Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-10
FIRST NAVAL VESSEL.
Story of Her Building and Her
Fate

our first warships furnish an interesting
and glorious chapter said one of the oldest
officials of the Navy Department. 80 much
mas been printed about our new war vessels
that the frail crafts built by the United
Colonies In 1175 have been entirely over
looked The very first provision for a truly
national navy was made in October, 1775,
when Congress authorized the purchase and
fitting out Of four small vessels for the de-
tense of the Delaware. 1t Is true however
that at the commencement of the war Of
the revolution each colony, acting inde-
pendently, fitted out number of small
armed vessels to prey upon British COM
merce. and history says that they did good
service throughout the war as prvateers,
but were never part of the national forces.
were never commanded by naval officers,
nor did they fly the national ensign. After
the first provision was made by Congress
for a national naval force it did not take
long to have the four vessels ready nor
was 1t long before it was shown that the
vessels were entirely Inadequate and Com
gress passed a bill authorizing the con-
struction of thirteen vessels carrying from
twenty-four to thrty-four guns. Such was
the authority for the first battle ships Of
the country. They We're to be named the
Washington, Raleigh, Hancock, Randolph,
Warren, Virginia, Trumbull, Efingham.
Congress, Providence, Boston, Delaware and
that they were to be laid down in the COLO
MES of New England, New York, Pennsyl-
vania and Maryland
building a ship was by no means the
task that 1t is today, and in three months
after the passage of the act, III the spring
of 1116 the Randolph, the first of the thir-
teen, was launched from the banks of the
Della aware, somewhere near the site OF kea-
sington.
Delays in the armament and equipment
OF the Randolph caused hold up until
early in the year 1777, when she finally
sailed from the Capes of the Delaware,
under the command of Capt. Nicholas Bid
die of Philadelphia. who had previously
been in the seryice of the colony navy Of
Pennsylvania where he had rendered such
efficient service that he had been among
the original five captains named by Com
gress for the regular navy by act of De-
cember, 1775. Capt. Bidde headed the Ran
dolph southwark in search of the enemy's
vessels. He made several prizes, carrying
them safely into Charleston, S. c., and so
fired the people Of that colony by his au-
dacity, courage and success that they
promptly fitted out a squadron Of small YES
sells to act against the enemy in that vi
entity and placed them at Capt. Biddle's
disposal. With the Randolph as flagship he
made several cruises along the coast and to
the Bahama banks sending in prize after
prize OF transports, merchant vessels and
smaller cruisers of the enemy. On the
night of the It'll of March, 177S his little
squadron. being then twenty days out from
Charleston, and some 200 miles off the coast.
fell In with the enemy's Sixty-four-guu
frigate Yarmouth. The Randolph received
the full force Of the enemy's fire, and after
a hard engagement Of more than a half
hour she 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. Such was
the end Of our first vessel and such was the
fate Of her brave commander. He was only
twenty-eight years old at the time Of his
death, but he made In his brief span of life
a name for enterprise, courage, audacity
down in the annals Of our naval history as
one Of the bravest of the brave and 1t will
last through all time. The Randolph, though
one of the largest vessels authorized by the
act Of IT'S. was rated only as a thirty-two-
gun frigate. She was probably Of about
600 tons burden, 100 to 100 feet long, % to
30 feet beam and drew about IL feet OF
water. Her armament was Of nine and six
FOUNDERS, mounted on a single uncovered
deck. and with poop and topgallant fore
castle and crew of $50 men. She was Of
the type Of battle ship 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 signaliy attests No record
can be found of the other officers of the
Randolph Only six of the thirteen vessels )
got to sea at all. and all were sooner or ;
later destroyed. AT the close OF the war, In
f7S8, an act OF Congress abolishea the navy,
but there were none OF the thirteen vessels !.
TO be disposed OF.