The Battle off Halifax took place on 28 May 1782 during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. It involved the American

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding 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 o ...

''Jack'' and the 14-gun Royal Naval

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the l ...

off Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

David Ropes commanded ''Jack'', and Lieutenant John Crymes commanded ''Observer''. The battle was "a long and severe engagement" in which Captain David Ropes was killed.

Background

During the American Revolution, Americans regularly attacked Nova Scotia by land and sea. American

s devastated the maritime economy by raiding many of the coastal communities, such as the numerous raids on

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

and on

Annapolis Royal Annapolis Royal is a town in and the county seat of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The community, known as Port Royal before 1710, is recognised as having one of the longest histories in North America, preceding the settlements at Plym ...

. On the 7th of July, 1777, off the coast of Halifax, Sir

George Collier Vice-Admiral Sir George Collier (11 May 1732 – 6 April 1795) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who saw service during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars. As commander of the fourth-r ...

, in command of , with a force of two British frigates and a brig, opened fire on and captured

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 was Liberal Member of Parliament for Ottawa South from 1988 to 2004. ...

, the second in command of the

Continental Navy The Continental Navy was the navy of the United Colonies and United States from 1775 to 1785. It was founded on October 13, 1775 by the Continental Congress to fight against British forces and their allies as part of the American Revolutionary ...

, and the 13-gun frigate (229 men) off the coast of Nova Scotia. After a running battle lasting 39 hours, the British succeeded in capturing both ''Hancock'' and ''Boston'', and retaking ''Fox'' (60 men). Collier returned to Halifax on 11 July with his prizes. Manley was transported to New York and imprisoned until March 1778. The engagement between ''Jack'' and ''Observer'' was one of several in the region. On 10 July 1780, the British 16-gun privateer brig ''Resolution'' under the command of Thomas Ross engaged the American 22-gun privateer ''Viper'' (130 men) off Halifax at Sambro Light. In what one observer described as "one of the bloodiest battles in the history of privateering," the two privateers began a "severe engagement" during which both pounded each other with cannon fire for about 90 minutes. The engagement resulted in the surrender of the British ship and the death of up to 18 British and 33 American sailors. ''Jack'' herself had been involved in a previous naval engagement. ''Jack'' (or ''Saucy Jack'') was originally a Massachusetts privateer commissioned in September 1779. After three successful cruises in which she captured a number of prizes, and captured her in July 1780 in the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

. The British took ''Jack'' into the Quebec Provincial Marine, though she was commissioned out of Nova Scotia. She then served as a patrol vessel for the fisheries and the St. Lawrence River. In an engagement off Cape Breton with two French frigates at Spanish River, near

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (, formerly '; or '; ) is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18.7% of Nova Scotia's total area. Although ...

in 1781, she was captured by the French. They took ''Jack'' back to Boston, where her previous owners purchased her and sent her to sea again as a privateer. ''Observer'' was herself a former Massachusetts privateer, originally built as merchantman ''Amsterdam'', which captured on 19 October 1781. The British sent ''Amsterdam'' into Halifax to be condemned as a prize, where the Royal Navy bought her.

Battle

The British ship ''Observer'' was returning to Halifax, having rescued ten crew members of stranded on Seal Island. On 28 May 1782, as ''Observer'' arrived at the Sambro Island Light near the mouth of Halifax Harbour, ''Jack'' approached her. When ''Jack'' discovered her quarry was a British naval vessel, the Americans tried to escape. ''Observer'' chased ''Jack'' for two hours before catching her. The ships were evenly matched. The British immediately killed the American captain David Ropes as a result of the cannon fire. Both ships had numerous holes shot through their sails, and the British sailors attempted to climb the rigging of their ship in an effort to board the American privateer. The Americans repulsed this initial boarding attempt, but the British were ultimately successful. ''Jack'' struck her colours on the afternoon of 29 May.''Salem Gazette'', 11 July 18, 1782; ''Boston Post'', 15 June 1782, and ''Hunts Magazine'', February 1857, as cited by Gardner W. Allen, ''A Naval History of the American Revolution'' (Boston, 1913), Chapter 17.

Aftermath

American privateers remained a threat to Nova Scotian ports for the rest of the war. The following month, after a failed attempt to raid Chester, Nova Scotia, American privateers struck again in the raid on Lunenburg in 1782.

Notes

References

; Secondary sources * Gardner W. Allen, ''A Naval History of the American Revolution'' (Boston, 1913), Chapter 17. * Gwyn, Julian, ''Ashore and Afloat'' * Gwyn, Julian (2004), ''Frigates and Foremasts: The North American Squadron in Nova Scotia. Waters, 1745–1815'', UBC Press. *
Privateers in Nova Scotia. Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society, p. 26
; Primary sources * Nova Scotia Gazette of June 4, 1782
Lieutenant William Gray's account of Captain David Ropes's death

External links

* *
Lt. William Gray's log of the battle

American Vessels Captured by the British in the American Revolution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halifax, Naval battle off Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War involving Great Britain Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War involving the United States Privateering in the American Revolutionary War Conflicts in 1782 Conflicts in Nova Scotia Maritime history of Canada Military history of Nova Scotia 1782 in Nova Scotia Halifax (1782)