USS Warren ( 1775 ) The first USS " Warren " was a schooner that served in the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1776 . " Warren " was originally the fishing schooner " Hawk " , probably built at Marblehead , Massachusetts , and owned by John Twisdon at the time of her appraisal for naval service in the American Revolutionary War by Colonel Jonathan Glover and Edward Fettyplace on 12 October 1775 . Hurriedly fitted out as the fourth vessel of the fledgling seagoing force assembled by General George Washington to intercept British supply ships bound for Boston , Massachusetts , " Warren " was commissioned at Beverly , Massachusetts , late in October 1775 . Under the command of Captain Winborn Adams , the armed schooner sailed from Beverly on 31 October 1775 , on her maiden voyage under Continental colors . " Warren " cruised north of Cape Ann , Massachusetts , and captured a small wooden schooner before bagging a Boston - bound supply ship , the schooner " Rainbow " , around 27 November 1775 . " Warren " continued to cruise north of Cape Ann until she came across the brig " Sally " on 24 December 1775 . Bound from Lisbon , Portugal , to New York City with 153 quarter cask s of wine , " Sally " had been captured by the fifth - rate HMS " Niger " earlier in the month , placed under a prize crew , and ordered taken to Boston . " Warren " captured " Sally " and took her into Marblehead as a " Christmas present " for General Washington . After returning to port and undergoing repairs into January 1776 , " Warren " was placed under the command of William Burke . She set sail from Boston on 25 March 1776 to intercept a convoy of transports but was frustrated by the weather in her attempt to pick off any strays while sailing in company with the Continental 6 - gun schooner " Franklin " . The schooners then sailed their separate ways , with " Warren " going to the familiar waters north of Cape Ann . After another rent and recruiting new crewmen , " Warren " joined schooners " Lynch " and " Lee " in an attempt to get to sea on 27 May 1776 , but that day they could not slip past the British 28 - gun frigate HMS " Milford " patrolling outside Cape Ann harbor . When " Warren " did manage to get to sea , she scoured the waters of the bay near Cape Ann but did not score any successes that summer . In June 1776 , she tangled with the British troopship " Unity " , bound for Halifax , Nova Scotia , with Hessian troops embarked , but met with a hot reception from the troopers ' carriage guns and musket fire . While " Warren " was disengaging , some powder stored on her quarterdeck exploded , killing three and wounding seven . Returning to Beverly for repairs , " Warren " , still under the luckless Burke , put to sea again in late August 1776 to patrol the supply lanes between Nova Scotia and Boston . Before dawn on 26 August 1776 , " Warren " and " Lynch " encountered the British 28 - gun frigate HMS " Liverpool " patrolling . The two schooners separated to flee , and " Liverpool " chose to follow " Warren " . The ensuing engagement was one - sided , and " Liverpool " had little difficulty forcing " Warren " to strike her colors before noon . Burke and his crew were transferred to " Liverpool " , which kept " Warren " as a tender until 4 September 1776 . On that day , " Liverpool " rendezvoused with " Milford " off Cape Ann , transferred " Warren " s guns to " Milford " , and sent " Warren " to Halifax . Condemned by a British prize court , " Warren " subsequently served as a tender to " Milford " until " Warren " ran aground in a storm near Portsmouth , New Hampshire , and was destroyed in late December 1776 .