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<p>You knew this was coming: :D</p>
<p>The 13 Colonies, having declared their Independence, had only 31 ships comprising the Continental Navy. To add to this, they issued Letters of Marque to privately owned, armed merchant ships and Commissions for privateers, which were outfitted as warships to prey on enemy merchant ships. Merchant seamen who manned these ships contributed to the very birth and founding of our Republic.</p>
<p>The Patriots of Maine Fight at Sea</p>
<p>News of the April 1775 battles at Concord and Lexington reached Machias, Maine just as citizens were anxiously awaiting long-needed supplies from Boston. When the Unity and Polly carrying these supplies arrived, they were accompanied by the British armed schooner Margaretta, under the command of Lieutenant Moore. The escort’s job was to see that in exchange for supplies, lumber was taken back to Boston to build barracks for British soldiers.</p>
<p>The British demanded all citizens sign a petition promising to protect British property at all times in exchange for the right to buy supplies. Since many citizens were opposed to aiding the British war effort, they were angered by this.</p>
<p>They decided to strip the two sloops of the supplies and at the same time to capture Captain Ichabod Jones, Lieutenant Moore and his officers after they attended church services. The British fled on the Margaretta as patriots lined the shore demanding she “Surrender to America!” The reply they heard was, “Fire and be damned!”</p>
<p>Jeremiah O’Brien
Forty men, armed with guns, swords, axes, and pitchforks, headed by Jeremiah O’Brien, on the sloop Unity and twenty men under the command of Benjamin Foster on a small schooner pursued the Margaretta. During the chase they put up planks and other objects to defend themselves against the Margaretta’s cannon.</p>
<p>On June 12, 1775, near Round Island on Machias Bay the patriots crashed into the Margaretta and engaged in hand to hand combat. The British crew was disheartened when their captain was mortally wounded and lost the one hour long battle. 25 of the combatants were killed or wounded. The victors claimed “four double fortifyed three pounders and fourteen swivels” and some smaller guns.</p>
<p>This was considered the first sea engagement of the Revolution and the start of the merchant marine’s war role.</p>
<p>As captain of the privateer Machias Liberty, Jeremiah O’Brien later captured two armed British schooners and delivered his prisoners to George Washington. On the General’s recommendation, the government of Massachusetts appointed O’Brien to command his two prizes.</p>
<p>Because of British policy regarding import of gunpowder, the colonists did not have enough to repel the third British charge at Bunker Hill. A survey by George Washington at the time showed army stockpiles were sufficient for 9 rounds per man. By 1777, the privateers and merchantmen brought in over 2 million pounds of gunpowder and saltpeter. A typical New England privateer carried two or three African-Americans who had long found employment in the fishing industry. The General Putnam from New London, Connecticut, had 4 blacks on board; the Aurora had 3. In Salem, Massachusetts, Titus, a slave owned by Mrs. John Cabot, ran a successful business recruiting blacks as privateers.</p>
<p>Privateer John Manley captured the Nancy, supplying the American army with 2,000 muskets, 31 tons of musket shot, 7,000 round-shot for cannon, and other ammunition. Captain Jonathan Haraden from Salem, Massachusetts, who captured 1,000 British cannon, was considered one of the best sea-fighters, successfully taking on three armed British ships at the same time. Privateers captured countless British reinforcements and over 10,000 seamen, keeping them out of the British Navy.</p>
<p>In 1777 George Washington’s armies totaled about 11,000 men. At the same time there were 11,000 privateers at sea intercepting British shipping in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and even between Ireland and England.</p>
<p>Oh, and have I ever mentioned that John Paul Jones was a Merchant Mariner before he was the father of the US Navy? ;)</p>