The American Revolution (1775–1783) was fought at sea as well as on land. The small Continental navy battled Britain’s powerful Royal Navy in both American and European waters. Let’s meet three commanders who helped lead the American navy to victory.

John Barry

Captain John Barry was born in Ireland in 1745. He came to America in 1760 and settled in Philadelphia, where he became a wealthy and successful shipping captain. In 1776, Congress appointed him to the Continental Navy.

During the Revolutionary War, Captain Barry earned fame for his daring captures of enemy ships. In the spring of 1776, he led one of the Revolution’s first successful sea battles against the British. His ship, the Lexington, captured the heavily armed British ship, the H.M.S. Edward.

In 1777, the British gained control of Philadelphia. Barry successfully attacked the English from the Delaware River. Barry commanded only four small boats. Yet he captured several enemy boats and a large ship full of supplies.

After the war, President George Washington made Barry a commodore (senior captain). As commodore, Barry trained other officers and helped shape the first navy of the United States. Many historians have called Commodore Barry the “Father of the American Navy.”

Nicholas Biddle

Captain Nicholas Biddle was born in 1750 to well-to-do family in Philadelphia. He was just 13 when he went to work on a merchant ship.

In 1772, Biddle joined the British Royal Navy. When the Revolutionary War broke out, he left the Royal Navy to join the American cause.

Biddle’s role in the Revolution was brief but significant. He captured British ships carrying guns, ammunition, and other supplies. Later, despite being outnumbered and outgunned, he captured two English ships carrying 400 soldiers. In 1777, he commanded the Randolph, the Continental navy’s first warship.

In 1778, Biddle led a brave but doomed attack against the British Yarmouth off the coast of South Carolina. The British blew up the Randolph, killing Biddle and all but four of the ship’s 315 men.

John Paul Jones

Captain John Paul Jones became the most famous American naval commander during the Revolution. His original name was John Paul. The son of a gardener, he was born in Scotland in 1747. At the age of 12, Paul worked as a cabin boy on the British ship Friendship. He later worked on a slave ship.

In 1772, Paul bought his own boat. The next year, he killed the leader of a ship rebellion. To avoid standing trial, he ran away to Virginia and changed his name to John Paul Jones.

At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Jones was a lieutenant on the Continental navy’s first ship, the Alfred. Although unpopular with other sailors, he was a skillful leader. Congress promoted him to captain in 1776. The following year, Jones sailed to Europe. His actions there made him an American hero.

In 1778, Jones boldly attacked the British in the Irish Sea and along the coast of Scotland. He unsuccessfully tried to burn their ships and kidnap an English nobleman. Jones then attacked and captured the British Drake. He ended his campaign with many prisoners and treasures. Surprised and angered by the attacks, England condemned Jones as a pirate.

Jones’s greatest triumph was the battle of the Bonhomme Richard (Poor Richard) in 1779. The Richard was an old, broken-down ship named after Benjamin Franklin. (Franklin published almanacs under the name Poor Richard.) On September 23, Jones, commanding the Richard, led a small fleet into battle against two enormous new British warships, the H.M.S. Serapis and the Countess of Scarborough.

The gun battle that followed lasted three and a half hours. Jones and his men fought fiercely. When the English demanded that he surrender, Jones declared, “I have not yet begun to fight!”

Despite many deaths and injuries, Jones’s men did not give up. While another ship attacked the Scarborough, Jones pulled the Richard next to the Serapis and tied them together. He and his men boarded the Serapis and attacked the enemy with guns and grenades. The Serapis blew cannon holes into the Richard, but it was too late. As the Richard sank, the British surrendered to Jones and his American fleet. Jones had won his most famous and important sea battle of the war.

After the war, Jones was hailed as a hero throughout the newly formed United States. In 1787, he was the only Revolutionary naval officer to receive a Congressional medal of honor.

Enrichment Activity

Select one of the naval heroes above. Draw a picture that illustrates the hero’s most famous accomplishment. Then write a caption that includes his name, year of birth, and role in the American Revolution, and that explains details in your drawing.