USS Ranger (1777): Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|American ship during the American revolution}} |
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{{other ships|USS Ranger|HMS Halifax}} |
{{other ships|USS Ranger|HMS Halifax}} |
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'''USS ''Ranger''''' was a [[sloop-of-war]] in the [[Continental Navy]] |
'''USS ''Ranger''''' was a [[sloop-of-war]] in the [[Continental Navy]], serving from 1777–1780 and the first to bear her name. Built at [[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]] on [[Badger's Island]] in [[Kittery, Maine|Kittery]], [[Maine]], she is famed for the solo raiding campaign carried out by her first captain, [[John Paul Jones]], during naval operations of the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref name=jdr>[http://www.seacoastnh.com/the-importance-of-ranger/ The Importance of Ranger, J. Dennis Robinson]</ref> In six months spent primarily in British waters, she captured five prizes (mostly merchantmen), staged a single failed attack on the English mainland at Whitehaven, and caused [[Royal Navy]] ships to be dispatched against her in the Irish Sea. |
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Jones was detached in [[Brest, France]] to take charge of {{USS|Bonhomme Richard|1765|2}}, turning over |
Jones was detached in [[Brest, France]] to take charge of the {{USS|Bonhomme Richard|1765|2}}, turning over responsibility for ''Ranger'' to his first officer, Lieutenant Thomas Simpson. Under Simpson, the ''Ranger'' went on to capture an additional twenty-four prizes across the Atlantic and along the U.S. coast throughout 1778 and 1779. |
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Receiving new orders in late 1779 to aid the American garrison at Charleston, South Carolina, during the [[Siege of Charleston|British siege]], she continued her raiding career until ultimately forced to anchor on the [[Cooper River (South Carolina)|Cooper River]], resulting in her capture on 11 May 1780, with the fall of the city. Renamed ''Halifax'', she finished her active service as a Royal Navy ship and was [[Ship commissioning|decommissioned]] in 1781. Later that year, she was sold in [[Portsmouth, England]] to private buyers for use as a merchantman. |
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She was brought into the [[Royal Navy]] as '''HMS ''Halifax'''''. Decommissioned in 1781 in Portsmouth, England, she was sold that year as a merchant ship. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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''Ranger'' (initially called ''Hampshire'') was launched |
''Ranger'' (initially called ''Hampshire'') was launched on May 10, 1777 by [[James Hackett (shipbuilder)|James Hackett]], master [[shipbuilding|shipbuilder]], at the [[shipyard]] of [[John Langdon (politician)|John Langdon]] on what is now called [[Badger's Island]] in [[Kittery, Maine|Kittery]], [[Maine]]. Captain [[John Paul Jones]] was named her first commander.<ref name=jdr/> |
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===Continental Navy=== |
===Continental Navy=== |
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After fitting out, she sailed for [[France]] on |
After fitting out, she sailed for [[France]] on November 1, 1777, carrying dispatches telling of General [[John Burgoyne|Burgoyne]]'s surrender to the commissioners in [[Paris]]. On the voyage over, two British [[Prize (law)|prizes]] were captured. ''Ranger'' arrived at [[Nantes]], France, on December 2, where Jones sold the prizes and delivered the news of the victory at [[Battles of Saratoga|Saratoga]] to ambassador [[Benjamin Franklin]]. On February 14, 1778, ''Ranger'' received a nine-gun salute to the new [[Flag of the United States|American flag]], the "Stars and Stripes" from the ship of the line [[French ship Robuste (1758)|''Robuste'']], under [[Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte|Lamotte-Picquet]], at [[Quiberon Bay]]. This was the first salute from a warship and, the second to an American fighting vessel by a foreign power (the first salute was received by {{USS|Andrew Doria|1775|2}} when on November 16, 1776 she arrived at [[Sint Eustatius|St. Eustatius]] and the [[Dutch Republic|Dutch]] island returned her 11-gun salute).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/CESMMarine/posts/2886513738065875 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/729680903749180/2886513738065875 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=Centre d'études stratégiques de la Marine - CESM|website=www.facebook.com|language=en|access-date=2020-02-15}}{{cbignore}}</ref> |
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''Ranger'' sailed from [[Brest, France|Brest]] |
''Ranger'' sailed from [[Brest, France|Brest]] April 10, 1778, for the [[Irish Sea]] and four days later captured the brigantine "Dolphin" between the [[Isles of Scilly|Scilly Isles]] and [[Cape Clear Island|Cape Clear]] and scuttled it.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/publications/naval-documents-of-the-american-revolution/NavalDocumentsOfTheAmericanRevVol12_8JUN2015.pdf |title=NAVAL DOCUMENTS OF The American Revolution |publisher=history.navy.mil |access-date=11 November 2021}}</ref> On 16 April, she took ship "Lord Chatham" 5 leagues from [[Cape Clear Island|Cape Clear]] and sent her to Brest, France.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/publications/naval-documents-of-the-american-revolution/NavalDocumentsOfTheAmericanRevVol12_8JUN2015.pdf |title=NAVAL DOCUMENTS OF The American Revolution |publisher=history.navy.mil |access-date=22 November 2021}}</ref> On the 19th sunk a Scottish coastal schooner in the [[Mull of Galloway]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/publications/naval-documents-of-the-american-revolution/NavalDocumentsOfTheAmericanRevVol12_8JUN2015.pdf |title=NAVAL DOCUMENTS OF The American Revolution |publisher=history.navy.mil |access-date=22 November 2021}}</ref> On the 20th sunk a sloop.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/publications/naval-documents-of-the-american-revolution/NavalDocumentsOfTheAmericanRevVol12_8JUN2015.pdf |title=NAVAL DOCUMENTS OF The American Revolution |publisher=history.navy.mil |access-date=22 November 2021}}</ref> Captain Jones led a raid on the English port of [[Whitehaven]], April 23, spiking the guns of the fortress, but failing in his attempt to burn the ships in the harbor. Sailing across the bay to [[St. Mary's Isle, Scotland|St. Mary's Isle]], [[Scotland]], the American captain planned to seize the [[Earl of Selkirk]] and hold him as a hostage and use him to make several political demands. However, since the Earl was absent, the plan failed. Several [[Royal Navy]] vessels were searching for ''Ranger'', and Captain Jones sailed across the [[North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)|North Channel]] to [[Carrickfergus]], [[Ireland]], to induce {{HMS|Drake|1777|6}} of 14 guns, to come out and fight. ''Drake'' came out slowly against the wind and tide, and, after [[North Channel Naval Duel|an hour's battle]], the battered ''Drake'' [[Striking the colors|struck her colors]], with eight sailors being killed in action during the engagement on the 24th. Later on the same day she captured the brigantine "Patience".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/publications/naval-documents-of-the-american-revolution/NavalDocumentsOfTheAmericanRevVol12_8JUN2015.pdf |title=NAVAL DOCUMENTS OF The American Revolution |publisher=history.navy.mil |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref> Having made temporary repairs, and with a prize crew on ''Drake'', ''Ranger'' continued around the west coast of Ireland, capturing a lone storeship, and arrived at Brest with her prizes on May 8. |
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Captain Jones was detached to command {{USS|Bonhomme Richard|1765|2}}, leaving Lieutenant Simpson, his first officer, in command. ''Ranger'' departed Brest |
Captain Jones was detached to command {{USS|Bonhomme Richard|1765|2}}, leaving Lieutenant Simpson, his first officer, in command. ''Ranger'' departed Brest on August 21, reaching [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]] on October 15, in company with {{USS|Providence|1776|2}} and {{USS|Boston|1777|2}}, plus three prizes taken in the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]]. |
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The sloop departed Portsmouth on |
The sloop departed Portsmouth on February 24, 1779 joining with the Continental Navy ships {{USS|Queen of France|1777|2}} and {{USS|Warren|1775|2}} in preying on British [[Merchant ship|shipping]] in the [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic]]. Seven prizes were captured early in April, and brought safely into port for sale. On 18 June, ''Ranger'' was underway again with ''Providence'' and ''Queen of France'', capturing two [[Jamaica]]men in July and nine more vessels off the [[Grand Banks of Newfoundland|Grand Banks]] of [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]]. Of the 11 prizes, three were recaptured, but the remaining eight, with their [[cargo]]es, were worth over a million dollars when sold in [[Boston]]. |
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Underway on |
Underway on November 23, ''Ranger'' was ordered to [[Commodore (rank)|Commodore]] [[Abraham Whipple|Whipple]]'s squadron, arriving at [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]] on December 23, to support the [[garrison]] there under [[Siege of Charleston|siege by the British]]. On January 24, 1780, ''Ranger'' and ''Providence'', in a short cruise down the coast, captured three transports, loaded with supplies, near [[Tybee Island, Georgia|Tybee]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. The British army tasked with capturing Charleston was also discovered in the area. ''Ranger'' and ''Providence'' sailed back to Charleston with the news. Shortly afterwards the British commenced the final push. Although the channel and harbor configuration made naval operations and support difficult, ''Ranger'' took a station in the [[Cooper River (South Carolina)|Cooper River]], and was captured when Charleston fell on 11 May 1780. |
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===Royal Navy=== |
===Royal Navy=== |
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''Ranger'' was taken into the British Royal Navy and commissioned under the name HMS ''Halifax''. She was [[Ship |
''Ranger'' was taken into the British Royal Navy and commissioned under the name HMS ''Halifax''. She was [[Ship commissioning|decommissioned]] in Portsmouth, England, in 1781, then sold as a merchant vessel for about 3 percent of her original cost.<ref name=jdr/> |
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==Specifications== |
==Specifications== |
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''Ranger''{{'}}s specifications were:<ref name=jdr/> |
''Ranger''{{'}}s specifications were:<ref name=jdr/> |
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*Begun:January 11, 1777 |
*Begun: January 11, 1777 |
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*Launched:May 10, 1777 into the Piscataqua River |
*Launched: May 10, 1777, into the Piscataqua River |
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*Location:Rising Castle, now Badger's Island, Kittery, Maine |
*Location: Rising Castle, now Badger's Island, Kittery, Maine |
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*Departed: |
*Departed: November 1, 1777 |
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*Builder:John Langdon |
*Builder: John Langdon |
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*Designer:James Hackett |
*Designer: James Hackett |
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*Yard Boss:Tobias Lear IV (father of Tobias Lear V, Secretary to President George Washington) |
*Yard Boss: Tobias Lear IV (father of Tobias Lear V, Secretary to President George Washington) |
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*Officers: |
*Officers: |
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**John Paul Jones, Captain |
**John Paul Jones, Captain |
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**Thomas Simpson, Portsmouth, 1st Lt |
**Thomas Simpson, Portsmouth, 1st Lt |
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**Elijah Hall, Portsmouth, 2nd Lt |
**Elijah Hall, Portsmouth, 2nd Lt |
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**Samuel Wallingford, Lt of Marines |
**Samuel Wallingford, Lt of Marines |
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**Dr Ezrah Green, Dover, Surgeon |
**Dr Ezrah Green, Dover, Surgeon |
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**Mr Joseph Frazer, Sr Officer of Marines |
**Mr Joseph Frazer, Sr Officer of Marines |
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**Capt Matthew Parke |
**Capt Matthew Parke |
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*Crew:145 men including nearly half from Piscataqua area |
*Crew: 145 men including nearly half from Piscataqua area |
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*Cost:$65,000 Continental dollars |
*Cost: $65,000 Continental dollars |
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*Rating:Sloop of war |
*Rating: Sloop of war |
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*Rigging:Square rigged on all three masts with royals, topgallant, and a full set of studding sails |
*Rigging: Square rigged on all three masts with royals, topgallant, and a full set of studding sails |
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*Arms:18 nine-pounder guns |
*Arms: 18 nine-pounder guns |
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*Painting:Topside black with broad yellow stripe and masthead |
*Painting: Topside black with broad yellow stripe and masthead |
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*Dimensions:(Recorded by Royal Navy after capture) |
*Dimensions: (Recorded by Royal Navy after capture) |
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**97' 2" at gundeck (est 110' overall) |
**97' 2" at gundeck (est. 110' overall) |
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**77' 9" keel |
**77' 9" keel |
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**27' 8" beam |
**27' 8" beam |
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* [https://portsmouthmarinesociety.org/pms20.html ''John Paul Jones and the Ranger''] by J. Dennis Robinson |
* [https://portsmouthmarinesociety.org/pms20.html ''John Paul Jones and the Ranger''] by J. Dennis Robinson |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranger (1777), USS}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranger (1777), USS}} |
Latest revision as of 13:31, 26 August 2024
This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2019) |
USS Ranger receiving the salute of the French fleet at Quiberon Bay, France, 14 February 1778.
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History | |
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United States | |
Name | USS Ranger |
Builder | James Hackett (shipbuilder), Badger's Island, Kittery, Maine |
Launched | 10 May 1777 |
Captured | 11 May 1780 |
Great Britain | |
Name | HMS Halifax |
Acquired | 11 May 1780 |
Decommissioned | 1781 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Sloop-of-war |
Displacement | 308 long tons (313 t) |
Length | 116 ft (35 m) |
Beam | 28 ft (8.5 m) |
Draft | 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) |
Complement | 140 officers and enlisted |
Armament | 18 × 6-pounder guns |
Service record | |
Commanders: | Capt. John Paul Jones (1777–1778) |
Operations: | Siege of Charleston (1779–1780) |
Victories: | North Channel naval duel (1778), captured 31 prizes worth well over $1,000,000 |
USS Ranger was a sloop-of-war in the Continental Navy, serving from 1777–1780 and the first to bear her name. Built at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Badger's Island in Kittery, Maine, she is famed for the solo raiding campaign carried out by her first captain, John Paul Jones, during naval operations of the American Revolutionary War.[1] In six months spent primarily in British waters, she captured five prizes (mostly merchantmen), staged a single failed attack on the English mainland at Whitehaven, and caused Royal Navy ships to be dispatched against her in the Irish Sea.
Jones was detached in Brest, France to take charge of the Bonhomme Richard, turning over responsibility for Ranger to his first officer, Lieutenant Thomas Simpson. Under Simpson, the Ranger went on to capture an additional twenty-four prizes across the Atlantic and along the U.S. coast throughout 1778 and 1779.
Receiving new orders in late 1779 to aid the American garrison at Charleston, South Carolina, during the British siege, she continued her raiding career until ultimately forced to anchor on the Cooper River, resulting in her capture on 11 May 1780, with the fall of the city. Renamed Halifax, she finished her active service as a Royal Navy ship and was decommissioned in 1781. Later that year, she was sold in Portsmouth, England to private buyers for use as a merchantman.
History
[edit]Ranger (initially called Hampshire) was launched on May 10, 1777 by James Hackett, master shipbuilder, at the shipyard of John Langdon on what is now called Badger's Island in Kittery, Maine. Captain John Paul Jones was named her first commander.[1]
Continental Navy
[edit]After fitting out, she sailed for France on November 1, 1777, carrying dispatches telling of General Burgoyne's surrender to the commissioners in Paris. On the voyage over, two British prizes were captured. Ranger arrived at Nantes, France, on December 2, where Jones sold the prizes and delivered the news of the victory at Saratoga to ambassador Benjamin Franklin. On February 14, 1778, Ranger received a nine-gun salute to the new American flag, the "Stars and Stripes" from the ship of the line Robuste, under Lamotte-Picquet, at Quiberon Bay. This was the first salute from a warship and, the second to an American fighting vessel by a foreign power (the first salute was received by Andrew Doria when on November 16, 1776 she arrived at St. Eustatius and the Dutch island returned her 11-gun salute).[2]
Ranger sailed from Brest April 10, 1778, for the Irish Sea and four days later captured the brigantine "Dolphin" between the Scilly Isles and Cape Clear and scuttled it.[3] On 16 April, she took ship "Lord Chatham" 5 leagues from Cape Clear and sent her to Brest, France.[4] On the 19th sunk a Scottish coastal schooner in the Mull of Galloway.[5] On the 20th sunk a sloop.[6] Captain Jones led a raid on the English port of Whitehaven, April 23, spiking the guns of the fortress, but failing in his attempt to burn the ships in the harbor. Sailing across the bay to St. Mary's Isle, Scotland, the American captain planned to seize the Earl of Selkirk and hold him as a hostage and use him to make several political demands. However, since the Earl was absent, the plan failed. Several Royal Navy vessels were searching for Ranger, and Captain Jones sailed across the North Channel to Carrickfergus, Ireland, to induce HMS Drake of 14 guns, to come out and fight. Drake came out slowly against the wind and tide, and, after an hour's battle, the battered Drake struck her colors, with eight sailors being killed in action during the engagement on the 24th. Later on the same day she captured the brigantine "Patience".[7] Having made temporary repairs, and with a prize crew on Drake, Ranger continued around the west coast of Ireland, capturing a lone storeship, and arrived at Brest with her prizes on May 8.
Captain Jones was detached to command Bonhomme Richard, leaving Lieutenant Simpson, his first officer, in command. Ranger departed Brest on August 21, reaching Portsmouth, New Hampshire on October 15, in company with Providence and Boston, plus three prizes taken in the Atlantic.
The sloop departed Portsmouth on February 24, 1779 joining with the Continental Navy ships Queen of France and Warren in preying on British shipping in the North Atlantic. Seven prizes were captured early in April, and brought safely into port for sale. On 18 June, Ranger was underway again with Providence and Queen of France, capturing two Jamaicamen in July and nine more vessels off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Of the 11 prizes, three were recaptured, but the remaining eight, with their cargoes, were worth over a million dollars when sold in Boston.
Underway on November 23, Ranger was ordered to Commodore Whipple's squadron, arriving at Charleston on December 23, to support the garrison there under siege by the British. On January 24, 1780, Ranger and Providence, in a short cruise down the coast, captured three transports, loaded with supplies, near Tybee, Georgia. The British army tasked with capturing Charleston was also discovered in the area. Ranger and Providence sailed back to Charleston with the news. Shortly afterwards the British commenced the final push. Although the channel and harbor configuration made naval operations and support difficult, Ranger took a station in the Cooper River, and was captured when Charleston fell on 11 May 1780.
Royal Navy
[edit]Ranger was taken into the British Royal Navy and commissioned under the name HMS Halifax. She was decommissioned in Portsmouth, England, in 1781, then sold as a merchant vessel for about 3 percent of her original cost.[1]
Specifications
[edit]Ranger's specifications were:[1]
- Begun: January 11, 1777
- Launched: May 10, 1777, into the Piscataqua River
- Location: Rising Castle, now Badger's Island, Kittery, Maine
- Departed: November 1, 1777
- Builder: John Langdon
- Designer: James Hackett
- Yard Boss: Tobias Lear IV (father of Tobias Lear V, Secretary to President George Washington)
- Officers:
- John Paul Jones, Captain
- Thomas Simpson, Portsmouth, 1st Lt
- Elijah Hall, Portsmouth, 2nd Lt
- Samuel Wallingford, Lt of Marines
- Dr Ezrah Green, Dover, Surgeon
- Mr Joseph Frazer, Sr Officer of Marines
- Capt Matthew Parke
- Crew: 145 men including nearly half from Piscataqua area
- Cost: $65,000 Continental dollars
- Rating: Sloop of war
- Rigging: Square rigged on all three masts with royals, topgallant, and a full set of studding sails
- Arms: 18 nine-pounder guns
- Painting: Topside black with broad yellow stripe and masthead
- Dimensions: (Recorded by Royal Navy after capture)
- 97' 2" at gundeck (est. 110' overall)
- 77' 9" keel
- 27' 8" beam
- 12' depth of hold
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d The Importance of Ranger, J. Dennis Robinson
- ^ "Centre d'études stratégiques de la Marine - CESM". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ "NAVAL DOCUMENTS OF The American Revolution" (PDF). history.navy.mil. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ "NAVAL DOCUMENTS OF The American Revolution" (PDF). history.navy.mil. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- ^ "NAVAL DOCUMENTS OF The American Revolution" (PDF). history.navy.mil. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- ^ "NAVAL DOCUMENTS OF The American Revolution" (PDF). history.navy.mil. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- ^ "NAVAL DOCUMENTS OF The American Revolution" (PDF). history.navy.mil. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
External links
[edit]- Feld, Jonathan (2017), John Paul Jones's Locker: The Mutinous Men of the Continental Ship Ranger and the Confinement of Lieutenant Thomas Simpson, Washington, DC: Naval History and Heritage Command.
- John Paul Jones and the Ranger by J. Dennis Robinson