The first USS ''Hornet'' was a merchant sloop chartered from Captain William Stone in December 1775 to serve under Stone as a unit of Esek Hopkins' Fleet. The voyage would be the first military action for master's mate

Joshua Barney Joshua Barney (6 July 1759 – 1 December 1818) was an American Navy officer who served in the Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War and as a captain in the French Navy during the French Revolutionary Wars. He later achieved the rank o ...

. The vessel was damaged while sailing with the fleet and returned to base. ''Hornet'' patrolled

Delaware Bay Delaware Bay is the estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the northeast seaboard of the United States. It is approximately in area, the bay's freshwater mixes for many miles with the saltwater of the Atlantic Ocean. The bay is bordered inland ...

until being captured on 27 April 1777 by 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 ...

. ''Hornet'' was taken to Jamaica, where the ship was found to be leaking and was condemned.

Background

There is some degree of discrepancy in dates concerning both the ''Hornet'' and the ship , both of which fitted out in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Maryland. The biography of Joshua Barney claims that upon his return to Baltimore after a voyage aboard the ship ''Sydney'' (which he had taken command of after the death of her captain) he signed onto be

first mate A chief mate (C/M) or chief officer, usually also synonymous with the first mate or first officer, is a licensed mariner and head of the deck department of a merchant ship. The chief mate is customarily a watchstander and is in charge of the shi ...

aboard the ''Hornet'' and was first tasked to recruit a crew. Part of the way he did this was by hoisting an "American Flag" provided from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, Pennsylvania, by Hopkins, indicating the ships were already accepted into the fleet. The ''Naval Documents of the American Revolution'', volume 2, p. 583 place the date of this return as 23 October 1775. Barney claims that after fitting out, both the ''Hornet'' and the ''Wasp'' sailed in company to join the fleet at Philadelphia at the end of November. However, colonial records show that on 2 December 1775, Colonel Benjamin Harrison was dispatched to Baltimore to acquire 2–3 ships to be armed and augment Esek Hopkins's fleet. These ships are identified as being the ''Hornet'' and the ''Wasp''. Both vessels are noted by the Baltimore Committee as being fitting out as of 18 December 1775. Both the ''Hornet'' and the ''Wasp'' are noted as joining the fleet in Philadelphia on 13 February 1776. Given the dates from the Colonial sources come from the records of government bodies in the course of their work and that the dates from Mary Barney's account come from family papers and recollections, it is more likely that Barney's dates are in error and that the events in question happened according to the later timeline. Hence, it is probably safer to say that the ''Hornet'' along with the ''Wasp'' was acquired by the Continental Congress via the efforts of Col. Harrison between 2 and 18 December, fitted out between the date of acquisition along with the ''Wasp'', and then were commissioned into the Continental Navy on 13 February 1776 after joining the fleet in Philadelphia.

Service

''Hornet'' then sailed with Hopkins fleet 18 February 1776. Outside the

Virginia Capes The Virginia Capes are the two capes, Cape Charles to the north and Cape Henry to the south, that define the entrance to Chesapeake Bay on the eastern coast of North America. In 1610, a supply ship learned of the famine at Jamestown when it ...

, she ran afoul of and was unable to accompany the fleet for the amphibious assault on New Providence. On 27 August 1776, Congress offer to purchase the ''Hornet'' from her owner, William Stone. She patrolled in the

for nearly a year, then ran the British blockade to convoy merchantmen to Charleston. ''Hornet'' was captured by HM schooner ''Porcupine'' on 27 April 1777. According to records of the Vice Admiralty Court at Jamaica, ''Hornet'' was built in

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

, of 100 tons burden, mounted ten carriage guns and four swivels, and had a crew of thirty-five. She sailed from Philadelphia in January or February 1777 for Charleston in ballast, and at the latter place loaded twenty barrels of rice and twenty-six barrels of indigo for Martinique. The action with ''Porcupine'', which lasted three-quarters of an hour, took place in latitude 22.5 degrees north, and longitude 70 degrees west (roughly north northeast of Cockburn Town), with upwards of fifty shot being fired. Upon arrival in Jamaica the ''Hornet'' was leaky, and, after condemnation, was appraised at £2443.12, including cargo, stores and gunpowder.

Citations

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hornet Ships of the Continental Navy 1770s ships