A Navy and Privateers Fight the British

By Albert E. Van Dusen

With Connecticut's strong seafaring tradition it is not surprising that the General Assembly in early July 1775 voted to equip and arm two vessels to patrol the Connecticut seacoast. Before the Revolution ended, thirteen vessels saw service in this navy. Several of these armed ships inflicted severe losses on the British.

The Oliver Cromwell, the state's largest full-rigged ship, was built at Essex in 1776-1777 by Uriah Hayden (1732-1808). Under Captain Seth Harding (1734-1814) she enjoyed a successful if brief service, capturing nine British vessels before finally being captured in June 1779 by three British vessels after a fierce battle.

The most successful state vessel, the Defence, on her first combat voyage in June 1776 under Captain Seth Harding, captured three British transports carrying 330 officers and men. Later under Captain Samuel Smedley (1753-1812) she cruised in the Atlantic from Newfoundland to the Caribbean, capturing thirteen British vessels before being shipwrecked near New London in March 1779. Altogether, the state fleet took over forty British prizes, many with valuable cargoes; protected Connecticut's coast; and reduced illicit trade.

Connecticut's most unusual vessel was a tiny submarine often called "Bushnell's (American) Turtle." Her designer, David Bushnell (1740-1824) of Saybrook, created a man-propelled submarine which looked like the upper shell of two turtles fastened together. She performed well in trials but failed against British warships.

With the powerful British navy largely preventing oceanic trade, hundreds of Connecticut ships lay idle. Some shipowners, therefore, decided to obtain a license for privateering. This involved arming an ordinary merchantman and trying to capture English trading vessels. The state took one-half the net proceeds of a prize, with the owner(s), captain, and crew sharing the other half. Connecticut sent out between 200 and 300 privateers, with New London the leading base. A particularly successful privateer was the American Revenue, owned by Nathaniel Shaw and Company of New London, which captured thirteen prizes between 1777 and 1779 before being captured. In 1781 the brig Minerva brought into New London the Hannah with a cargo worth £80,000 the largest prize of the war. Arnold's attack on New London in September 1781 was designed partly to destroy privateers in the harbor. During the war Connecticut's privateers took nearly 500 English vessels and greatly interfered with British operations along the Atlantic coast.

For Further Reading

Middlebrook, Louis F. History of Maritime Connecticut During the American Revolution, 1775-1783. Salem, Massachusetts, 1925.

* Entry under revision.