|
History
|
United States
|
Name
| USS
Hancock
|
Namesake
| John Hancock
|
Acquired
| October 1775
|
Fate
| Returned to owner, 1777
|
General characteristics
|
Type
| Schooner
|
Tons burthen
| 72 (
bm
)
|
Length
| 60 ft (18.3 m)
|
Beam
| 20 ft (6.1 m)
|
Propulsion
| Sails
|
Complement
| 70 officers and enlisted
|
Armament
| 6 × 4-pounder guns
|
Service record
|
Part of:
|
Continental Navy
|
Commanders:
|
|
The first
USS
Hancock
was an armed
schooner
under the
Continental Army
during the
American Revolutionary War
. She was named for patriot and presiding officer of the
Continental Congress
,
John Hancock
. Congress returned her to her owner in 1777 after deeming the vessel to be unsuitable for the new
Continental Navy
.
Career
[
edit
]
Hancock
was the former schooner
Speedwell
, owned by a merchant, Mr. Thomas Grant, of
Marblehead, Massachusetts
. In October 1775, Grant offered the use of his ship for a small fleet being fitted out to prey upon British supply ships and support General
George Washington
's siege of
Boston, Massachusetts
. This fleet, the first under Continental pay and control, came to be called "George Washington's Navy."
In October 1775,
Hancock
(not the
Lynch
[1]
), under the command of
Nicholson Broughton
, and her sister ship
Franklin
were ordered to intercept two British
brigs
as they arrived in the
St. Lawrence River
from England. But the two schooners instead sought easier quarry off
Cape Canso
where five prizes of dubious legality were taken. They also
raided Charlottetown
without regard to orders to respect
Canadian
property. The story of their illegal actions reached General Washington; he had both Broughton and the captain of
Franklin
expelled from the navy and returned the captured ships and their cargoes with the proper apologies.
On 1 January 1776, Captain
John Manley
of the
Continental Army
was appointed
Commodore
of the Fleet and chose
Hancock
to serve as his flagship. She captured two enemy transports on 25 January 1776, fending off an eight-gun British schooner in a brisk engagement while Manley's prize crews were able to sail the captured ships into the safety of
Plymouth Harbor
.
[2]
On 30 January 1776, the 14-gun British brig HMS
Hope
, which had sailed from Boston for the express purpose of either capturing or sinking
Hancock
, intercepted her off Plymouth. Manley ran
Hancock
ashore where it became impossible for
Hope
, with her deeper draft, to continue the pursuit. The Americans later refloated
Hancock
and she went on to capture several more prizes in joint operations with the squadron by April 1776, when Captain
Samuel Tucker
relieved Commodore Manley and assumed command of
Hancock
. Manley was transferred to the Continental Navy where he commanded the newly built
USS
Hancock
.
Hancock
'
s last recorded action was the capture of two brigs off the coast of Boston on 7 May 1776. She continued to cruise under Tucker until declared unfit for service late in 1776. She was released back into her owner's custody early the following year; the ultimate fate of
Hancock
is unknown.
See also
[
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Citations
[
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References
[
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]