Description:

ACCOUNT SETTLED FOR THE CONTINENTAL NAVY SHIP USS AMERICA
Rare and interesting war-date manuscript D.S., 1p, oblong 8vo., [Portsmouth], Jan. 12, 1779, a receipt "... on acct. of the 74 Gun Ship..." for the feeding of the shipbuilders James Hackett, James Hill, and Stephen Paul, totaling 491 pounds, 14 shillings, payable by Daniel Hart to the Continental Navy agent JOHN LANGDON (1741-1819). Original folds, ragged edges, else very good. The 74 gun ship, which the three men were the engaged in building, was the USS AMERICA, the first ship-of-the-line built for the Continental Navy, one of three such vessels ordered by the Continental Congress, and the only one to be constructed. The AMERICA''s keel was laid in May 1777 at John Langdon''s shipyard on what is now known as Badger''s Island, New Hampshire. Designed by Philadelphia shipbuilder Joshua Humphreys, the vessel was constructed by master shipbuilders Hackett, Hill and Paul. The trio was also responsible for building the frigate USS RALEIGH and the sloop-of-war USS RANGER. Daniel Hart is probably the accomplished master joiner who served in Langdon''s military unit, performed carpentry work on the RANGER and oversaw construction of the Colonel''s Pleasant Street house immediately after the war. Construction on the 74-gun ship proceeded at a snail''s pace during this time due to lack of funds and materials. On November 6, 1779, Continental Navy Captain John Barry was offered command of the seventy-four at Portsmouth and ordered "...to repair to that place and hasten as much as may be in your power the compleating of that Ship...". When Barry arrived he found only twenty-four carpenters at work on the vessel. Captain Barry relinquished her command and obtained a temporary leave of absence from the navy when on St. Patrick''s Day 1780, the Continental Congress acknowledged that they "had no more money to go on with the building" of the mammoth ship-of-the-line. Progress again slowed to a crawl until late June 1781 when the Continental Congress ordered "...for speedily launching and equipping for sea the America, then on the stocks at Portsmouth..." and assigned John Paul Jones in command to superintend the work. Captain Jones found funds to resume work, putting his own stamp on the vessel with substantial design changes. Jones was successful in seeing AMERICA, the largest and most heavily-armed ship ever built for the Continental Navy, to completion and launching on November 5, 1782. Documents pertaining to the Continental Navy are far scarcer than those related to the Army.

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December 10, 2016 11:00 AM EST
Wilmington, DE, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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