HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Connecticut State Navy was the colonial (and later,
state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...
)
navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...
of
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
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 a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...
. Established in 1775, all of its ships were destroyed or captured by 1779. In the remaining years of the war a few smaller ships were commissioned to interdict smuggling between the Connecticut shore and
Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...
-controlled Long Island. One the Connecticut Navy's most distinctive commissions was the ''
Turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked ...
'', a submarine whose use in New York harbor in 1776 constitutes the first documented instance of
submarine warfare Submarine warfare is one of the four divisions of underwater warfare, the others being anti-submarine warfare, mine warfare and mine countermeasures. Submarine warfare consists primarily of diesel and nuclear submarines using torpedoes, mis ...
.


Early acquisitions

After 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 a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...
began in April 1775, the
Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. ...
in July authorized the
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
and Council of Safety to procure and outfit two armed vessels. On July 24, Governor Jonathan Trumbull and the Council appointed a committee to identify potentially useful vessels in the colony's harbors. On August 2, the committee filed its report, and noted that there was some opposition in the colony to attempting to match the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...
's might. In spite of this, Governor Trumbull and the council decided to outfit William Griswold's 108-ton ship ''Minerva'', and appointed another committee to acquire a "spy vessel, to run and course from place to place, to discover the enemy, and carry intelligence" of about 25 tons, to be captained by Samuel Niles. The next day they hired
Giles Hall Giles may refer to: People * Giles (given name), male given name (Latin: ''Aegidius'') * Giles (surname), family name * Saint Giles (650–710), 7th–8th-century Christian hermit saint * Giles of Assisi, Aegidius of Assisi, 13th-century comp ...
to be the captain of the ''Minerva'', established a pay scale, and authorized Hall to hire 40 sailors and 40 marines. On August 14, they authorized the purchase of the ''Britannica'', a sloop in Stonington, which was to be renamed ''Spy'', with
Robert Niles The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, h ...
as its captain. The ''Spy'' began service early in October, and promptly brought in the navy's first
prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.
, a British supply ship. ''Minerva'' began service on October 9, with orders to capture transports bound for
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
. However, most of the crew refused to obey Hall's orders, and she returned to port. The mutinous crew was dismissed, and in December Hall was ordered to return the ship to its owner.


Expansion

In December 1775 the General Assembly authorized the acquisition of more ships, specifically another armed vessel and four row galleys, "for the defence of this and the neighboring colonies."Paullin, p. 358 A
brigantine A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Old ...
was purchased, named ''Defence'', and
Seth Harding Seth Harding (17 April 1734 – 20 November 1814) was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Revolutionary War. In 1776, he was the captain of the ''Defence''. Biography Seth Harding, also known as Hest was born in Eastham, Pr ...
was given her command; she entered service in April 1776. The governor and council decided to order the construction of a vessel as the third of the authorized ships. This resulted in the June 1776 launch of the 300-ton ''Oliver Cromwell'', with
William Coit William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...
as its captain. ''Oliver Cromwell'' was the first purpose-built warship commissioned by the Connecticut General Assembly--''Minerva'', ''Spy'', and ''Defence'' were all already under construction or launched when purchased. Of the four row galleys, only three were built: ''Whiting'', ''Shark'', and ''Crane'', which were outfitted with sloop riggings, were ready for service in July 1776. In February 1776, after a presentation by inventor
David Bushnell David Bushnell (August 30, 1740 – 1824 or 1826), of Westbrook, Connecticut, was an American inventor, a patriot, one of the first American combat engineers, a teacher, and a medical doctor. Bushnell invented the first submarine to be used in ...
, authorized the payment of £60 so that he could complete the construction of what became the ''
Turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked ...
'', a small one-man submarine designed to attach a mine to another ship. She was used in an attempted attack on in New York harbor in 1776; the attack failed. The ''Turtle'' was sunk in 1777, but was supposedly recovered later by Bushnell. Additional ships were authorized but had relatively short service lives. The ''Mifflin'' and the ''Schuyler'' were only in active service in 1777, and ''Guilford'' in 1779.


Administration

The assembly had vested in the governor considerable authority in naval matters, including the setting of regulations. As the
Continental Navy The Continental Navy was the navy of the United States during the American Revolutionary War and was founded October 13, 1775. The fleet cumulatively became relatively substantial through the efforts of the Continental Navy's patron John Adam ...
was also organizationally taking shape, the governor and council assembled a set of regulations that harmonized as much as possible with those of the Continental Navy. They also retained
Nathaniel Shaw Nathaniel Shaw Jr. (17031778) was a Connecticut Patriot, and an American Revolutionary War soldier. He is frequently referred to as "Captain Nathaniel Shaw, Jr." Life and career Nathaniel Shaw was a successful merchant who came to live in Ne ...
, a wealthy New London merchant, as the state's agent for outfitting its ships and disposing of its prizes, and also had an agent in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
to deal with matters when the state's ships or prizes were in Massachusetts ports. Instead of setting up dedicated
admiralty court Admiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries, and offences. Admiralty courts in the United Kingdom England and Wales Scotland The Scottish court's earliest ...
s, the assembly authorized the state's courts to act as admiralty courts, adjudicating marine disputes and the distribution of prizes, with a right to appeal decisions to the Continental Congress. The state did not issue its own letters of marque; instead, the governor was authorized to issue Congressional letters. In 1779 the state established a formal naval administrative structure, but by then most of its ships had been lost. The state authorized the commission of up to twelve armed vessels in 1780 for the purpose of interdicting smuggling; it retracted the commissions in 1781 after it was established that they had been completely ineffective at stopping illicit trade.


Operations

Most of the navy's cruising was in Long Island Sound, although some ships, notably ''Spy'' and ''Oliver Cromwell'', went further afield, and the three row galleys served in 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 Ne ...
above New York, where the British eventually captured or sank them. ''Spy'' served the purpose for which it was purchased, and was one of several ships sent to
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
in 1778 with news that Congress had ratified the Treaty of Alliance. Of the ships sent, she was the first to arrive; unfortunately the British captured her on the return voyage. All told, the Connecticut Navy captured about thirty prizes, but all of her ships were captured or destroyed by July 1779. ''Oliver Cromwell'' was captured after an engagement off
Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern e ...
, and ''Guilford'' was captured in July.


See also

* Connecticut Naval Militia *
Oliver Cromwell (ship) ''Oliver Cromwell'' was the largest ship in the Connecticut State Navy from her launch on 13 June 1776 until the British Royal Navy captured her in a battle off the coast of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, on 6 June 1779. The Royal Navy renamed her HMS ' ...


References


Sources

*{{cite book, title=The navy of the American Revolution: its administration, its policy and its achievements, first=Charles Oscar, last=Paullin, publisher=The Burrows Brothers Co, year=1906, isbn=9780722277096, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ws5EAAAAIAAJ&dq=inauthor%3Apaullin+massachusetts+navy&pg=PA315, ref=Paullin This work contains summary information on each of the various state navies.
Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...
Military units and formations of the United States in the American Revolutionary War Disbanded navies 1775 establishments in Connecticut