American colonial marines The historical battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts sparked the beginning of the American War for Independence on 19 April 1775 ; soon after , the rest of the thirteen American colonies were pulled into the conflict . Many of the leaders in the rebellion recognized that a naval engagement against the British was the primary option to prevent the British from restoring Crown rule by military occupation . Arnold ' s flotilla . On 9 May 1775 , sailors and mariner - militiamen aboard a flotilla under the command of Colonel Benedict Arnold captured a British sloop - of - war on Lake Champlain . The ship was renamed " Liberty " to honor the patriot cause . Two days later on 11 May , " Liberty " collaborates in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga from the British . Then on 18 May , Benedict ' s forces captured another British sloop " George " , and renamed it the " Interprise . " The new ship was reinforced with 18 Massachusetts militiamen , serving as marines ; first known officer listed on the payroll , was Lt . James Watson . The first recorded narrative of American marines were described during when the Connecticut Committee Public Safety sent £500 to Colonel Arnold in late - May , the shipment was escorted by eight colonial marines ; although they were actually seamen . They are often referred to as the " Original Eight " . From 11 – 13 October 1776 , the colonial marines attached to Arnold ' s fleet participated in the battle for Valcour Island . Although defeated in the Lake Champlain assault , they delayed a British invasion until the following year . Washington ' s fleet . The 2nd Continental Congress passed a resolution on 10 June 1775 , in creating the Continental Army from all the available colonial forces and militias around Boston ; they appointed George Washington , a Congressman of Virginia , as the Commanding General of the Continental Army . It was vital for General Washington ' s army to seize Boston , to help interdict the Royal Navy ' s flow of supplies and reinforcement of troops to the British . Under - equipped and extremely lacking gunpowder and supplies ; Washington greatly depended in supplying his force from the surrounding colonial armies and navies , and from any cache that came from captured British ships of provision and matériel values . By mid - August 1775 , General Washington formed his own " maritime fleet " due to the limitations of funding and resources from the Continental Congress . On 24 August , he provided a schooner into service , " Hannah " , to interdict any British ships in the Massachusetts Bay . " Hannah " became the first American - built ship in the fleet , also becoming the founding vessel of the United States Navy . Following , Washington relied on the 14th Continental Regiment , or " Marblehead Regiment " , consisting of a militia of skilled mariner s throughout New England , in providing him a naval assault force for the upcoming siege in the Lake Champlain area . Other ships including later in his fleet manned by his regiment were schooners " Harrison " , " Franklin " , " Hancock " , " Lee " , and " Warren " . Capt . Nicholas Broughton sailed " Hannah " off the coast of Massachusetts on 7 September and recaptured the British sloop " HMS Unity " . On 10 October , the sailors and marines of the Marblehead Regiment helped in the battle between " Hannah " and the British sloop " HMS Nautilus " in the harbor of Beverly , Massachusetts . The " Hannah " was grounded by her captain in order to remove her powder and armaments to prevent their capture by the British . By 5 November 1775 , Washington ' s regimental of marines aboard " Harrison " participated in the capture of the British supply vessels " HMS Polly " and " HMS Industry " off of the coast of Boston , Massachusetts . Two days later on 7 November , " Lee " recaptured the British sloop " HMS Ranger " in the Massachusetts Bay . Washington ' s Marblehead Regiment aboard " Hancock " and " Franklin " made an unopposed landing at Charlottetown , Prince Edward Island on 17 November 1775 . Three days later , they expedited to Nova Scotia and raided Canso Harbor . The marines aboard " Harrison " , accompanied by " Harrison " , participated in her fight against three British warship s in Boston Harbor on 24 November 1775 . Two British frigates captured the patriot ship " Washington " on 3 December ; amongst the crew , its sailors and marines were taken prisoner . On 27 November 1775 , " Lee " played their part in capturing a sloop off the New England coast . There after the next several weeks , these marines captured countless enemy British ships off the coast of Boston . A company of Washington ' s Fleet ( along with his " Marblehead " Regiment ) aboard " Franklin " , commanded by Captain James Mugford of Commodore John Manly ' s ( Continental Navy ) squadron , captured the British transport " HMS Hope " on 17 May 1775 . The ship was stocked with one thousand carbine s and 75 - ton of gunpowder . On June 16 , Washington ' s Fleet intercepted captured two British troopships , in attempting to reinforce Boston , which the British Army had abandoned prior their arrival . In the Atlantic on 7 June , the frigates " Hancock " and " Boston " , along with their Marines , capture the British frigate " HMS Fox " . State navies . During the Revolutionary War , eleven out of thirteen colonies that had institutionalized a state navy also designated a crew of marines . The state marines served mainly on coastal defense vessels , mostly recruited from state militias . Connecticut . In July 1775 , the marines in the sloop " Spy " , from the Connecticut Navy , participated in the capture of the 250 - ton British Tory brig " HMS Nancy " . In October , the Connecticut Marines aboard " Spy " assisted in the capture of a large British ship . The Connecticut Navy ship " Defence " and her Marines capture the British ship " HMS Grog " . On 15 April 1778 , Marines participate in the actions in which Connecticut ' s Navy ships " Oliver Cromwell " and " Defense " capture the British letters - of - marque " HMS Admiral Keppel " and " HMS Cyrus " . Massachusetts . In July 1779 , the Massachusetts marines ( of the Massachusetts Navy ) and the Continental Marines — under command of expeditionary Continental naval captain Dudley Saltonstall — participated in an expedition to Penobscot Bay to besiege the British army forces , fortifications , and their and warships . On 26 July , the landing force assaulted Nautilus Island ( Banks Island ) against a British stronghold of cannons , an artillery battery . Outnumbered , the British forces surrendered . Two days later , the American sailors and marines alike engaged in their failed effort against the British positions on Bagaduce Peninsula . Pennsylvania . Pennsylvania Committee of Public established a state navy , the Pennsylvania Navy , to protect the Delaware River and the its avenue of approaches . On 27 May , the marines of the Pennsylvania Navy employed row galley s to drive off two British warships in the Delaware River . On 8 March 1777 , the British frigate " HMS Levant " defeats the Pennsylvania Navy ship " Montgomery " and her Marines . Marines join the crewman of two armed barges in capturing two British supply ships in the Delaware River on 7 March 1778 . The barges also supported General Anthony Wayne ' s brigade as it wandered around New Jersey in search of provisions for Washington ' s army at Valley Forge . Rhode Island . On 15 June 1775 , sailors and marines of the Rhode Island Navy became the first " American navy " when the Rhode Island General Assembly commissioned two ships , the sloop " Katy " , and " Washington " , a schooner ; and appointed Abraham Whipple as Commodore . That same day he voyaged out to sea and encountered the " HMS Rose " , which Whipple and his men eventually captured British frigate when they forced it aground . It became the first naval engagement of the American Revolution . Momentarily , Whipple ' s sloop , " Katy " , was taken over by the Continental Congress , whose sought a ' national naval force ' ; it was later renamed and reclassified as the sloop - of - war , " Providence " . South Carolina . On 11 November 1775 , militiamen and mariners of the South Carolina Navy aboard " Defense " participated in the action against the British ships " HMS Tamar " and " HMS Cherokee " at Charleston . Virginia . Commodore James Barron was in command of the Virginia Navy during the Revolutionary War . References . Journals of the American Congress