USS Revenge ( 1777 ) The second USS " Revenge " was a Cutter in the Continental Navy and later a privateer . " Revenge " was purchased at Dunkirk , France , for Continental service in the spring or summer of 1777 by William Hodge , an agent of the American commissioners to France , Benjamin Franklin and Silas Deane . The British Ambassador to Paris complained that the ship had been fitted in a French ( and supposedly neutral ) port ; but Hodge circumvented the diplomatic objection by a feigned sale of the cutter to an English subject , Richard Allen . " Revenge " departed Dunkirk , on 17 July 1777 , ostensibly for Bergen , Norway ; but , as soon as she was at sea , Captain Gustavus Conyngham , the " Dunkirk Pirate " who had recently preyed upon British shipping in " Surprise " , took command ; hoisted Continental colors ; and headed for the North Sea . Four days later " Revenge " captured a large schooner , the " Happy Return " ; and , on the 23rd , made a prize of the brig " Maria " . Since British warships were nearby and threatening during both captures , Conyngham burned the prizes . Brig " Patty " was brought to on the 25th and ransomed . These Continental successes , so close to the shores of England , sent London insurance rates skyrocketing and inhibited British trade . On the 26th , " Revenge " stopped " Northampton " ; but that brig was recaptured before she could reach port for condemnation proceedings . For two months Revenge remained at sea cruising off north - western Europe and the British Isles before she put in at Kinehead on the northwestern coast of Ireland to repair her bowsprit and to replenish her casks of fresh water . Conyngham , who had been sending his prizes to ports in Spain , now himself headed for the Bay of Biscay , putting in at Ferrol . In the coming months , " Revenge " made several cruises from Spanish ports and captured many prizes . On one of the cruises , Conyngham transited the Straits of Gibraltar and operated in the Mediterranean Sea ; and , on another , he sailed to the Azores and the Canary Islands . But , word of the cutter ' s great success reached British ears and the Admiralty ordered English warships to find and destroy her . Moreover , as " Revenge ' s " fame spread , British diplomatic pressure was brought to bear on the Spanish court to bar her from Spanish ports . Conyngham quietly refitted the ship in a small Spanish port and sailed for the West Indies on 1 September 1778 . Upon reaching Martinique , " Revenge " had captured 60 British vessels , destroying 33 and sending 27 to port as prizes . A cruise in the Caribbean added several other ships , including two British privateer s , to her score before " Revenge " arrived at Philadelphia , Pennsylvania on 21 February 1779 , laden with arms and munitions for the Continental Army in South Carolina . The cutter was sold at public auction by an act of Congress of 12 March 1779 . Soon after the sale to a firm of Philadelphia merchants for service as a privateer , " Revenge " operated briefly under charter protecting shipping on the Delaware River . The cutter sailed from the Delaware Capes in April , in quest for prizes . Conyngham was again the " Revenge ' s " commander and , now , her part owner . However , luck had changed for the ship . While chasing two privateers off the New York coast , " Revenge " was taken by British man of war , on 27 April 1779 .