USS ''Fly'' was an 8-gun sloop 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 ...

. She was part of a squadron that raided the port of Nassau and engaged the 20-gun . ''Fly'', one of the eight former merchant ships fitted out by the Naval Committee between November 1775 and January 1776. She was purchased in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

Naval Documents of the American Revolution vol 3, 1307 - 15 Feb 1776 - reference to increase of fleet by two from Baltimore (Wasp and Hornet) and one from Rhode Island (Fly). Confirm Fly is from Rhode Island. under a Congressional authorization dated 16 January 1775 for a small tender or despatch vessel for the fleet. A

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

, often referred to as a sloop, she was first commanded by

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 ...

Hoystead Hacker. This ship appears to be the same one that General George Washington authorized on 18 September 1775 to sail for supplies. A list of those supplies brought to the colonies by ''Fly'' was reported in the Naval Documents of the American Revolution, Volume 2, pg 254. Early in 1776, ''Fly'' joined the squadron of

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

Esek Hopkins Commodore (rank), Commodore Esek Hopkins (April 26, 1718February 26, 1802) was a Continental Navy officer and privateer. He served as the only commander-in-chief of the Continental navy during the American Revolutionary War, when the Continental ...

off

Reedy Island Reedy Island is a small island in the middle of the channel of the Delaware River near its mouth on the Delaware Bay in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is about east of Port Penn, Delaware and southwest of Salem, New Jersey. The island was the lo ...

at the head of

Delaware Bay Delaware Bay is the estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the northeast seaboard of the United States, lying between the states of Delaware and New Jersey. It is approximately in area, the bay's freshwater mixes for many miles with the saltw ...

, and on 17 February sailed with this force for its historic cruise to

New Providence New Providence is the most populous island in The Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. On the eastern side of the island is the national capital, national capital city of Nassau, Bahamas, Nassau; it had a population of 246 ...

, America's first amphibious operation. Two nights out, ''Fly'' fouled the sloop USS ''Hornet'', who was forced to return to port. ''Fly'', however, was able to rejoin the squadron off New Providence 11 March, finding that the operation had been a great success, and that a large quantity of military stores sorely needed by the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

had been taken. Heavily laden with the valuable supplies, the fleet departed New Providence 17 March, and on 4 April arrived off

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

where it took two small British ships of war and two merchantmen. Two days later the squadron engaged the British sloop-of-war HMS ''Glasgow'', which successfully resisted American attempts to capture her before sailing into

Newport Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New York City. It ...

, though her tender was captured. On 8 April the fleet arrived at

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...

, to land the captured military stores. ''Fly'' patrolled off New London to learn the strength of the British Fleet until June, when she was detached to carry cannon from Newport to

Amboy, New Jersey The Amboys are a pair of municipalities in Middlesex County, New Jersey, both of which have the word ''Amboy'' in their name. The two municipalities are the City of Perth Amboy and the City of South Amboy, located opposite each other on the Rar ...

, where she was blockaded briefly by the British. Later in 1776, she cruised the New Jersey coast to intercept enemy ships bound for

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In an encounter with one of these in November, a number of ''Flys men were wounded, and she was damaged to the extent that she had to put in at

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

to repair and refit. Ready for active service early in 1777, ''Fly'' convoyed merchantmen to sea, carried dispatches, and protected American ships in

Cape May Channel A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used thr ...

. During the later part of the year, she was one of the Continental ships working with the

Pennsylvania Navy The Pennsylvania Navy, more formally known as the Pennsylvania State Navy or in modern terms the Pennsylvania Naval Militia, served as the naval force of Pennsylvania during the American Revolution and afterward, until the formation of the United ...

to defend the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

. In November when the British Fleet and powerful shore batteries forced the evacuation of

Fort Mifflin Fort Mifflin, originally called Fort Island Battery and also known as Mud Island Fort, was commissioned in 1771 and sits on Mud Island (or Deep Water Island) on the Delaware River below Philadelphia, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia International ...

and

Fort Mercer Fort Mercer was an earthen fort on the eastern shores of the Delaware River in New Jersey that was constructed by the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The fort was built in 1777 by Polish engineer Thaddeus Kosciuszko und ...

, giving the British control of the river, ''Fly'' and the other Continental ships were burned to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy.

Citations

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fly Sloops of the Continental Navy Maritime incidents in 1777