The Irish standard., 1905-07-15
BARRY OR JONES
Martin l. j. Griffin Stoutly Up
holds the Claim
Thereto of Former as "Fathep
of American Navy"


In recent communication to the
Philadelphia Press Martin l. ]. Griffin
has the following to say upon the
question as to who should be named
Father of the American Navy:
To the Editor of The Press"
Sir:-In "The Press" recital of the
career and worth of John Paul Jones
you say of Jones: ''In ITS he was
named the senior first lieutenant Of
the brand new American navy. Every
schoolboy knows the brilliant exploits
which followed and which have made
the contest close as to whether he or
Commodore Barry should be named
The Father of the American Navy"
1t is an advance toward justice
when in the consideration of the ques.
ton it is conceded the contest is
CLOSE" 1t is because every school,
boy has been taught Jones and no
other naval officer of the Revolution
lAol JOACS 1CAlGlAo 4Cd11y Iuc Ou1y
naval commander of the United Col
onies known to most Americans. In
history, fiction, song and story his
name ever resounds. He is worthy Of
all honor and not an American in all
our great land or its outlaying pos
sessions would lessen his fame or de-
tract from the value of all he did to
establish our independence.
But those who knew Jones and no
other ought to be taught that others
did services equal in endeavor or
worth to that of Jones. None but he,
however, fought such remarkable
fight or had SO brilliant victory with
all the world, practically, witnessing
it as had Jones off Flambough Head,
on September 23, 1879. Take that one
action out and Jones in all probability
would have been as little known as
are other officers of the navy or
wholly unknown as some of them are.
If there be a contest" as to the
title of Father of the American Navy
| uphold the claim thereto of Com
modore John Barry
Jones started as lieutenant, you
rightly record. Barry was at Bristol
and Liverpool with his fine ship, the
Black Prince, owned by Willing and
Morris, when the battles of Lexington
and Bunker Hill were fought. In Sep
tember, 1775, he fastened home, sail
ing from London. He arrived here
October 13, 1775, the very day Con,
gress had ordered two armed cruisers
to be fitted out to capture supplies
going to the british army in Boston.
The Black Prince was purchased and
became the Alfred, the flagship of
Commodore Hopkins, in his eXpedi,
ton to New Providence, Bahama
Islands March 177G.
Barry was selected as captain OF
the Lexington, the fourteen-gun
cruiser, the very first appointment to
lIt NClS Ill st NSSSCl llulllcu ttlGCl LllC
first battlefield of the Revolution. He
did "shore duty also in aiding in all
naval matters and when the ice in the
Delaware and the smallpox among
the crews of vessels permitted lie
sailed southwark and on April Z, 1776,
captured the Edward and brought her
to Philadelphia, though the British
warship, The Roebuck, lay off Della
ware Bay to bar his exit and return.
The Edward was the first capture un-
der Continental authority and the first
prize brought to Congress. 1t aroused
the hearts of all patriots, even of
those who months before had ridi-
culed the idea of entering contest
on the sea, who thought it the mad
dest notion" to propose making seiz-
ures. Barry was the first under Con-
tinentul authority to prove the idea a
practical one.
So Barry was in at the start. He
was in independent command under
commission of December, Z, 1775. So
his name does not appear with
Lieutenant Jones and others on the
December % list. A page would not
suffice to tell of Barry's deeds during
the long eight years. Suffice 1t to
say, he was in continual service
always employed no commands were
taken from him and he left in idle
ness, as Jones was, who had ten cofn
mands taken from him and never
given, as he says, but one good vessel
the Ranger. Barry was never dis
trusted, was sent on the most import
ant commissions, such as to carry
Laurens and again Lafayette tc
France, to convey specie and often
with orders to take no prizes.
When serious, important work was
to be done Barry was always selected
to do it. Each change of command
was betterment until the Alliance
the best vessel the United Colonies
ever owned, was taken from the only
other real commander it ever had
Captain Landais, the erratic French
man, and was given Barry. 1t re
mained under his command until the
close of the war, when all the vessel:
of the Continental Navy were unde
Barry. He fought the last battle o