USS ''Washington'' was a large

row galley A row galley was a term used by the early United States Navy for an armed watercraft that used oars rather than sails as a means of propulsion. During the age of sail row galleys had the advantage of propulsion while ships of sail might be stopped ...

, with a rowing crew of 60, that was placed into service under the control of the Continental Congress in 1776. During this age of sail, row galleys were highly maneuverable compared to sailing ships whose movements were dependent on the wind. ''Washington''s war record consisted of an attack on several British warships, and, after finding itself on the losing side of the battle, the row galley rowed away, out of danger. There is no further report of her efforts for the Continental Navy.

Authorized by Rhode Island

In the autumn of 1775, the

Rhode Island General Assembly The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Se ...

ordered the construction of two row galleys, ''Washington'' and ''Spitfire'', and in January 1776 appointed John Grimes commodore of galleys. During the winter and spring of 1776, these galleys operated in

Narragansett Bay Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. Sm ...

, protecting the colony's shipping, carrying troops, and covering foraging parties seeking supplies. The General Assembly voted and resolved that;

Seeking battle with the British

In July, the galleys were sent to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to join the tiny flotilla

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

was fitting out on the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

and apparently came under Continental control. On the afternoon of 3 August, ''Washington'' served as ''flagship'' for Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Tupper as that officer led an attack on 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 warships ''Phoenix'' and ''Rose''. As the galleys approached, ''Phoenix'' opened fire on the American boats to begin an action at

grapeshot Grapeshot is a type of artillery round invented by a British Officer during the Napoleonic Wars. It was used mainly as an anti infantry round, but had other uses in naval combat. In artillery, a grapeshot is a type of ammunition that consists of ...

range which lasted some two hours before the Americans retired to Dobb's Ferry. During the engagement, four Americans were killed, and 14 others were wounded. On the British side, ''Phoenix'' was hulled twice and suffered substantial damage.

Fate

There is no record of ''Washington'' and her sister galleys after the British captured Manhattan Island late in the summer.

References

Sources

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