution, Americans regularly attacked Nova Scotia by land and sea. American

s devastated the maritime economy by raiding many of the coastal communities, such as the numerous raids on

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

and on

Annapolis Royal Annapolis Royal, formerly known as Port Royal, is a town located in the western part of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Today's Annapolis Royal is the second French settlement known by the same name and should not be confused with the n ...

. On the 7th of July, 1777, off the coast of Halifax, Sir

George Collier Vice Admiral Sir George Collier (11 May 1732 – 6 April 1795) was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars. As commander of the fourth-rate shi ...

, in command of , with a force of two British frigates and a brig, opened fire on and captured

John Manley John Paul Manley (born January 5, 1950) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the eighth deputy prime minister of Canada from 2002 to 2003. He served as Liberal Member of Parliament for Ottawa South from 1988 to ...

, the second in command of the

Continental Navy The Continental Navy was the navy of the United States during the American Revolutionary War and was founded October 13, 1775. The fleet cumulatively became relatively substantial through the efforts of the Continental Navy's patron John Adams ...

, and the 13-gun frigate (229 men) off the coast of Nova Scotia. After a running battle lasting 39 hours, the British succeeded in capturing both ''Hancock'' and ''Boston'', and retaking ''Fox'' (60 men). Collier returned to Halifax on 11 July with his prizes. Manley was transported to New York and imprisoned until March 1778. The engagement between ''Jack'' and ''Observer'' was one of several in the region. On 10 July 1780, the British 16-gun privateer brig ''Resolution'' under the command of Thomas Ross engaged the American 22-gun privateer ''Viper'' (130 men) off Halifax at Sambro Light. In what one observer described as "one of the bloodiest battles in the history of privateering," the two privateers began a "severe engagement" during which both pounded each other with cannon fire for about 90 minutes. The engagement resulted in the surrender of the British ship and the death of up to 18 British and 33 American sailors. ''Jack'' herself had been involved in a previous naval engagement. ''Jack'' (or ''Saucy Jack'') was originally a Massachusetts privateer commissioned in September 1779. After three successful cruises in which she captured a number of prizes, and captured her in July 1780 in the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...

. The British took ''Jack'' into the Quebec Provincial Marine, though she was commissioned out of Nova Scotia. She then served as a patrol vessel for the fisheries and the St. Lawrence River. In an engagement off Cape Breton with two French frigates at Spanish River, near

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

in 1781, she was captured by the French. They took ''Jack'' back to Boston, where her previous owners purchased her and sent her to sea again as a privateer. ''Observer'' was herself a former Massachusetts privateer, originally built as merchantman ''Amsterdam'', which captured on 19 October 1781. The British sent ''Amsterdam'' into Halifax to be condemned as a prize, where the Royal Navy bought her.

Battle

The British ship ''Observer'' was returning to Halifax, having rescued ten crew members of stranded on Seal Island. On 28 May 1782, as ''Observer'' arrived at the

Sambro Island Light Sambro Island Lighthouse is a landfall lighthouse located at the entrance to Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, on an island near the community of Sambro in the Halifax Regional Municipality. It is the oldest surviving lighthouse in North America an ...

near the mouth of Halifax Harbour, ''Jack'' approached her. When ''Jack'' discovered her quarry was a British naval vessel, the Americans tried to escape. ''Observer'' chased ''Jack'' for two hours before catching her. The ships were evenly matched. The British immediately killed the American captain David Ropes as a result of the cannon fire. Both ships had numerous holes shot through their sails, and the British sailors attempted to climb the rigging of their ship in an effort to board the American privateer. The Americans repulsed this initial boarding attempt, but the British were ultimately successful. ''Jack'' struck her colours on the afternoon of 29 May.''Salem Gazette'', 11 July 18, 1782; ''Boston Post'', 15 June 1782, and ''Hunts Magazine'', February 1857, as cited by Gardner W. Allen, ''A Naval History of the American Revolution'' (Boston, 1913), Chapter 17.

Aftermath

American privateers remained a threat to Nova Scotian ports for the rest of the war. The following month, after a failed attempt to raid Chester, Nova Scotia, American privateers struck again in the raid on Lunenburg in 1782.

Notes

References

; Secondary sources * Gardner W. Allen, ''A Naval History of the American Revolution'' (Boston, 1913), Chapter 17. * Gwyn, Julian, ''Ashore and Afloat'' * Gwyn, Julian (2004), ''Frigates and Foremasts: The North American Squadron in Nova Scotia. Waters, 1745–1815'', UBC Press. *
Privateers in Nova Scotia. Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society, p. 26
; Primary sources * Nova Scotia Gazette of June 4, 1782
Lieutenant William Gray's account of Captain David Ropes's death

External links

American Privateer ''Jack'' – Naval battle off Halifax

Lt. William Gray's log of the battle

American Vessels Captured by the British in the American Revolution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halifax, Naval battle off Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War involving the United States Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War Privateering in the American Revolutionary War Conflicts in 1782 Conflicts in Nova Scotia Maritime history of Canada Military history of Nova Scotia Military history of New England 1782 in Nova Scotia Halifax (1782)