USS ''Providence'' was a 12-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 ...
. Originally the
Rhode Island State Navy ship ''Katy'', she took part in a number of campaigns during the first half of 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 ...
before being destroyed by her own crew in 1779 to prevent her falling into the hands of the British after the failed
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 ...
.
Service as ''Katy''
From early 1775,
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
warships, in particular the post ship , carried out anti-
smuggling
Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...
operations off the New England coast. They frequently searched
Rhode Island
Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
merchant shipping, annoying the colony's merchants. On 13 June, Deputy Governor
Nicholas Cooke
Nicholas Cooke (February 3, 1717September 14, 1782) was an American politician, slave-trader, and ropemaker who served as the governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations during the American Revolutionary War, and after Rhod ...
wrote the frigate's Captain
James Wallace demanding restoration of several ships which ''Rose'' had detained. Two days later, the Rhode Island General Assembly ordered the committee of safety to fit out two ships to defend the colony's shipping, and appointed a committee of three to obtain the vessels. That day, the committee chartered the sloop ''Katy'' from
John Brown John Brown most often refers to:
*John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859
John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to:
Academia
* John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
of
Providence and the sloop ''Washington'' at the same time. The General Assembly appointed
Abraham Whipple
Commander Abraham Whipple (September 26, 1733 – May 27, 1819) was an American naval officer best known for his service in the Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War and being one of the founders of Marietta, Ohio. Born near Providenc ...
as commander of ''Katy'', the larger ship, and made him commodore of the tiny fleet. Whipple had won fame in burning the British armed schooner
''Gaspee'' in 1772, and he captured a tender to HMS ''Rose'' before sunset that same day. ''Katy'' then cruised in
Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. S ...
through the summer protecting coastal shipping.
Gunpowder was an essential commodity, scarce in 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 ...
throughout the Revolutionary War and desperately low during the first year of the struggle for independence. Late in the summer of 1775, the shortage in
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
's army besieging
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
became so severe that he was unable to use his artillery, and his riflemen would have been unable to repel an attack had the British taken the offensive. Cooke, therefore, ordered Whipple to cruise for two weeks 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 en ...
to intercept a powder-laden packet expected from London. He was then to proceed to Bermuda to capture the powder stored in the British magazine there. ''Katy'' departed Narragansett Bay on 12 September but caught no sight of the packet. Upon reaching Bermuda, Whipple learned that the powder from the magazine was already en route to
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 ...
.
Service as ''Providence''
''Katy'' was purchased by Rhode Island 31 October 1775, soon after she returned to Providence. Late in November, she sailed for Philadelphia carrying seamen enlisted by Commodore
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 ...
in
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
for Continental service. She arrived on 3 December and was immediately taken into Continental service and renamed ''Providence''.
Captain Whipple assumed command of , a larger ship, and Captain
John Hazard was placed in command of ''Providence'', formalized by a commission from the
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...
dated 9 January 1776. The ships joined a squadron being formed by Congress under the command of
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 ...
, who was Commander in Chief of the Fleet of the United Colonies; they ordered him to sail for
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...
on 5 January 1776 and to clear waters there of a fleet organized the previous autumn by
Governor Dunmore of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. These ships were cruising in the shores of the bay and the rivers which empty into it. Once Whipple's ships had completed this task, they were to move south and attack British ships off the Carolina coast, then sail North to
Rhode Island
Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
to perform a similar service.
''Providence'' and her consorts departed Philadelphia early in January but were delayed by ice and did not get to sea until 17 February. Hopkins deemed it unwise to cruise along the southern coast and led his little fleet to the
Abaco Islands
The Abaco Islands lie in the north of Bahamas, The Bahamas, about 193 miles (167.7 nautical miles or 310.6 km) east of Miami, Florida, US. The main islands are Great Abaco and Little Abaco, which is just west of Great Abaco's northern tip.
T ...
in the Bahamas, which they reached on 1 March and staged for a
raid
RAID (; redundant array of inexpensive disks or redundant array of independent disks) is a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical Computer data storage, data storage components into one or more logical units for th ...
on
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 ...
. The next day, they seized two sloops on which Hopkins placed a landing party of 200 marines and 50 sailors. The Americans went ashore unopposed on the eastern end of New Providence at mid-morning of the 3rd, under cover of the guns of ''Providence'' and . They advanced toward
Fort Montagu which opened fire, interrupting the invaders' progress. The defenders spiked their guns and retreated to
Fort Nassau. The next day, Nassau surrendered and gave the Americans the keys to the Fort. Hopkins then brought his ships into the harbor and spent two weeks loading captured munitions before heading home on 17 March.
Hopkins’ ships captured the schooner off Block Island on 4 April, belonging to the British fleet at
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, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...
, and they took the brig ''Bolton'' at dawn the next day. That evening, the Americans added a brigantine and a sloop to their list of prizes, both from New York. About 1 a.m. on 6 April, sighted , a 20-gun sloop carrying dispatches from Newport to
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
. ''Glasgow'' engaged the American squadron for one and a half hours, badly damaging it before sailing to Newport. After daylight, Hopkins ordered his ships to give up the chase and headed with his fleet and prizes for
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 ...
, where they arrived on the 8th.
Lieutenant
John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...
took command of ''Providence'' on 10 May and made a voyage to New York, returning about 100 soldiers to the Continental Army whom Washington had lent to Hopkins to help man the American fleet, and Jones then hove down the ship to clean her bottom. She sailed again on 13 June, escorting ''Fly'' to
Fishers Island
Fishers Island is an island within the town of Southold in Suffolk County, New York. It lies at the eastern end of Long Island Sound, off the southeastern coast of Connecticut, across Fishers Island Sound. About long and wide, it is about ...
at the entrance to Long Island Sound. He recaptured a brigantine which had been captured by the British frigate , bringing munitions from
Hispaniola
Hispaniola (, also ) is an island between Geography of Cuba, Cuba and Geography of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and the second-largest by List of C ...
.
''Providence'' next escorted a convoy of
colliers to Philadelphia, arriving 1 August, and Jones received his permanent commission as captain a week later. ''Providence'' departed the Delaware Capes on the 21st to begin an independent cruise; she took the brigantine ''Britannia'' soon after and sent her into Philadelphia under a prize crew. On 1 September, daring seamanship enabled Jones to escape from the British frigate . Two days later, ''Providence'' captured the Bermudan brigantine ''Sea Nymph'' carrying sugar, rum, ginger, and oil and sent her to Philadelphia. On the 6th, ''Providence'' caught the brigantine ''Favourite'' carrying sugar from Antigua to Liverpool, but recaptured the prize before she could reach an American port.
Turning north, Jones headed for Nova Scotia and escaped another frigate on 20 September before his
raid on Canso
The Raid on Canso was an attack by French forces from Louisbourg on the British outpost Fort William Augustus at Canso, Nova Scotia shortly after war declarations opened King George's War. The French raid was intended to boost morale, secure L ...
two days later. There he recruited men to fill the vacancies created by manning his prizes, burned a British fishing schooner, sank a second, and captured a third besides a shallop which he used as a tender. ''Providence'' took several more prizes fishing near Ile Madame before riding out a severe storm. The whaler ''Portland'' surrendered to her before she returned to Narragansett Bay on 8 October.
While ''Providence'' was at home, Hopkins appointed Jones the commander of , a larger ship and the Commander in Chief's flagship on the expedition to the Bahamas, and Captain Hoysted Hacker took command of ''Providence''. The two ships got under way 11 November. They took the brigantine ''Active'' after ten days and the armed transport ''Mellish'' the next day, carrying winter uniforms and military supplies for the British Army. On the 16th, they captured the snow ''Kitty''. ''Providence'' had been troubled by leaks which developed during bad weather on the cruise, so she headed back for Rhode Island and arrived at Newport two days later.
The British seized Narragansett Bay in December 1776 and ''Providence'' retired up the Providence River with other American vessels. She ran the British blockade in February 1777 under Lt. Jonathan Pitcher and put into New Bedford, then cruised to Cape Breton where she captured a transport brig loaded with stores and carrying two officers and 25 soldiers of the British Army, besides her crew. She made two cruises on the coast under command of Captain
John Peck Rathbun, and sailed from Georgetown, N.C. about mid-January 1778, again bound for New Providence in the Bahamas but this time alone. On 27 January, she spiked the guns of the fort at Nassau, taking military stores including 1,600 pounds of powder and releasing 30 American prisoners. She also captured a 16-gun British ship and recaptured five other vessels which had been brought in by the British. On 30 January, the prizes were manned and sailed away, except two that were burned, and ''Providence'' put into New Bedford with her armed prize.
During the early part of April 1779, ''Providence'' was ordered to make a short cruise in Massachusetts Bay and along the coast of Maine. She later sailed south of Cape Cod and captured the brig , 12 guns off Sandy Hook on 7 May. She fired two broadsides and a volley of muskets during the engagement and ''Diligent'' was forced to surrender, with mast rigging and hull cut to pieces. ''Providence'' was then assigned to Commodore Saltonstall's squadron which departed Boston on 19 July 1779 and entered Penobscot Bay 25 July.
''Providence'' was scuttled by her crew, along with other American vessels in the Penobscot River on 14 August 1779 to prevent her from falling into the hands of the British towards the end of the failed
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 ...
.
Reproduction
In the early 1970s a reproduction of the ''Providence'' was constructed with a fiberglass hull and was used for youth sail training. The ship was maintained by the Providence Maritime Heritage Foundation. The ship was commissioned by
John Fitzhugh Millar who was the captain of the replica frigate ''Rose'' in the 1970s.
She was launched in 1976 and designated in 1992 as the
flagship and tall ship ambassador of the state of
Rhode Island
Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
. The ship was in
drydock
A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...
for the winter of 2015, when she was toppled and severely damaged by high winds during the
January 2015 nor'easter.
''Providence'' is currently docked in Alexandria, Virginia, under the care of the Tall Ship Providence Foundation. The ship now offers tours, sails, and educational programs to tourists and locals alike.
Notes
References
External links
Photo galleryat Naval Historical Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Providence (1775)
Sloops of the Continental Navy
1775 ships
Symbols of Rhode Island
Maritime incidents in 1779
Ships of the Rhode Island State Navy