South Carolina Navy A South Carolina Navy has been formed twice by the State of South Carolina . The first time was during the American Revolutionary War , in which the state purchased and outfitted armed vessels independent of the Continental Navy . The second time was during the American Civil War , when its navy was also distinct from the Confederate States Navy . American Revolutionary War . South Carolina ' s first naval actions of the American Revolutionary War occurred in July 1775 , when the province ' s hired two captains to assist Georgia in the capture of British ships carrying arms and gunpowder . That month the council also hired a ship , the " Commerce " , for the purpose of acquiring gunpowder that the British had stored at Nassau in the Bahamas . She was outfitted for this purpose , but word of the anticipated arrival of British ships carrying arms and gunpowder at Savannah , Georgia prompted her to be used to capture those ships instead . These activities netted the colonial cause more than 25 , 000 pounds of gunpowder . In October 1775 , the council acquired the schooner " Defence " , and hired Simon Tufts as her captain . After she had a brief exchange with British ships in Charleston harbor in November , the provincial congress voted to seize the " Prosper " to assist in driving the British ships away , and established a commission to oversee naval affairs . In December , a third ship , the " Comet " , was added to the fleet , and the council sent Robert Cochran to recruit experienced seamen in Massachusetts . As Boston was at the time under siege by George Washington ' s newly formed Continental Army , Massachusetts authorized him to recruit up to 300 men , provided he offered moderate wages so as to not compete with local needs . The provincial congress in eary 1776 authorized committees in other provincial ports to acquire ships and men for local defense , and fixed pay scales and ranks for state land and naval forces . In March 1776 the schooner " Peggy " entered the state service . In the following months the congress , now operating under a new constitution , passed laws establishing admiralty courts and providing for the appointment of ship captains . Captains were to be chosen by the legislature , with commissions issued by the state president . On October 8 the legislature established a Board of Naval Commissioners to oversee the state ' s naval affairs , including the purchase , outfitting , and manning of ships , and the management of its shipyards . This organizational structure survived until February 1780 , when the state legislature repealed all previously - established laws respecting the naval establishment . Throughout 1777 and 1778 the state acquired property for shipyards , and brought more ships into service . This activity picked up pace when the British captured Savannah late in 1778 , bringing the war closer to the state . When it became clear the British were going to make a second attempt on Charleston in 1780 , the state procured additional ships , and the naval defense of Charleston was passed to Continental Navy captain Abraham Whipple . Most of the state ' s ships were lost during the Siege of Charleston , and only a few small ships were commissioned after the tide of battle turned against the British in 1781 . One ship that survived the loss of Charleston was the frigate " South Carolina " , which was at sea at the time . Commodore Alexander Gillon had procured the " South Carolina " in Europe , which the state had ordered in March 1778 . Previously named " Indien " , she was chartered from the Chevalier de Luxembourg for a three - year period . The charter agreement provided that prize money was to be divided between the officers and crew ( ½ ) , South Carolina ( ¼ ) , and the Chevalier Luxembourg ( ¼ ) . On her way from Europe to South Carolina she captured several prizes , and she participated in the 1782 capturing of the Bahamas with the Spanish fleet . She was captured in December 1782 , and the financial terms Gillon agreed to concerning prize distribution and indemnification of the Chevalier de Luxembourg for its loss bedeviled the state ' s finances for years . Additionally , the Navy included frigates , " Rattlesnake " , " Bricole " , and " Truite " , 26 , the brig s " Notre Dame " , 16 , and " Comet " ; also " General Moultrie " , 20 . " Bricole " , " Truite " , " Notre Dame " and " General Moultrie " all participated in the defense of Charleston in early 1780 . " Bricole " was a flûte built by Jean - Joseph Ginoux and launched around 19 April 1764 . In September 1779 she sank in the Savannah River but was refloated . The next month the French ceded her to the South Carolina government . The South Carolinians wanted to convert her to a frigate of 44 guns , but then gave up the idea and made her a floating battery instead . As such she was armed with fourteen 12 - pounder guns on her lower deck and twenty - two 8 - pounder guns on her upper deck . In March 1780 she was sunk in front of Charleston , South Carolina to impede the entry of British naval vessels . " Truite " was a French vessel built to plans by Jean - Joseph Ginoux and built and launched at Le Havre on 9 May 1777 . The French transferred her to the South Carolina Navy in December 1779 . By March 1780 she was a frigate of 26 guns . She was sunk in the Copper River to prevent a British squadron from sailing up the river . American Civil War . Ships included " Lady Davis " , which later served in the Confederate States Navy as CSS " Lady Davis " .