USS Lynch (1776)

USS ''Lynch'' was a 6-gun schooner of the Continental Navy. She served for over a year on the New England coast, interfering with British maritime trade when possible. In 1777 she was assigned dispatch boat duty and, after delivering her secret dispatches to France, set sail for the United States with French secret dispatches. The British captured her, but not before she could destroy the French dispatches.

Chartered by order of Washington

The first ship to be so named by the Navy, ''Lynch'', a fishing schooner chartered by order of General George Washington 26 January 1776 from Col. John Lee of Marblehead, Massachusetts, was commissioned 1 February 1776 at Manchester, Massachusetts, Comdr. John Ayers in command.

Continental Navy service

''Lynch'' eluded fire from HMS ''Fowey'' when she sailed 7 February 1776 from Manchester, Massachusetts, to fit out at Beverly, Massachusetts. Shortly after midnight on 2 March, ''Lynch'' slipped out of Beverly and dodged ''Fowey'' and ''Nautilus'' to make her way to rendezvous in Cape Ann Harbor with three other ships in the little American fleet commanded by Commodore John Manley.

On the night of the 4th, Manley’s schooners drove off British brig ''Hope'' in a spirited engagement. The next day they took their first prize, ''Susannah'', a 300-ton English merchantman laden with coal, cheese, and beer, for General Howe’s beleaguered army in Boston, Massachusetts.

After escorting their prize to Portsmouth, Manley’s squadron returned to Cape Ann, where on the 10th he captured a second prize, Boston-bound transport ''Stokesby'', a 300-ton ship carrying porter, cheese, vinegar, and hops. ''Lynch'' and the others escorted the prize toward Gloucester, Massachusetts, but ''Stokesby'' ran hard aground. After much of the prize’s cargo had been removed, British brig ''Hope'' arrived and put the torch to the hulk.

Howe evacuates Boston

While Manley’s squadron was at Gloucester, General Howe evacuated Boston and Washington ordered his ships to dog the British fleet and pounce upon any stragglers. The patriot schooners departed Gloucester 21 March and sighted a merchant brig off Boston Light that afternoon. They chased their prey and by evening were close enough to open fire. Their quarry then hove to, but two English men of war, ''Savage'' and ''Diligent'', arrived to compel the American schooners to abandon their prize.

Soon afterwards, Manley divided his fleet, keeping ''Lynch'' and ''Lee'' with his flagship ''Hancock''. On the afternoon of 2 April they sighted brig ''Elizabeth''. This prize, an American vessel captured by the British the previous October, was full of loot plundered from the warehouses of patriot merchants just before the evacuation of Boston, and carried a goodly number of Tory refugees. Many of the Tories were transferred to ''Lee'', their leaders were taken on board ''Hancock'', and the captive crew was imprisoned in ''Lynch'', which accompanied ''Hancock'' to Portsmouth, arriving 4 April to refit and recruit.

Underway again 13 May, ''Lynch'' joined ''Lee'' and ''Warren'' in Cape Ann Harbor. A fortnight later HMS ''Milford'' pursued the schooners but they escaped in the fog. On 7 June they captured British transport ''Anne'' carrying a light infantry company of the 71st Highland Regiment and some twoscore British tars sent out as fleet replacements. The Highlanders were transferred to ''Lynch'' and taken to Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Cruising the New England coast through the summer, on 26 August ''Lynch'' and ''Warren'' encountered British frigate ''Liverpool'' and scurried away in opposite directions. ''Warren'' was captured while ''Lynch'' escaped and a few days later reached Boston.

''Lynch'' next cruised athwart the transatlantic shipping lanes. On 27 September she ran across a fleet of 120 sail bringing a division of Hessians to reinforce General Howe. Frigate HMS ''Unicorn'' peeled off the convoy and chased the schooner. ''Lynch'' only managed to escape by jettisoning her guns and water, enabling her to stay out of range until darkness allowed her to slip away. The schooner was laid up after reaching Boston.

Service as a dispatch boat

Late in February 1777 ''Lynch'' was reactivated to take important dispatches to France. Under command of Capt. John Adams, she got underway from Boston 3 March and reached Nantes 2 April with valuable intelligence for the American Commissioners at Paris.

Captured by the British

On 19 May, while trying to slip away from the French coast, ''Lynch'', again carrying important secret documents as well as arms and clothing for the American Army, was intercepted by HMS ''Foudroyant'' south of Belle-Île, on the western coast of Brittany. Unable to escape, Adams was captured before he could run the schooner aground, but he did manage to sink the dispatches. ''Foudroyant'' took her prize to England, arriving Plymouth, England, 23 May.

References

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Schooners of the Continental Navy
1770s ships
Vessels captured from the Continental Navy