- HMS Rose (1757)
HMS "Rose" was a
sixth-rate frigate built in Hull,England in1757 . Her activities in suppressingsmuggling in the colony ofRhode Island provoked the formation of what became theContinental Navy , precursor of the modernUnited States Navy . In theSeven Years' War , "Rose" was in service in the Channel and in theCaribbean . In1768 , she was sent to the North American station.In
1774 , "Rose", under the command of Sir James Wallace, was sent toNarragansett Bay inRhode Island to put an end to thesmuggling that had made Newport the fourth wealthiest city in America. Since the "Rose" was much larger than any American vessel of the time and Wallace was an effective commander, smuggling soon came almost to a standstill. This severely affected the economy of Newport. Rhode Island's merchants petitioned their colonial legislature to create a navy to deal with Wallace. They backed up their petitions with money by fitting out a merchant vessel for naval service. This vessel was commissioned as the sloop of war "Providence". "Providence" became the first naval command ofJohn Paul Jones . Rhode Island declared its independence from Britain on4 May 1776 , two full months before the rest of the colonies. The petitioning of theContinental Congress to form a naval force to rid Narragansett Bay of the "Rose" was the impetus for the creation of theContinental Navy .In July of 1776, during the
American Revolutionary War , the "Rose" played a large part in the British invasion ofNew York state, firing on fortifications and making forays far up theHudson River . Wallace was knighted for his actions in helping to driveGeorge Washington and his troops from the city of New York. She also patrolled the rest of the northeast coast of America, pressing sailors from merchant vessels and seeking out provisions for the British garrison atBoston ."Rose" finally met her end in 1779 in Savannah, Georgia. The British, who were occupying the city, scuttled the "Rose" in a narrow part of the channel, effectively blocking it. Consequently, the French fleet was unable to assist the American assault and Savannah remained in British hands until the war's end. After the war the "Rose" was destroyed to clear the channel. Only a few artifacts have been recovered by dredging over the years.
HMS "Rose" replica
In
1970 a replica of HMS "Rose", designed byPhil Bolger , was built inLunenberg ,Nova Scotia . She was used for display and sail training until2001 when she was purchased by Fox Studios, sailed to Southern California and altered to resemble HMS "Surprise" for thePeter Weir movie "", based on the books byPatrick O'Brian .She is currently owned by the
San Diego Maritime Museum . The museum's volunteer crew is giving her an extensive refit. She returned to the Maritime Museum in March 2007 to complete preparation for sailing.See HMS "Rose" for other ships of this name.
ources
* [http://www.tallshiprose.org/info/history.html The replica Rose's website]
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