Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

Jonathan Haradan (November 11, 1744 – November 23, 1803) was a Massachusetts State Navy officer and privateer who served in 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 ...

Life

Haradan was born on November 11, 1744 in

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester ( ) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of North Shore (Massachusetts), Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census. ...

. As a boy he worked in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem was one ...

for the prominent merchant and future Senator

George Cabot George Cabot (1751 or 1752April 18, 1823) was an American merchant, seaman, and politician from Massachusetts. He represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate and was the presiding officer of the infamous Hartford Convention. During and after ...

. He joined the Massachusetts State Navy in July 1776 as

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

onboard the 14-gun sloop ''Tyrannicide''. On board for two years, he participated in the capture of several prizes, becoming her commander in 1777. He had changes ships in 1778. The ''Tyrannicide'' went on to be scuttled during the

Penobscot Expedition The Penobscot Expedition was a 44-ship American naval armada during the Revolutionary War assembled by the Provincial Congress of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. The flotilla of 19 warships and 25 support vessels sailed from Boston on July ...

in 1779. In 1778, Haraden left the Massachusetts navy to began his career as a

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 ...

, commanding the ''General Pickering'' (a letter of marque ship of 180 tons, with 16 6-pounder guns, and a crew of 106). On October 13, 1779, he engaged three British privateers off

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

simultaneously. In April 1780, he captured the 22-gun privateer ''Golden Eagle'' in the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...

. A larger British privateer, the 42-gun ''Achilles'', attempted to recapture ''Golden Eagle'' a few days later, though Haraden forced her to disengage after a three-hour action at close quarters. In 1781, his ship was captured by a British fleet under

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

George Rodney Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, Order of the Bath, KB (baptism, bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a Royal Navy officer, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his commands ...

Sint Eustatius Sint Eustatius, known locally as Statia, is an island in the Caribbean. It is a Caribbean Netherlands, special municipality (officially "Public body (Netherlands), public body") of the Netherlands. The island is in the northern Leeward Islands ...

, but Haraden managed to escape. Haraden commanded the privateer ''Julius Caesar'' in 1782. After the

ended in 1783, Haraden became a rope maker in Salem. As the years passed, his health deteriorated steadily when he caught Tuberculosis. He died in Salem on November 23, 1803. He was buried in Salem's Broad Street Cemetery.

Family

Haraden married three times: Hannah Deadman June 8, 1767 (by whom he had two sons and two daughters); Eunice Diman Mason, March 11, 1782; and Mary Scallam on Oct. 12, 1797 (by whom he had a daughter, Lucy, born when he was 67). Mary, only 45 at her husband's death, lived until 1832.

Legacy

* Two

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

s of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

have been named USS ''Haraden'' for him.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Haraden, Jonathan 1744 births 1803 deaths United States Navy personnel of the American Revolution People of Massachusetts in the American Revolution Privateers from the Thirteen Colonies