Oliver Cromwell (ship)
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Comment: What happened to the ship after the Admiral Keppel event? In the lead you mention it was captured by the British, but you leave us hanging... Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 07:30, 26 November 2017 (UTC)
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Connecticut State Navy Oliver Cromwell |
| Namesake | Oliver Cromwell |
| Ordered | January 1, 1776 |
| Builder | Uriah Hayden |
| Laid down | April 2,1776 |
| Launched | June 13, 1776 |
| Completed | August 18, 1776 |
| Captured | June 6, 1779 |
.svg){kind=small} Great Britain | |
| Name | HMS Restoration |
| Acquired | June 6, 1779 |
| Fate | unknown |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | corvette |
| Tonnage | 300 |
| Displacement | 308 long tons (313 t) |
| Length | 80 ft (24 m) |
| Beam | 27 ft (8.2 m) |
| Depth of hold | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
| Complement | 180 officers and enlisted |
| Armament | 20 guns |
| Service record | |
The Oliver Cromwell was the largest ship in the Connecticut State Navy from its launch on June 13, 1776, until she was captured and renamed Restoration by the British in a battle off the coast of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, on June 6, 1779.[1]
History
Construction
Upon the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, Governor Jonathan Trumbull was authorized in July of 1775,by the Connecticut General Assembly, to purchase and outfit two armed vessels, the largest of which would be the Oliver Cromwell.[2]Under the supervision of Capt. Seth Harding, ship builder Uriah Hayden began preliminary work for the project on January 30. Work began in the Hayden family shipyard that sat on the Connecticut River in Saybrook (Essex), Connecticut, on April 2, and continued until the ship's launch on June 13, 1776.[3]
Capture of the Admiral Keppel
In the spring of 1778, the Oliver Cromwell set sail from Boston with the Defence for the West Indies, stopping in Charleston, S.C., for refitting.[4] On April 15th, while sailing east of St. Kitts, the pair came into contact with two British ships, the Admiral Keppel and Cyrus, and captured them. On board the Admiral Keppel, and taken prisoner, was Henry Shirley, the former British Ambassador to Russia, and other bureaucrats, and their families, who were en route to Kingston, Jamaica, to relay instructions from London to the colony. The Admiral Keppel was sailed to Boston and sold for £22,321, and, after some deliberation by Gov. Trumbull, Mr. Shirley and the other captives were permitted to continue to Kingston under a flag of truce.
References
- ^ Middlebrook, Louis F. "History of Maritime Connecticut During the American Revolution 1773 - 1783 Vol. 1, Oliver Cromwell". langeonline.com. The Essex Institute. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
- ^ "Oliver Cromwell Launched – Today in History: June 13". connecticuthistory.org. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
- ^ "The Oliver Cromwell". CTMQ.com. Connecticut Museum Quest. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
- ^ Paullin, Dr. Charles O. (1906). The New England Magazine, Volume 35. Boston, MA: New England Magazine Company, 1907. p. 714.
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