Thomas Boyle (29 June 1775 – 12 October 1825), an Irish American, as a captain of the schooner ''Comet'' and the clipper ''Chasseur'', was one of the most successful Baltimore

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

s during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. He briefly served in 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 ...

during the same war.

Biography

Born in

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 ...

, Boyle went to sea at 10 or 11 years of age. In 1794, he moved his base of operation to

Baltimore, Maryland 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 ...

Early career

At age 17 he commanded several vessels for Baltimore French born merchant John Carrere, including ''Vigilant''. In 1792, he commanded the schooner ''Hester'', owned by Carrere. In April, 1808, he was appointed captain and commander of Baltimore's 51st. Regiment, but later resigned in order to take command of ''

Comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ar ...

''.

War of 1812

''Comet''

Soon after the War of 1812 began, Boyle took command of the privateer ''

'' and during his first cruise—conducted in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

between 11 July and 7 October 1812—captured four vessels with an aggregate value of $400,000. On his second cruise, he sailed along the

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian coast, departing Baltimore on 25 November 1812. Though he made five captures, his second voyage was a financial disaster because

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

s retook all five prizes. On 17 March 1813, Boyle slipped past the British blockade into

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

. During the spring of 1813 the Royal Navy tightened its grip on the Chesapeake and blocked escape by Baltimore privateers. ''Comet'' and two other privateers were contracted by the Navy to patrol and observe British movements, and Boyle accepted a warrant as

sailing master The master, or sailing master, is a historical rank for a naval officer trained in and responsible for the navigation of a sailing vessel. The rank can be equated to a professional seaman and specialist in navigation, rather than as a military ...

in the United States Navy on 16 April 1813. His brief Navy career lasted only until 8 September 1813 when he began to prepare ''Comet'' for her third voyage as a privateer. On 29 October 1813, he and his ship slipped through the blockade in heavy weather. During that cruise to the West Indies, Boyle and his crew captured 20 prizes before returning to the United States at

Beaufort, North Carolina Beaufort ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Carteret County, North Carolina, Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1713 and incorporated in 1723, Beaufort is the fourth oldest town in North Carolina (after Bath, Nor ...

, on 19 March 1814.

''Chasseur'' and Blockade Proclamation

Boyle left ''Comet'' at Beaufort and headed north to Baltimore and thence to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

where he took command of the privateer ''Chasseur'', of which he was part owner. The privateer tried to put to sea on 24 July, but British warships obliged her to wait four days off

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

. Once at sea, Boyle set a course for the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

via the

Grand Banks The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a series of underwater plateaus south-east of the island of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. The Grand Banks are one of the world's richest fishing grounds, supporting Atlantic cod, swordf ...

. The cruise lasted three months, and he netted 18 prizes before returning to New York on 24 October. During his many exploits on the trip, Boyle had the bravado to proclaim a blockade on the entire United Kingdom. His proclamation was posted in

Lloyd's Coffee House A 19th-century drawing of Lloyd's Coffee House Lloyd's Coffee House was a significant meeting place in London in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was opened by Edward Lloyd (c. 1648 – 15 February 1713) on Tower Street in 1686. The establis ...

in London:

''PROCLAMATION: Whereas, It has become customary with the admirals of Great Britain, commanding small forces on the coast of the United States, particularly with Sir John Borlaise Warren and Sir Alexander Cochrane, to declare all the coast of the said United States in a state of strict and rigorous blockade without possessing the power to justify such a declaration or stationing an adequate force to maintain said blockade; I do therefore, by virtue of the power and authority in me vested (possessing sufficient force), declare all the ports, harbors, bays, creeks, rivers, inlets, outlets, islands, and seacoast of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in a state of strict and rigorous blockade. And I do further declare that I consider the force under my command adequate to maintain strictly, rigorously, and effectually the said blockade. And I do hereby require the respective officers, whether captains, commanders, or commanding officers, under my command, employed or to be employed, on the coasts of England, Ireland, and Scotland, to pay strict attention to the execution of this my proclamation. And I do hereby caution and forbid the ships and vessels of all and every nation in amity and peace with the United States from entering or attempting to enter, or from coming or attempting to come out of, any of the said ports, harbors, bays, creeks, rivers, inlets, outlets, islands, or seacoast under any pretense whatsoever. And that no person may plead ignorance of this, my proclamation, I have ordered the same to be made public in England. Given under my hand on board the Chasseur. THOMAS BOYLE By command of the commanding officer. J. J. STANBURY, Secretary''.''

British merchants were alarmed, shipping and insurance rates soared and the Royal Navy diverted 14 sloops of war and three frigates to patrol the northern and western coasts of England. Upon her return to Baltimore ''Chasseur'' was hailed as "The Pride of Baltimore." Boyle spent the next two months preparing for his fifth and final privateering voyage. On 24 December, ''

Chasseur ''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a mor ...

'' put to sea and shaped a course for the West Indies. There, she took a succession of prizes. On 25 February 1815, she chased what appeared to be a weakly armed coaster but which turned out to be a

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 F ...

cruiser. Undaunted, Boyle raced to the attack and, after a sharp 15-minute fight, captured HMS ''St Lawrence''. He was wounded during the capture and concluded his final cruise at Baltimore on 18 March 1815. It was estimated that Boyle profited in a range of $30,000 as a privateer during the War of 1812. As a commander of ''Chassuer'' Capt Boyle placed a significant emphasis on drills. His crew practiced over and over again handling the sails and operating the guns, which paid off during numerous engagements with the enemy vessels.

Late career

After the war Boyle returned to mercantile service between Baltimore and ports in the West Indies and South America. Boyle also was one of a number of 1812 captains who engaged in privateering under letters of marque during the Spanish American Wars of Independence. Boyle died at sea aboard the 'second' ''Chasseur'' en route from Alvarado, Mexico to Philadelphia.

Namesake and honors

"Boyle Street" in South Baltimore (intersects Fort Avenue and

Key Highway Maryland Route 2 (MD 2) is the longest state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs from Solomons Island in Calvert County north to an intersection with U.S. Route 1 (US 1)/ US 40 Truck ( North Avenue) in Baltimore. The route r ...

) is named in honor of Thomas Boyle. The destroyer was named for him. She was launched in 1942 and sponsored by Mrs. Margaret A. Glascock, great-granddaughter of Thomas Boyle.