Regarding today’s Staff Report on the birthplace of the Navy.
Is SDSTAFF Tom one and the same as our own Tomndebb or is this a different Tom? Either way it was a well researched and informative article.
Thanks, Tom
It is indeed the “tom” half of tomndebb. And I join in the congrats, on an excellent report. [sub]I hope I haven’t blown his secret identity…[/sub]
Finding the “first” of anything is often a wearying and pointless exercise, geting you in trouble with the local boosters and often not coming to a satisfactory conclusion. Although you often find truly fascinating stuff along the way.
In Saugus we have the First Ironworks in the American colonies. Not to be confused with the First Ironworks in the American Colonies in Quincy, Mass. Or the ones in New Jersey. Or anything that might have been set up in Virginia or by the Spaniards in Florida or elsewhere.
Good report.
Hi I just wanted to correct the errors in your story about birthplace of the US Navy If you drive route 9R which is along the hudson river up through saratoga battlefield area and on north into the town of fort edward, ny you will find the recognized officially accepted marker by the Dept of State NYS place showing and explaingin the reason and who started the US Navy it is not in massachuesetts or rhode island or even whitehall new york. IT IS IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER(I AM SURE)OF HISTORICAL SITES AS FORT EDWARD, NY. thanks and could you please check your facts better and cause less confusion.
Do you have a link to that?
The only link I could find about the Navy from the National Register of Historic Places didn’t mention Fort Edward
http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/maritime/navy.htm
Not to mention that roadside signs are hardly considered authoritative historical evidence. A similar sign exists in Marblehead, for example.
Actually, none of these sites associated with the Revolution are the “birthplace of the US Navy”, though I dare say one of them must be the birthplace of the Continental Navy. The Continental Army evolved into the US Army, but the Continental Navy was disbanded after the Revolution, and it was not until some years later that a new US Navy was created from scratch. (By that time, the Treasury Department’s Revenue Cutter Service, ancestor of the modern Coast Guard, had already been created, making the Coast Guard officially senior to the Navy.)
I am from Marblehead Ma, and Marblehead claims to be the birthplace of the American Navy… Not the US Navy. Kennedy is right.
It was however the Continental Navy that was started in BEVERLY MA… Facts: The Hannah was from Hamilton MA, leased by John Glover, a Marbleheader whose place of was business was in Beverly. George Washington created the Continental Navy. 5 ships were outfitted for battle in different places, but the Heeltapper Schooner Hannah was the first , and it was outfitted in BEVERLY HARBOR. It was crewed and captained by Marblehead Men.
Now, about the capture of the UNITY… the Unity was an AMERICAN vessel, captured by the British… When the crew of the Hannah found out they had to give the captured Unity back to the American owners, the crew of the Hannah mutinyed, because they were “cheated” of their prize of the ship. They were tried and sentenced in Boston. Beverly and Marblehead should both claim the first mutiny in the Continental Navy…
The Hannah, with a new crew, was chased into Beverly harbor by the Nautilus a short while later, and was heavily damaged by British Cannon. Beverly Minutemen returned fire from the shore, but their cannon didn’t do much damage to to Nautilus. The Nautilus was grounded, but was able to refloat and get away on the tide.
The Hannah was patched and towed to Manchester harbor, where Col. Lee, the owner was paid for the boats service. The Hannah then disappeared off the list of warships
Col Glover never mentioned the incident to Washington, but asked for money to outfit a schooner called the Lynch… To make a long story short, the Lynch was actually the repaired Hannah- and it served the Continental Navy until it was captured off the coast of France by the British in 1777. It was sold as a prize of war, and lived out it’s life somewhere in Britan… Col Lee was AGAIN paid for the use of the boat AND for the LOSS of the boat as well!!!
Don’t believe me? Check out “The Hannah and the Nautilus” by Thomas Macy. 2002 The Beverly MA Historical Society has copies.
::: moderator coughs gentle ::: Just to remind everyone that the first three posts in this thread are from 2005, so it’s not “today’s” staff report 
That’s OK, we don’t mind resurrected threads at long as content is added (which it has been), I just don’t want anyone to think this was current. And welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards, seeker741, we’re glad to have you with us!