At a Convention of delegates and representatives of the counties and
corporations of the Colony of Virginia on July 17, 1775, there was
established a Committee of Safety consisting of ten prominent men for
putting into execution the ordinances and resolutions of the
Convention. That committee was authorized to provide as many armed
vessels as they judged necessary for the protection of the Colony in
the war that seemed to threaten. Advertisements for ship-carpenters
and other operatives were made, and every inducement held out to them
in order that the building of vessels might immediately commence.
Between December, 1775, and July, 1776, the Committee established a
small navy by purchase of several armed, schooner-rigged vessels from
the owners of the merchant fleet; and contracts were made for a number
of galleys to be constructed on the different rivers of the Colony.
The Potomac was to be protected by the construction of two row-galleys
and the purchase of three boats. George Minter was elected master of a
row-galley to be built on the James River under the direction of
Colonel Cary. He was requested to recommend proper persons to be mate,
two midshipmen, gunner, and to enlist forty seamen.
John Herbert, a master shipbuilder, was employed to engage any number
of ship-carpenters that he could procure upon reasonable terms, and to
examine such places upon the James River or its branches as he thought
proper and convenient for erecting shipyards, and to report to the
Committee.
Caleb Herbert was retained as the master builder of a shipyard on the
Rappahannock River, and Reuben Herbert for such a yard on York River.
Each of them was desired as soon as possible to engage a proper number
of workmen for building two row-galleys to be employed in the two
rivers to transport troops. It was recommended that a committee at
Norfolk engage a proper person to take direction and employ a number
of ship-carpenters for at least a year, to build vessels for the
Colony.
George Mason, in a letter to George Washington on April 12, 1776,
mentioned that he had under his charge two row-galleys of 40 or 50
tons burden, each to mount light guns, three and four pounders; and
the sloop, _American Congress_, a fine stout vessel of 110 tons
burden, mounting fourteen carriage guns, four and six pounders, and
was considering mounting two 9-pounders upon her main boom.
On June 6, 1776, the Committee of Safety appointed Christopher Calvert
to superintend the building of two row-galleys for the protection of
Virginia and North Carolina, to engage a master workman and as many
men as he should need to work expeditiously. The two vessels,
_Caswell_ and _Washington_, were built at the South Quay Shipyard
on the Blackwater River near the North Carolina line. A North Carolina
sloop had been seized in Ocracoke Inlet in April, 1776. Sometime
later, a warrant for £100 was issued to Argyle Herbert for the use of
Captain Calvert upon account to pay the carpenters employed on his
galley.
At the convention of delegates held at the Capitol in Williamsburg on
May 6, 1776, resolutions were passed dissolving the Government from
Great Britain, establishing Virginia as a Commonwealth or State. A
Board of Navy Commissioners composed of five members was appointed to
superintend and direct all matters relating to the Navy. Their
peculiar duties were defined as follows: To superintend and direct the
building and repairing of all vessels; provide the necessary outfits,
ordnance, provisions and naval stores; control the public rope walks;
erect dockyards; contract for and provide all timber necessary for
building purposes; and supervise the shipyards.
On September 12, 1776, this Commission was requested to engage the
proper persons for building "in the most expeditious manner", 30 boats
for the transportation of troops on the rivers, each boat to be the
proper size for carrying a complete company of 68 men with their arms
and baggage. Those were small boats without masts but broad and strong
enough to transport troops across rivers and to carry from point to
point large quantities of ammunition and provisions as they were
required. The small boats had been found indispensable in retreats, in
rapid marches, and in concentrating land forces.
The Commissioners were authorized in October to provide the necessary
plank and timber for the building of four large galleys fit for river
and sea service, and to be mounted with proper guns. And for manning
these galleys and others being built, the Commissioners were requested
to raise the number of men needed, not to exceed 1300 to serve three
years.
The Continental Congress directed that two frigates of 36 guns and of
500 tons burthen be built in Virginia, and the Navy Board ordered the
work done at Gosport Shipyard in Norfolk County. The following
excerpts from a letter of Richard Henry Lee of the United States
Congress to James Maxwell, Chief Superintendent of Construction on
December 1, 1776, give directions for building the frigates:
The Congress has resolved upon building two ships-of-war of 36
guns each.... You, Sir, have been recommended as a person of great
fitness for this business.... I do, in the name of the committee,
request you will ... determine a most fit place to put these ships
upon the stocks at. Safety against the enemy is a very necessary
object, proper water for launching, and convenience for getting
timber you will consider.... A master builder with four or six
workmen will soon go hence to Virginia for this business, and I
have no doubt other workmen will be had in that State to carry on
the work briskly.... The builder desires that trees be felled
immediately whilst the sap is down, that a quantity of locust
trunnels be split one and one-half inches and from 18 to 30 inches
in length; that sawyers be employed to get out white oak plank of
3-1/2 inches. These things and whatever else may be immediately
necessary for this business you will take care to have done....
The builder tells me that cedar, locust, pitch pine, or wild
cherry will be the proper timber for the upper works.
On Wednesday, December 18, 1776, it was resolved by the General
Assembly that the Governor be desired to write to the Maryland Council
of Safety to inform them that four galleys of eighty odd feet keel,
intended for the protection of Chesapeake Bay and adjacent capes and
coasts, were then building in Virginia and in great forwardness, and
that the General Assembly have directed four more galleys, much
larger, be immediately built and equipped for the same purpose. The
hope was expressed that the sister state, equally interested in mutual
defence, would supply a proper quota of galleys to act in concert with
those of Virginia. Chesapeake Bay was the chief theatre of action by
the enemy because of the principal tories residing near its waters. To
watch their movements and prevent intercourse with the enemy became
the duty of these galleys.
Two galleys, the _Accomack_ and _Diligence_, were built in 1777 on
Muddy Creek near Guilford in Accomack County, and stationed on the
Eastern Shore. These large galleys were about 90 feet in length and
each carried two 18-pounders, four 9-pounders, and several swivels, in
all ten guns.
The State built and operated in 1777, a ropewalk at Warwick in
Chesterfield County about five miles below Richmond, where ducking,
sail-cloth, and rope were manufactured under the charge of Captain
Charles Thomas. Several important warehouses had been established
there. The place was totally destroyed in the British raid of April,
1781.
There were numerous places in Virginia where shipbuilding was carried
on during 1776 and 1779. Vessels were built and equipped on the
Eastern Shore, the Potomac, the Rappahannock, Chickahominy and James
Rivers; at Hampton, Gosport in Norfolk County, South Quay on the
Blackwater near the Carolina line, Frazier's Ferry on the Mattaponi,
and Cumberland on the Pamunkey. This last shipyard was discontinued at
the suggestion of Thomas Jefferson in 1779 because of the enormous
expense attending its support. There was also a shipyard in Gloucester
County owned by John Hudgens. Construction was carried on chiefly at
the Chickahominy and Gosport yards.
The shipyard on the Chickahominy was located about twelve miles from
its mouth and chosen partly because of its sheltered location and the
fine timber that grew near by. The Navy Board had purchased 119 acres
of land for the sum of £595 in April, 1777, and it became one of the
busiest shipyards in the State. The ship _Thetis_, and the armed
brig _Jefferson_, and many others were built in this yard. This
establishment suffered the same fate as the Warwick ropewalk during
Arnold's raid in 1781. A few posts are still standing in the water to
mark the spot.
Just before the breaking out of the Revolution, the British Government
had established a marine yard at Portsmouth, Virginia, for the use of
its Navy, and named it for the dockyard Gosport near Portsmouth,
England. This yard was confiscated by Virginia when the war began, and
enlarged in 1801, by the purchase of 16 acres of the estate of Andrew
Sproule, the British Navy Agent, for $12,000. The ship _Virginia_
was built here and the two frigates laid on the stocks, with a number
of other vessels.
Early in May, 1779, a British fleet with a large force of frigates and
transports passed through the Capes and on into Hampton Roads, under
the command of Sir George Collier. Unable to meet such a formidable
enemy, the Virginians withdrew their small fleet up the river for
safety. The following extract is said to be from the _Journal_ of
H.M.S. _Rainbow_, commanded by Sir George Collier:
When the troops under General Matthews took possession of
Portsmouth, Norfolk and Gosport Navy Yard had been abandoned.
Before leaving, the Virginians had set fire to a ship-of-war
of 28 guns ready for launching, belonging to Congress, and two
French merchant ships loaded with bales of goods and tobacco....
The quantities of naval stores found in their arsenals were
astonishing. Many vessels of war were on the stocks in different
stages of forwardness; one of 36 guns, one of 18, three of 16, and
three of 14, beside many merchantmen. The whole number taken,
burnt, and destroyed while the King's ships were in the river
amounted to _one hundred and thirty-seven_ sail of vessels....
[Evidently, James Maxwell's two frigates were included in this
group.] Five thousand loads of fine seasoned oak knees for
shipbuilding and an infinite quantity of plank, masts, cordage,
and numbers of beautiful ships-of-war on the stocks were at one
time in a blaze and totally consumed, not a vestige remaining but
the iron work.... Quantities of tar were found in the warehouses,
and in Suffolk, 8,000 barrels of pitch, tar, and turpentine were
seized. Much was carried away but great quantities were set on
fire and left behind.
Early in 1780, it was learned that the enemy intended another invasion
of the coast of Virginia, and the General Assembly took measures for
defense. In addition to land forces, the Navy was ordered to assemble
a small fleet consisting of the ships _Thetis_, _Tempest_, and
_Dragon_, the brig _Jefferson_ and the galley _Henry_ for the purpose
of defending Hampton Roads and adjacent waters. In October, the
situation seemed much more critical and Acts were passed to build two
more galleys of the same construction as built by Congress in 1776,
carrying two 32-pounders in the bow, a like number in the stern, with
6-pounders at the sides. The rigging, sails, guns, and other materials
to be provided while the galleys were on the stocks that no time be
lost in preparing them for the cruise.
Captain James Maxwell addressed a letter to Governor Jefferson on
December 7, 1780, informing him that the Lieutenant of the _Jefferson_
thinks it will take £14,000 [in continental money] to pay her up to
the present time. There was also due the workmen of the Gosport
Shipyard on the last of October, £18,679-14_s._-6_d._ Clothing was
wanting for 26 men--52 shirts, 26 jackets, and breeches, stockings,
shoes and hats or caps.
Governor Jefferson wrote to James Maxwell on January 16, 1781, as
follows: "I enclose you a plan for building portable boats,
recommended by General Washington, and shall be glad that you will
take measures for having about twenty of them made without delay. We
have doubts that they will suit our waters, and will be glad to confer
with you on any suggested improvement."
General Lafayette having arrived at York on March 13, 1781, Governor
Jefferson wrote him that there would be ready for him at the
Chickahominy Shipyard four boats well-fitted to his purpose, and
others were collecting in the rivers to rendezvous at Hood's. These
were for lookout boats placed in the Rappahannock, Piankatank, and
York Rivers. Hood's was a battery on the James in Prince George
County, opposite Weyanoke, now called Fort Powhatan. Later, Maxwell
notified the Governor that he was building a few boats at the
Chickahominy Shipyard. The Governor had requested that a good bateau
builder be sent there to superintend some carpenters in building
bateaux for the river above the Falls, and the rest of the carpenters
be set to building boats for navigating the lower parts of the river,
boats so light and of such form they could be moved on wheels.
On April 21, 1781, the traitor Arnold and Phillips made their raid up
the James River, penetrating as far as Richmond. A detachment under
Lieut. Col. Ambercrombie destroyed the shipyard at Chickahominy
including a large number of naval craft, among them an unfinished ship
of 200 tons, and important warehouses. On April 27, the Virginia fleet
composed of six ships, eight brigs, five sloops, two schooners and
several smaller craft, met the British fleet in battle a few miles
below Richmond, but had to give way. A number of vessels were scuttled
or set on fire, but the enemy captured the rest, and the fleet was
practically wiped out. Only one armed vessel remained, the brig
_Liberty_.
After the surrender of Cornwallis, the General Assembly met on May,
1782, and appointed three Commissioners to superintend the work of
protecting the Bay. The ship _Cormorant_ and the brig _Liberty_ were
prepared, and plans made for building two galleys and two barges or
whale boats. The Commissioners managed to keep a small naval force
together during 1782 and 1783, until the war came to an end. When
peace was declared in 1783, the Commissioners had in different stages
of construction the schooners _Harrison_ and _Patriot_, the barges
_York_ and _Richmond_, and the pilot boat _Fly_. Virginia dispensed
with all her fleet except the _Liberty_ and _Patriot_ which were
retained, with the approval of Congress, as revenue cutters.
Among the various types of vessels mentioned here, galleys are
generally thought of as having been rather insignificant. On the
contrary, they were among the important vessels constructed for the
Virginia Navy. While they were so built that they could easily retire
up the creeks out of range of British guns, they were capable also of
sailing out in the broad waters of the Bay. They were broad in
proportion to their length which varied from 60 to 90 feet, and not
drawing much water could support immense weight upon their decks, as
in transporting troops with their horses and baggage, and in carrying
guns of the largest size. Generally they had two masts and were rigged
as schooners, but an occasional galley carried three masts as in the
case of the _Gloucester_. Some were without masts and were called
row-galleys. These were only half decked, were provided with high and
strong bulwarks for the better protection from marksmen, and were
propelled by oars only.
The armaments of these galleys were much more formidable in proportion
to their tonnage than were those of any other vessels. In November,
1776, two large galleys for river and sea service were ordered to be
built to carry four 24-pounders, and fourteen 9-pounders each. Also,
in October, 1780, two more large ones were ordered to carry two
30-pounders in the bow, the same in the stern, with 6-pounders at the
sides, for the protection of the Chesapeake Bay.
The _Gloucester_ was one of the largest galleys built. Judging from
the order sent to Captain Charles Thomas on April 30, 1777, for rope
and cables from the ropewalk at Warwick, the galley had a foremast,
a mainmast, a mizzen and a bowsprit. All the rigging was to have a
rogue's yarn in it, that it might be distinguished from merchant rope.
A rogue's yarn was a single thread of red or blue which was twisted in
the rope at the manufactory, and served to distinguish it from all
others. The _Gloucester_ was used as a prison ship.
Two accounts of the development of the schooner in use by Virginia
during the Revolution are worth recording:
(a) It is from this time perhaps that we may date that new era in
the art of shipbuilding which now produced the firstlings of that
brood of fast-sailing clippers that afterwards were to astonish
and charm the naval world with their brilliant performance. The
Americans were the originators of this improved naval
architecture. It was developed by that spirit of invention and
love of adventure so characteristic of a young and vigorous
people, urged by necessity.... The far-famed Baltimore clipper
soon established the reputation of that long, low, rakish-looking
craft, which has ever since been the cynosure of the seaman's eye.
(b) The most spectacular event in the history of naval
architecture in the 18th century was the emergence of the
clipper-schooner which became famous during the Revolution. This
was a trim, rakish craft known as the Virginia-built schooner, an
exclusively Chesapeake type prior to the Revolution. The war
created a demand for this fast-sailing vessel and builders all
along the coast constructed vessels on the clipper lines thereby
converting it to a national type. The war made the
clipper-schooner internationally known, however, and before the
end of the century, the French, Dutch, and British built schooners
on the clipper lines.
The pilot boat used in the Virginia Navy was a small fast-sailing
craft used as "lookouts", only two of which, the _Molly_ and the
_Fly_, were armed. Their duties were attended with many hardships
and extreme peril. They were obliged to hover along a dangerous coast
in all weathers to give notice of the approach of every sail whether
friend or foe. They acted as a flying sentry at the gates of the
Chesapeake, but constantly exposed to the broad Atlantic outside.
Although the war virtually eliminated Virginia's trading fleet as well
as her Navy, her shipbuilding capacity was at its best. Her many
shipyards, abundant supplies of available shipbuilding timber, and her
skilled craftsmen soon put her trading fleet in operation and it
became an integral part of the American Merchant Marine.