USS Hannah
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The
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 ...
''Hannah'' was the first armed American naval vessel of the
American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
, authorized by the
Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...
and operated 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 ...
, and is considered by some the first vessel of the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
. She was a fishing schooner owned by John Glover of
Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, along the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsula that extends ...
and was named for his daughter, Hannah Glover. The crew was drawn largely from the town of Marblehead, with much of the ships ammunition being stored in Glover's warehouse now located at Glover's Square in Marblehead before being relocated to Beverly, Massachusetts.


Service history

The schooner was hired into the service of the American
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 ...
by General
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 th ...
. Washington commissioned
Nicholson Broughton Captain Nicholson Broughton (1724-1798) of Marblehead, Massachusetts was the first commodore of the United States Navy, American Navy and, as part of the 14th Continental Regiment, Marblehead Regiment, commanded George Washington’s first nava ...
to command the ''Hannah'' on 2 September 1775 and ordered the vessel to, :"...cruize against such vessels as may be found . . . bound inward and outward to and from Boston, in the service of the ritisharmy, and to take and seize all such vessels, laden with soldiers, arms, ammunition, or provisions . . . which you shall have good reason to suspect are in such service." ''Hannah'' set sail from the harbor of
Beverly, Massachusetts Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, and a suburb of Boston. The population was 42,670 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. A resort, residential, and manufacturing community on the Massachusetts North Shore, Beverly incl ...
on 5 September 1775, but fled to the protection of the harbor of
Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...
two days later under the pursuit of and a second British vessel. Leaving Gloucester Harbor, ''Hannah'' captured HMS ''Unity''.


Washington's Fleet

Alongside other vessels fitted out by the
Marblehead Regiment The 14th Continental Regiment, also known as the Marblehead Regiment and Glover's Regiment, was raised as a Massachusetts militia regiment in 1775, and taken into the Continental Army establishment during the summer of 1775. When the Continen ...
, the ''
Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
,'' the ''
Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...
,'' the ''
Hancock Hancock may refer to: Places in the United States * Hancock, Iowa * Hancock, Maine * Hancock, Maryland * Hancock, Massachusetts * Hancock, Michigan * Hancock, Minnesota * Hancock, Missouri * Hancock, New Hampshire ** Hancock (CDP), New Hampshire * ...
,'' and the ''
Lee Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...
,'' the first combined naval vessels of 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 ...
and
Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
were assembled on Boston's north shore. Three of the four captains of the ships were residents of Marblehead;
John Selman (privateer) Captain John Selman (1744-1817) was a privateer who served in the Marblehead Regiment and commanded the USS Franklin for George Washington's first expedition of the American Navy, which was ordered to interrupt the shipping of British armaments off ...
,
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 2 ...
, and
James Mugford James Mugford (May 19, 1749 – May 19, 1776) was a captain in the Continental Navy. Life and naval career Mugford commanded the schooner ''Franklin'' in the Continental Navy, serving through 1775 in John Manley's squadron off Boston. He captu ...
who respectively commanded ''Warren'', ''Lee'' and ''Franklin'' during 1775 and into 1776. Along with another Marblehead native and naval Captain Samuel Tucker, General Washington's Fleet raided enemy British ships up and down the Massachusetts coast. "With crews of experienced Marblehead seamen, these bold and highly skilled mariners captured enemy supply ships filled with ammunition and armaments that were crucial to the American cause of independence. The fleet was believed to have flown the Revolutionary "
Pine Tree Flag The Tree Flag (or the Appeal to Heaven Flag) was one of the flags used during the American Revolution. The flag, which featured a pine tree with the motto "An Appeal to Heaven," or less frequently "An Appeal to God", was originally used by a squ ...
" with the less common motto "An Appeal to God" signifying the crews' loyalty to their New England woodlands and their religion. On one of the schooner's first voyages, it encountered the sloop ''Unity'' which was owned by John Langdon, a member of the Continental Congress from New Hampshire, but had been taken by the British Royal Navy. Rather than returning the ship to its rightful owner, Captain Broughton sailed the ship to Gloucester and requested he and his crew be given the store of salt fish beef and lumber. Washington's orders were to strictly collect munitions only, and his refusal caused a mutiny among the crew, of whom 14 were ordered whipped, but only one was punished. .'' ''Hannah''s brief naval career ended on 10 October 1775, when she was run aground under the guns of a small American fort near Beverly by the British sloop ''Nautilus.'' After a 4 hour engagement between the British ship and Beverly and Salem militias on the shore, ''Hannah'' was saved from destruction and capture. ''Nautilus'' was badly damaged, but managed to escape with the rising tide around 8 p.m.. According to the ''New England Chronicle'' dated October 12th 1775, "...no lives were lost on our side, and the Privateer annahwas damaged little if any". Other sources however still claim that ''Hannah'' was soon decommissioned as General Washington found more suitable ships for his cruisers.


Fate

According to legend, soon after ''Hannah''s decommissioning, the schooner was towed to Lee's Wharf in Manchester, where its name was changed to ''
Lynch Lynch may refer to: Places Australia * Lynch Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica * Lynch Point, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica * Lynch's Crater, Queensland, Australia England * River Lynch, Hertfordshire * The Lynch, an island in the River ...
''. There, the vessel was restored to working condition by 7 carpenters over the course of 3 weeks. In March of 1777, ''Lynch'' was sent to France with congressional correspondence for Benjamin Franklin, who was there as U.S. Ambassador. Upon embarking on their journey back to the U.S., ''Lynch'' and its crew were captured by British ship HMS ''Foudroyant''. ''Lynch'' was sold as a prize by the British and documentation indicates that the schooner was used as a merchant vessel thereafter. Most modern scholars however believe the ship was completely destroyed or at least damaged beyond repair, thus rendering the true fate of the ship unknown. While no imagery of the ship is known to exist, trading and fishing schooners like the model pictured above, as well as those painted below, are commonly thought to be accurate representations.


Legacy

An illustration of the Hannah is on the sleeve of the City of
Beverly, Massachusetts Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, and a suburb of Boston. The population was 42,670 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. A resort, residential, and manufacturing community on the Massachusetts North Shore, Beverly incl ...
Police Department uniforms. The Hannah Elementary School located in the City of
Beverly, Massachusetts Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, and a suburb of Boston. The population was 42,670 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. A resort, residential, and manufacturing community on the Massachusetts North Shore, Beverly incl ...
is named for the schooner. The City of
Beverly, Massachusetts Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, and a suburb of Boston. The population was 42,670 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. A resort, residential, and manufacturing community on the Massachusetts North Shore, Beverly incl ...
and the Town of
Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, along the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsula that extends ...
each claim to have been the home port of the schooner. Each continues to assert the honor of being "the Birthplace of the American Navy" from the career of the ''Hannah''. A plaque, currently on display in the Selectmen's room at Abbot Hall in Marblehead, was discovered in the
Philadelphia Navy Yard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...
proclaiming Marblehead to be the birthplace of schooner. Beverly refers to itself as "Washington's Naval Base." Alongside the plaque is a display detailing Marblehead's storied Naval history, especially focusing on the importance of the ''USS Hannah'' and the rest of the fleet that became the first of the United States Navy. Similarly, the entrance sign to the town of Marblehead features a small inset of an artist's depiction of the ''USS Hannah.'' In June of 1926 the town celebrated the 150th anniversary as birthplace of the Navy. In 1992, , another important Naval ship that protected Marblehead during the War of 1812, on its final unassisted voyage made a stop in Marblehead Harbor in 1992, before returning to Boston. One of the original gas stations in the town featured a facsimile piece of the hull of ''Hannah'' pictured below. After ''Hannah'', Glover refitted five more schooners and personally launched another two from Plymouth. In the coming months though, the Continental Congress recognized the need for a Navy to accompany Washington's Army, smaller private boats such as ''Hannah'' fell out of favor. Along with much of the exhibit in Abbott Hall, the history of the town's involvement in the creation of the world's most powerful Navy has been meticulously reconstructed.Cheri Grishin, Assistant Director of the Marblehead Museum, 170 Washington Street. Marblehead, MA 01945


Gallery

Glover's House.jpg Marblehead City Hall, where all enlisted soldiers have gather from the Revolution through Vietnam.jpg faux-hull.jpg Glover's Legacy.jpg Washington's Fleet.jpg Glover's house plaque .jpg


See also

*
John Glover (general) John Glover (November 5, 1732January 30, 1797) was an American fisherman, merchant, and military leader from Marblehead, Massachusetts, who served as a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Early life ...
*
Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War saw a series of battles involving naval forces of the British Royal Navy and the Continental Navy from 1775, and of the French Navy from 1778 onwards. Although the British enjoyed more numerical victories, thes ...
*
History of the United States Navy The history of the United States Navy divides into two major periods: the "Old Navy", a small but respected force of sailing ships that was notable for innovation in the use of ironclads during the American Civil War, and the "New Navy" the ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hannah Schooners of the United States Navy Ships of the Continental Navy 1770s ships