In early 1775, British men-of-war, especially His Majesty's Frigate, Rose, preyed on Rhode Island shipping and harassed the colony's coast. The Rhode Island General Assembly ordered the Committee of Safety to fit out two ships to defend the colony's shipping.
The committee chartered the sloop Katy from John Brown of Providence. Soon after, Katy was purchased by Rhode Island. Late in November, she sailed to Philadelphia where she was taken into service by the Continental Congress and renamed Providence. Captain John Hazard was placed in command of Providence, and joined a squadron formed by Congress under the command of Esek Hopkins.
On 10 May 1776, John Paul Jones assumed command of Providence with a temporary rank of Captain. Jones sailed escorting Fly to Fisher's Island at the entrance to Long Island Sound, and while enroute, he saved a brigantine bringing munitions from Hispanola from British frigate H.M.S. Cerberus. Providence then escorted a convoy to Philadelphia arriving in August. A week later, Jones received his permanent commission as Captain.
Providence departed the Delaware Capes, and in a few days took brigantine Britannia. In September, daring seamanship enabled Jones to escape from British frigate Solebay. Two days later Providence captured Sea Nymph, carrying sugar, rum, ginger, and oil. Then Providence caught brigantine Favourite carrying sugar from Anitgua to Liverpool, but H.M.S. Galatea recaptured the prize before she could reach an American port.
Turning north, Jones headed for Nova Scotia, and escaped another frigate, burned a British fishing schooner, sank a second, and captured a third besides a shallop which he used as a tender. Moving to Ile Madame, Providence took several more prizes fishing there. One more prize, whaler Portland surrendered to Providence before she returned to Narragansett Bay in October.
The British seized Narragansett Bay in December 1776 and Providence with other American vessels retired up the Providence River. In February 1777, under Lt. Jonathan Pitcher, Providence ran the British blockade; and after putting into New Bedford, cruised to Cape Breton, where she captured a transport brig loaded with stores and carrying two officers and 25 men of the British Army.
Under command of Capt. J.P. Rathbun, Providence made two cruises on the coast and about mid-January 1778, sailed from Georgetown, N.C., bound for New Providence in the Bahamas. On 27 January she spiked the guns of the fort at Nassau, taking military stores including 1,600 pounds of powder, and released 30 American prisoners. She also made prize of a 16-gun British ship and recaptured five other vessels which had been brought in by the British.
During the early part of April 1779 Providence was ordered to make a short cruise in Massachusetts Bay and along the coast of Maine. She later sailed south of Cape Cod and on 7 May, captured H.M.S. Brig Diligent, 12 guns, off Sandy Hook. She fired two broadsides and a volley of muskets during the engagement and Diligent, with mast rigging and hull cut to pieces, was forced to surrender.
She then was assigned to Commodore Saltonstall's squadron which departed Boston in July 1779 and entered Penobscot Bay. She was destroyed by her crew, with other American vessels in the Penobscot River, in August, to prevent her falling into British hands.
The Providence in these photos is a reproduction of the famous Revolutionary War sloop. She was built in 1976 to celebrate the Bicentennial Year, and to honor the original vessel that played a key role in the fight for American Independence.
The Sloop Providence was the first naval vessel commissioned by the Continental Congess. Under the command of Revolutionary War Naval hero John Paul Jones, the Sloop Providence emerged as the most victorious vessel in the American Navy, sinking or capturing 40 enemy ships before she was destroyed by her crew on August 16, 1779 to avoid capture by the British.
Preserving the legacy of the Sloop Providence's most famous Commanding Officer, John Paul Jones, "Give me a fast ship, for I intend to go into harm's way." The Providece was fast and manuverable easily attacking larger enemy ships.
In recognition of the Sloop Providence's brilliant and distinguished career, a 110 foot, fully rigged sailing reproduction was built in 1976 (fiberglass hull). When financial circumstances forced her to be dry-docked in 1995, the City of Providence purchased the Sloop Providence and formed the Providence Maritime Heritage Foundation to ensure that this important piece of national and state heritage remained a significant educational, historical, and cultural resource.
