The morning call., 1891-01-05
COLONIAL WAR-SHIPS.
The Early History of the Navy
of the Revolution.
An Order for the Construction of Thirteen
Vessels Carrying From Twenty-four to
Thirty-two Guns Each.

NOW tnau our nTSL modern DaJtle-Snlp, the
Maine, has been launched, it may be inter-
esting to glance backward and recall some
of her predecessors. says the Philadelphia
Times. The early history of our navy Is
intimately associated with that of Phila-
delphia. AT the commencement of the war
of the revolution each colony. acting indie
pendently, lifted out number Of small
armed vessels to prey upon British COM
merce. They did good service throughout
the war as privateers, but were never part of
tine national forces, were never commanded
by naval officers, nor did they fly the ma
tional ensign. The first provision made for
truly national naval force was in October,
1775, when Congress authorized the pur-
chase and fitting-out of four small vessels
for the defense Of the Delaware. These
vessels were soon in order, but proved alto
gether inadequate, and on December 10,
1875, the Congress of the United Colonies,
then assembled in Philadelphia, passed a
bill authorizing the construction of thirteen
vessels carrying from twenty-four to thirty
two guns each.
Such was the authority Tor the first battle
ships OF the country, for these were to be
sea -going battleships of the period. though
small ones. Like the Maine, they repre-
sented the type, but in miniature.
They were to be named the Washington,
Raleigh, Hancock. Randolph, Warren, Vir-
ginia. Trumbull, bingham, Congress,
Providence, Boston. Delaware and Mont
gOmery-names, with one exception, now
obsolete i'll the service. Congress further
stipulated thai they were to be laid down in
the colonies of New England, New York,
| Pennsylvania and Maryland. and four, the
Washington, Delaware, Etfngham and
Randolph, were assigned as the quota Of
| Pennsylvania.
Building a ship was in those days by no
means the task it has grown to be to-day.
| and in three months, or early in the spring
| OF 1916. the first OF the thirteen, the Ran
! dolph, was launched from the banks of the
| Delaware, somewhere near the present site
| of Kensington. Reports have not been
| handed down to us of grand ceremonies on
| that occasion; thousands of threats did not
| yell themselves hoarse to greet her as she
| kissed the waves press reporters dld not nil
| columns in naming the notableS present, and
| yet IL was day OF infinite more apparent
cause of rejoicing than the more recent one,
| for with absolutely no navy at all, we were
| in the midst OF struggle Tor Independence
| from the foremost maritime country of the
| world.
Delays in her armament and equipments
detained the Randolph until early in the
year l777, when she finally sailed from the
| Cepes of the Delaware under the command
| of Captain Nicholas Biddle OF Philadelphia.
| Captain Biddle had been previously in the
| service of the Colonial navy of Pennsyl-
vania, where he had rendered such efficient
| service that he had been among the orig
| inal five captains named by Congress for the
| regular navy by act of December, 1775.
! Nominated 10 the fnurteen-gun brig Andrea
Doria, his services had been SO active in the
| Delaware that he was now promoted to
the Randolph. and became her fiual COM
| mander.
Sailing from the capes of the Delaware In
! the spring of 1777, he headed to the south
| ward in search of the enemys vessels. He
| mlnR carving them
| into Charleston, 5. g., and so fired the peo-
| pie of that colony by his audacity, courage
ana success that they promptly ntted out
| squadron Of small vessels to act against the
enemy in that vicinity and placed them at
Captain Biddle's disposal With the Ran
! dOlph as flagship he made several cruises
| along the coast and to the Bahama Banks,
sending in pliZe after prize OF transports,
merchant vessels and small cruisers Of the
| enemy.
On the night of the 7th of March, l77S,
| however, this little squadron, being then
twenly-eight days out from Charleston and
some two hundred miles of the coast, fell in
| with the enemy's SiXty-four-gun frigate Y ar
mouth. The smaller vessels being unable to
| engage, the Randolph received the full force
of the enemy's fire and after an engagement
/ lasting half an hour caught fire and blew up.
| Biddle refused to surrender and, though
severely wounded early in the action, fought
to the last and went down with his ship.
FIVE days afterward the Yarmouth. cruis-
| OF wreckage and picked up from it four
/ men. the only survivors from the Ran
| dolph. Such was the end of this gallant lit
tie ship and such the fate of hel brave com
| mander. He was only 2S years old at the
| time OF his death, but in that brief span of
life had made name for enterprise, courage,
| audacIty and perseverance that will be
| handed down in the annals of our naval his
tory through all time. The Randolph,
| though one Of the largest of the vessels au-
| thOrlZed by tile act of l775 was atpd onlv
| as 32-gun frigate. She was probably of
| about 600 tons burden, 100 TO 40 feet long
| % to 35 feet beam and drew about twelve
feet of water. Her armament was of nine
and six Founders, mounted on a single I'M
covered deck, with poop and topgallaut fore
castle, and her crew 100 men.
The Randolph was the type of battleship
Of the day, but small and Insignificant when
compared with the sixty-four, seventy-four
| and ninety gun line-of-battle ships she was
| liable to meet as her fate so signally attests.
| No record can be found Of the other officers
| OF the Randolph, but as she was fitted out
from Philadelphia. and as, in those DAYS.
the navy was more localized than at pres
emf IL IS lar 10 presume that many, if not
all OF these, as well as the crew, were from
| that city.
OF the other vessels to be built by the col
ony OF Pennsylvania, the bingham and
Delaware were never launched and fell into
the hands OF the enemy and were destroyed
| by them on their occupation of Philadel-
phia. The Washington was launched while
awaiting her armament off the site of the
present navy-yard was burned by our own
people at the approach OF the enemy. Only
SIX OF the thirteen vessels got to seat at ALL
and OF these none could show finer record
than that Of the Randolph, under the GAL
liant Biddle. All, sooner or later, were cap
tured or destroyed, and at the close of the
war. IN 1888, when by act of Congress the
navy was absolutely abolished. none of these
IN A. mad IN ha lie M, Cnh of