USS Lee (1775)

The first USS "Lee" was a schooner under the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. She was named for Charles Lee.

In October 1775, Colonel John Glover, acting for General George Washington, chartered the schooner "Two Brothers" from Thomas Stevens of Marblehead, Massachusetts, as a replacement for "Hannah". Her complement complete, 28 October, Captain John Manley dropped her down with the tide, lay to off Tuck Point, and headed out to sea the next morning.

On 27 November, the vessel, now known as "Lee", took her first prize, the 80 ton sloop "Polly" carrying turnips and Spanish-milled dollars from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to the British troops at Boston, Massachusetts. After sending "Polly" into Beverly under a prize crew, "Lee" sailed off Boston, and at dusk the next day gave chase to the 250-ton brig "Nancy", then beating her way into Boston. Mistaking "Lee" for a pilot boat, "Nancy" laid her sails aback and sent up a string of signal flags. Captain Manley dispatched a boat with carefully picked men, ordering them to conceal their weapons as they rowed to and boarded "Nancy". Taken by surprise, the brig surrendered without resistance, providing the Americans with a precious cargo of ordnance and gunpowder. Manley placed a prize crew in "Nancy" and accompanied her to Beverly.

Early in December, "Lee" was again giving chase intercepting the 200-ton ship "Concord" laden with drygoods and coal. After capture, "Concord" was escorted into Marblehead Harbor. The next month Capt. Daniel Waters relieved Captain Manley. On 29 January 1776, while operating with "Franklin", "Lee" took the 60-ton sloop "Rainbow", carrying wood, potatoes, spruce beer, and meat. The next day the American schooners and their prize were sighted by the British frigate "Fowey". After a fast chase, the Americans eluded the frigate and, with their prize, reached safety in Cape Ann Harbor. "Lee" and "Franklin" soon slipped out to sea again, taking the 300-ton, Boston-bound brigantine "Henry" and "Esther", carrying military cargo, northeast of Cape Ann on 1 February.

Early in March, "Hancock" and "Lynch" joined "Lee" and "Franklin" off Cape Ann. On the night of the 4th, the schooners drove off British brig "Hope" in a spirited engagement. The next day they took "Susannah", a 300-ton British merchantman laden with coal, cheeses, and porter for General William Howe's beleaguered army in Boston. After escorting their prize to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the squadron, commanded by Captain Manley in "Lee", returned to Cape Ann, where on the 10th they captured another ship, the 300-ton transport "Stokesby", bound for Boston with porter, cheese, vinegar, and hops. Enroute to Gloucester, the prize ran aground. After much of her cargo had been removed, British brig "Hope" arrived and put the torch to the hulk.

While Manley’s squadron was at Gloucester, General Howe evacuated Boston and General Washington ordered his ships to dog the British Fleet, pouncing on any stragglers. The patriot schooners departed Gloucester, 21 March, and sighted a merchant brig off Boston Light that afternoon. They chased their prey and by evening were close enough to open fire. Their quarry then hove to, but two British men-of-war, "Savage" and "Diligent", arrived to compel the American schooners to abandon their prize.

Soon afterward, Manley divided his squadron, keeping "Lynch" and "Lee" with "Hancock". On the afternoon of 2 April, they sighted the brig "Elizabeth". This prize, an American vessel captured by the British the previous October, was filled with loot plundered from the warehouses of patriot Bostonian merchants and carried a number of Tory refugees. Many of the Tories were transferred to "Lee", while their leaders were taken on board "Hancock", and the captive crew imprisoned in "Lynch", which accompanied "Hancock" into Portsmouth.

On 13 May, "Lee", operating with "Warren" off Cape Ann, was joined by "Lynch". A fortnight later HMS|Milford|1759|6 pursued the schooners, but they escaped in fog. On 7 June, they captured the British transport "Anne", carrying a light infantry company of the 71st Highland Regiment and some twoscore tars sent out as fleet replacements. Sixty of the Highlanders were transferred to "Lynch" and taken to Plymouth, the remainder and the sailors were divided between "Lee" and "Warren", which then escorted "Anne" toward Marblehead, outrunning the British frigate "Milford" to safety.

"Lee" next cruised alone off Nova Scotia without success until recapturing "Betsy", after that sloop had fallen prey to "Milford" in Massachusetts Bay. "Lee" scored again in early November by taking the brig "Elizabeth", escorting her into Boston on the 7th. While "Lee" was in port, Captain Waters left the ship to journey to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a Member of Congress. He was succeeded by Capt. John Skinner.

Early in the spring of 1777, "Lee" was again underway from Boston. She took the schooner "Hawke", 13 April, captured the fishing sloop "Betsy", 3 May, and, a week later, caught the Irish brigantine "Charles". The latter, laden with fish, was recapture en route to Boston under a prize crew. Soon the brigantines "Capelin" and "Industry" were added to the list of prizes and escorted to Casco Bay to be libeled. "Lee" then continued on to Boston, arriving 25 June.

Meanwhile, the ranks of General Washington’s Navy were being thinned by captures. When "Lynch" struck her colors, 19 May 1777, "Lee" was the only schooner of the little fleet left in operation. She pushed out into the Atlantic, 24 July. On 29 August, she caught the brig "Industrious Bee" and sent her into Boston. The next day, she took the snow "Lively", but that prize was recaptured by the frigate "Diamond", 23 September. "Lee" next turned south and took her final prize, the brigantine "Dolphin", before returning to Marblehead, 26 October 1777. A few days later, she was returned to her owner.

References

*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/l5/lee-i.htm