The second ''Hancock'' was one of the first 13 frigates of the Continental Navy. A resolution of the Continental Congress of

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestow ...

13 December 1775 authorized her construction; she was named for the patriot and Continental congressman

John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of t ...

. In her career she served under the American, British and French flags.

As ''Hancock''

''Hancock'' was built at Newburyport, Massachusetts, and placed under command of Captain

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 ...

17 April 1776. After a long delay in fitting out and manning, she departed

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts, on 21 May 1777 in company with Continental frigate and the Massachusetts privateer ''American Tartar'' for a cruise in the North Atlantic. ''American Tartar'' parted from the two frigates shortly thereafter. On 29 May the frigates captured a small brig loaded with cordage and duck. The next day they encountered a

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

of transports escorted by British 64-gun ship which set sail to close ''Hancock''. Manley was saved by clever and well-timed action of ''Boston'', which forced ''Somerset'' to give up the chase by taking on the transports. After escaping from ''Somerset'', the two frigates sailed to the northeast until 7 June when they engaged the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

's 28-gun frigate , which tried to outsail her American enemies. ''Hancock'' gave chase and soon overhauled ''Fox'', which lost her mainmast and suffered other severe damage in the ensuing duel. About an hour later, ''Boston'' joined the battle and compelled ''Fox'' to strike her colors. ''Hancock'' spent the next few days repairing the prize and then resumed cruising along the coast of

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

. East of Cape Sable she took a British coal sloop which she towed until the next morning when the approach of a British squadron prompted Manley to set the coal sloop ablaze and leave her adrift. The British frigate HMS ''Flora'' recaptured ''Fox'' after a hot action. ''Boston'' became separated from ''Hancock'', which tried to outsail her pursuers. Early in the morning 8 July 1777 the British were within striking distance. began to score with her bowchasers and followed with a series of broadsides. ''Hancock'' was thus finally forced to strike her colors after a chase of some 39 hours. She had 239 men of her crew aboard, 50 some being on ''Fox''. She also had Captain Fotheringham of ''Fox'' and 40 of his people on board. The rest were on ''Boston'' and a couple of fishing vessels.

As HMS ''Iris''

''Hancock'', renamed ''Iris'', served the British Navy so effectively that her new owners boasted of her as "the finest and fastest frigate in the world." On 21 and 23 April 1780 ''Iris'', , and captured the American privateers ''Amazon'', '"General Wayne'', and ''Neptune''. The capture had taken place a few leagues from

Sandy Hook Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern ...

and ''Iris'' and ''Delaware'' brought them into New York on 1 May. The most famous of the many prizes which made her officers wealthy men was the capture on 28 August 1781 of the American 28-gun ship . ''Trumbull'' carried 32 guns and 200 men. ''Iris'' captured her after an engagement of about an hour in which ''Iris'' lost one man killed and six wounded, while ''Trumbull'' had two men killed and 10 wounded. In the aftermath of the

Battle of the Chesapeake The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War that took place near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 17 ...

, admirals

Graves A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...

and

Hood Hood may refer to: Covering Apparel * Hood (headgear), type of head covering ** Article of academic dress ** Bondage hood, sex toy * Hoodie, hooded sweatshirt Anatomy * Clitoral hood, a hood of skin surrounding the clitoris * Hood, a flap of ...

left the Chesapeake waters; the French set a solid screen of fast frigates to intercept enemy shipping. Prior to retreating, Hood dispatched two frigates, ''Iris'' and ''Richmond'', to General

Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

in Yorktown. On 9 September 1781, four French frigates intercepted them; ''Richmond'' fell back and surrendered first, then the French frigate ''Aigrette'', under captain Traversay, captured ''Iris''. Traversay boarded ''Iris'', assumed command and held it till the end of war.

As Royal French ''Iris''

On 4 November 1781, ''Iris'', with the main French fleet, sailed from Annapolis to the

Antilles The Antilles (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy; es, Antillas; french: Antilles; nl, Antillen; ht, Antiy; pap, Antias; Jamaican Patois: ''Antiliiz'') is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mex ...

. In January 1782 ''Iris'' took part in the

Battle of St. Kitts The Battle of Saint Kitts, also known as the Battle of Frigate Bay, was a naval battle fought on 25 and 26 January 1782 during the American Revolutionary War between a British fleet under Rear Admiral Sir Samuel Hood and a larger French fleet u ...

. ''Iris'' captured a small British sloop. On the eve of

Battle of the Saintes The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...

Admiral de Grasse detached ''Iris'' to convoy unarmed troop transports; ''Iris'' completed her mission. In the late stages of the war ''Iris'' continued reconnaissance and cruising, and finally performed a diplomatic mission when she carried an offer of a

ceasefire A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state act ...

to British-occupied New York.

Fate

The

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

sold ''Iris'' in 1784.

Footnotes

Notes

Citations

References

* * * (1671-1870) * * *

External links

History of the Royal Navy – HMS ''Hancock'', May 1777.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hancock (1776) Ships of the Continental Navy Sailing frigates of the United States Navy Ships built in Newburyport, Massachusetts 1776 ships Vessels captured from the United States Navy Shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea Ships named for Founding Fathers of the United States