The Final Three Frigates
By the act of the Continental Congress authorizing the first 13 frigates of the Continental Navy, Boston, Congress, and Delaware were supposed to be the smallest, at least in terms of armament, of the new ships. They were supposed to carry twenty-four 12-pounders and, like the other 10, be built in different yards.
Time was of the essence if the Continental Navy was to have any influence on the war. If in the Royal Navy, these three frigates, like the other 10, would have been classified as sixth-rated-ships of the line. In the Royal Navy, small frigates like these were tasked with convoy escort, scouting, counter-piracy/privateer operations, and blockade duty.
In the minds of the men who authorized the 13 frigates, their primary role was to slip out of the ports where they were based and take prizes. The goal was to disrupt British commerce and divert Royal Navy ships from blockading U.S. ports. As a result, they were designed to be fast and maneuverable.
One of these frigates, Congress, never took to sea. While being built in Poughkeepsie, NY, the British captured New York. Lancaster Burling’s yard was roughly 38 miles up the Hudson River from the Atlantic Ocean and would never survive the gauntlet of British fortifications along the Hudson. To prevent its capture, the partially built frigate was torched in October 1777.
Boston was launched in June 1776 by its builder, the Cross Shipyard in Newburyport, MA. Fitted out with 30 guns – five 12-pounders, nineteen 9-pounders, two 6-pounders and four 4-pounders – Boston set sail with Hancock in May 1777. The ships captured three prizes, one of which was H.M.S. Fox, 28 guns.
Then, in an action on July 7th and 8th, Boston and Hancock engaged three British ships – the frigate H.M.S. Flora,26 guns, the brig H.M.S. Victor, 10 guns, and H.M.S. Rainbow, a 44-gun frigate converted to a troopship. In the action, the Royal Navy took Hancock and recaptured Fox. Boston managed to escape, but its captain, Hector McNeill, was court-martialed and relieved of his command for not joining the fight.
Boston’s new commander was Samuel Tucker. Besides capturing several prizes, he was tasked with taking John Adams to France to join Benjamin Franklin and his delegation. Tucker’s next assignment was to join the squadron that was to defend Charleston.
When Charleston surrendered, the British captured Boston and renamed it H.M.S. Charlestown. Under British command, the frigate took several American privateers and joined a squadron escorting 13 British merchant ships off Nova Scotia, defeating the French Navy frigates La Perouse and Hermione when they attacked the convoy. In 1783, with the war over, H.M.S. Charlestown was sold.
Delaware served in the Continental, Royal, and French Navies before being converted into an armed whaler and then, ultimately, a French privateer. Built in Philadelphia by Warwick Coates, the frigate was launched in 1777. While attempting to bombard British Army fortifications, Delaware ran aground and, under fire from the shore, her captain hauled down his colors.
Refloated by the British and as H.M.S. Delaware, Royal Navy captains used the frigate’s excellent sailing qualities to capture American privateers and escort British convoys. Once the peace treaty was signed, the ship was sold for £300 to Mary Hayley, a wealthy English ship owner. She converted Delaware into an armed whaler and renamed it United States.
After two cruises to the Falklands, Hayley sold United States to a French ship owner, Brothers DeBauque in 1786. Records show the ship was sailed under the name of Dauphin and made cruises to Brazil and the Falklands. In 1788, the ship was sold again to another French whaling firm and made several successful whaling cruises to the South Atlantic, bringing back thousands of barrels of whale oil.
In 1794, Dauphin arrived in Charleston, SC, where its owner sold it to Jean Bouteille, who began converting the ship into a privateer. With the work completed in March 1795, Dauphin left Charleston, headed for Haiti, and was never heard from again.
1962 Rod Claudius painting of Continental Frigate Boston.