HMS Rose ( 1757 ) HMS " Rose " was a 20 - gun sixth - rate post ship of the Royal Navy , built in Hull , England in 1757 . Her activities in suppressing smuggling in the colony of Rhode Island provoked the formation of what became the Continental Navy , precursor of the modern United States Navy . In the Seven Years ' War , " Rose " was in service in the Channel and in the Caribbean . She was briefly considered for service as Captain James Cook ' s vessel on his first exploration of the Pacific , but was rejected as unable to stow the quantity of provisions required for the planned circumnavigation of the globe . Instead she was sent to the North American station , en route to which she encountered Cook ' s ultimate choice of vessel , " HMS Endeavour " on September 12 , 1768 when the two ships anchored alongside each other at Funchal in the Madeira Islands . In 1774 , " Rose " , under the command of Sir James Wallace , was sent to Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island to put an end to the smuggling that had made Newport the fourth wealthiest city in America . Since the " Rose " was much larger than any American vessel of the time and Wallace was an effective commander , smuggling soon came almost to a standstill . This severely affected the economy of Newport . Rhode Island ' s merchants petitioned $ 3 to create a navy to deal with Wallace . They backed up their petitions with money by fitting out a merchant vessel for naval service . This vessel was commissioned as the sloop of war " Providence " , which became the first naval command of John Paul Jones . Rhode Island declared its independence from Britain on 4 May 1776 , two full months before the rest of the colonies . The petitioning of the Continental Congress to form a naval force to rid Narragansett Bay of the " Rose " was the impetus for the creation of the Continental Navy . In July 1776 , during the American Revolutionary War , the " Rose " played a large part in the British invasion of New York state , firing on fortifications and making forays far up the Hudson River . Wallace was knighted for his actions in helping to drive George Washington and his troops from the city of New York . She also patrolled the rest of the northeast coast of America , press ing sailors from merchant vessels and seeking out provisions for the British garrison at Boston . " Rose " finally met her end in 1779 in Savannah , Georgia . The British , who were occupying the city , scuttled the " Rose " in a narrow part of the channel , effectively blocking it . Consequently , the French fleet was unable to assist the American assault and Savannah remained in British hands until the war ' s end . After the war the " Rose " was destroyed to clear the channel . Only a few artefacts have been recovered by dredging over the years . HMS " Rose " replica . In 1970 a replica of HMS " Rose " , designed by Phil Bolger , was built in Lunenberg , Nova Scotia for an estimated $ 330 , 000 contract to the West India Packet Company ( John Millar ) . She was initially intended as a " dockside attraction , " used for display and later sail training until 2001 when she was purchased by Fox Studios , sailed to Southern California and altered to resemble HMS " Surprise " for the Peter Weir movie " " , based on the books by Patrick O ' Brian . The " Surprise " was also featured in " " as the ship of Hector Barbossa , the " Providence " . She is currently owned by the San Diego Maritime Museum . The museum ' s volunteer crew is giving her an extensive refit . She returned to the Maritime Museum in March 2007 to complete preparation for sailing .