USS ''Fly'' was an eight-gun sloop in 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 ...

. She was part of a squadron that raided the port of

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

and engaged the 20-gun . ''Fly'', one of the eight former merchant ships fitted out by the Naval Committee between November 1775 and January 1776. She was purchased in Providence, Rhode IslandNaval Documents of the American Revolution vol 3, 1307 - 15 Feb 1776 - reference to increase of fleet by two from Baltimore (Wasp and Hornet) and one from Rhode Island (Fly). Confirm Fly is from Rhode Island. under a Congressional authorization dated 16 January 1775 for a small tender or despatch vessel for the fleet. A

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

, often referred to as a

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

, she was first commanded by Lieutenant Hoystead Hacker. This ship appears to be the same one that General George Washington authorized on 18 September 1775 to sail for supplies. A list of those supplies brought to the colonies by ''Fly'' was reported in the Naval Documents of the American Revolution, Volume 2, pg 254. Early in 1776, ''Fly'' joined the squadron of Commodore

Esek Hopkins Esek Hopkins (April 26, 1718February 26, 1802) was an American naval officer, merchant captain, and privateer. Achieving the rank of Commodore, Hopkins was the only Commander in Chief of the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War ...

off Reedy Island at the head of Delaware Bay, and on 17 February sailed with this force for its historic cruise to

New Providence New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It is the location of the national capital city of Nassau, whose boundaries are coincident with the island; it had a population of 246 ...

, America's first amphibious operation. Two nights out, ''Fly'' fouled the sloop USS ''Hornet'', who was forced to return to port. ''Fly'', however, was able to rejoin the squadron off New Providence 11 March, finding that the operation had been a great success, and that a large quantity of military stores sorely needed by the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

had been taken. Heavily laden with the valuable supplies, the fleet departed New Providence 17 March, and on 4 April arrived off

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

where it took two small British ships of war and two merchantmen. Two days later the squadron engaged the British sloop-of-war HMS ''Glasgow'', damaging her so badly that she fled into Newport Rhode Island, leaving her tender to be captured. On 8 April the fleet arrived at New London, Connecticut, to land the captured military stores. ''Fly'' patrolled off New London to learn the strength of the British Fleet until June, when she was detached to carry cannon from Newport to

Amboy, New Jersey The Amboys are a pair of municipalities in Middlesex County, New Jersey, both of which have the word ''Amboy'' in their name. The two municipalities are the City of Perth Amboy and the City of South Amboy, located across from each other on the R ...

, where she was blockaded briefly by the British. Later in 1776, she cruised the New Jersey coast to intercept enemy ships bound for New York City. In an encounter with one of these in November, a number of ''Flys men were wounded, and she was damaged to the extent that she had to put in at Philadelphia to repair and refit. Ready for active service early in 1777, ''Fly'' convoyed merchantmen to sea, carried dispatches, and protected American ships in

Cape May Channel A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. The ...

. During the later part of the year, she was one of the Continental ships working with the Pennsylvania Navy to defend the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

. In November when the British Fleet and powerful shore batteries forced the evacuation of Fort Mifflin and Fort Mercer, giving the British control of the river, ''Fly'' and the other Continental ships were burned to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy.

Citations and references

Citations References * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fly Sloops of the United States Navy Ships of the Continental Navy Maritime incidents in 1777