Massachusetts ship Tyrannicide ( 1776 ) Tyrannicide was a 14 - gun brigantine - rigged sloop of the Massachusetts State Navy . The ship was built for the American Revolutionary War and participated in commerce raiding until destroyed in the Penobscot expedition . John Fisk . Captain John Fisk ( born in Salem 10 April 1744 ) was the first commanding officer , Jonathan Haraden of Gloucester was First Lieutenant , and Joseph Stockman was 2nd Lieutenant . " Tyrannicide " sailed from the Salisbury , Massachusetts , shipyard on 8 July 1776 and returned to Salem , Massachusetts 17 July after capturing the sloop HMS " Dispatch " on 12 July following a 90 - minute engagement at 41° 26 ′ N , 65° 50 ′ W . " Dispatch " mounted 8 carriage guns and 12 swivel guns with a crew of 31 men . The armed ship " Glasgow " , the brig " Saint John " and the schooner " Three Brothers " were captured during an August 1776 cruise between Cape Sable and Nantucket . " Tyrannicide " narrowly avoided capture by a British frigate which retook a fourth prize . " Tyrannicide " was re - rigged from schooner to brigantine prior to embarking on a cruise to the West Indies on 29 October 1776 . " Tyrannicide " captured the snow " Ann " , the brig " Henry and Ann " , the 140 - ton snow " John " , and the 100 - ton brig " Three Friends " before returning to Massachusetts on 14 February 1777 . Jonathan Haraden . First Lieutenant Jonathan Haraden was promoted to command " Tyrannicide " when Captain Fisk assumed command of the brig " Massachusetts " . The two ships sailed together for the coast of Europe on 24 March 1777 . They captured the brig " Eagle " , the snow " Sally " out of London with a cargo of English goods for Quebec , and then on 2 April " Chalkley " out of Honduras bound for Bristol with a cargo of mahogany at 41° 30 ′ N , 45° W . On 8 April " Tyrannicide " captured the 500 - ton barque " Lonsdale " after a three - hour engagement at 35° W . " Massachusetts " and " Tyrannicide " cooperated in the 22 April capture of a brig straggling from a British convoy at 48° N , 16° W . " Tyrannicide " captured the 160 - ton brig " Trepassy " on 30 April , but became separated from " Massachusetts " while being chased by a superior British squadron on 17 May . " Tyrannicide " escaped to Bilbao , Spain after throwing guns and stores overboard to lighten the ship , and returned to Boston on 30 August 1777 . " Tyrannicide " sailed with " Hazard " on 21 November 1777 and captured the 130 ton brig " Alexander " on 13 December . " Alexander " was out of Halifax with a cargo of fish , oil , lumber and staves bound for the West Indies . The prize was retaken by HMS " Yarmouth " on 22 January 1778 off Barbadoes . " Tyrannicide " captured the schooner " Good Intent " on 22 December and the brig " Polly " ( both out of Newfoundland with cargoes of fish and hoops ) and then the snow " Swift " with a cargo of flour out of Bristol . " Tyrannicide " left the West Indies on 30 March 1778 and returned to Boston in May . John Allen Hallet . " Tyrannicide " next sailed on 10 July 1778 under the command of John Allen Hallet . On 29 September 1778 she captured the privateer brig " Juno " . After avoiding damage in a 9 March 1779 gale , she captured the 14 - gun privateer " Revenge " on 31 March at 28° N , 68° W . " Revenge " mounted fourteen 4 and 6 pdr carriage guns and two swivel guns with a crew of 60 . " Tyrannicide " captured two more prizes before returning to Boston on 25 April 1779 . John Cathcart . John Cathcart assumed command of " Tyrannicide " on 1 May 1779 . She was part of the Penobscot Expedition sailing from Boston on 24 July . With the other ships of the expedition , she was burned at Bangor , Maine on 14 August 1779 after retreating up the Penobscot River to avoid capture by a superior British fleet .