The second Warren—one of the 13 frigates authorized by the Continental Congress on 13 December 1775— was given that name on 6 June 1776. Built at Providence, R.I., by Sylvester Bowers, Warren was probably one of the first two of the 13 frigates to be completed. The other was the Rhode Island-built frigate Providence. However, difficulties in manning the two ships and the British occupation of Newport made the tricky task of getting the vessels out to sea doubly difficult.
Although the ship was bottled up in the Providence River, Commodore Esek Hopkins broke his pennant in Warren early in December of 1776. Ordered to prepare for sea as soon as possible to cruise the upper half of the eastern seaboard to interdict British troop and logistics shipping traveling the Rhode Island to Virginia route, Hopkins' flagship nevertheless remained anchored in the Providence River for nearly a year afterward. As a result, Hopkins was suspended by the Marine Committee of the Continental Congress for his lethargic performance. Warren, blockaded in Narragansett Bay, did no cruising.
Aided by favorable weather, Warren finally slipped through the British blockade on or about 8 March 1778 and escaped into the open sea at last. Warren took two prizes in her first cruise: the ship Neptune— bound from Whitehaven, England, to Philadelphia— with a cargo of provisions; and another supply vessel, before the Continental frigate put into Boston on 23 March. She apparently conducted a second cruise off the eastern seaboard in the autumn, as records indicate that she cruised for a time in company with the Massachusetts State Navy ship Tyrannicide in September.
Warren remained at Boston into the winter of 1778 and apparently did not sortie again until 13 March 1779. The frigate, under the command of Commodore John B. Hopkins, departed in company with Queen of France and Ranger for a cruise off the northeastern coast. The squadron took the armed schooner Hibernia as a prize on 6 April, and good fortune smiled upon them even more the following day, because at 0400, American lookouts sighted two "fleets" of ships. One contained 10 vessels and the other, nine.
Warren and her two consorts set upon the nine-ship group to windward and, by 1400, had captured seven of the nine. The British convoy had been bound from New York to Georgia. The catch included two ships, four brigs, and a schooner. Most of the prizes were richly laden with provisions for the British Army. Warren towed the brig Patriot from 10 April, bringing her triumphantly into port.
Initially, Congress expressed great pleasure with Hopkins' exploit, but its satisfaction soon soured. The Marine Committee charged Hopkins with violating his orders, maintaining that he had returned to port too soon and had not sent his prizes to the nearest port. As a disciplinary measure, the Committee relieved Hopkins, suspended him from the Navy, and gave his command to Capt. Dudley Saltonstall—a move which would have sad repercussions for both ship and her new commander.
While Warren lay at Boston, fitting out for further operations, the British established a base on the Bagaduce peninsula, near the present site of Castine, Maine, in mid-June 1779. This British intrusion into the figurative back yard of the Massachusetts colony could not go unchallenged. Thus a large—but unfortunately uncoordinated—force was assembled in hope of evicting the newly established British. Saltonstall became the naval commander, in Warren, and was given 19 armed vessels and some 20 transports with which to project the Continental invasion.
On 19 July 1779, the Continental armada sailed from Boston, bound for Penobscot Bay. The expedition turned out to be a dismal failure. First, the fleet was unfit for the work and was primarily composed of privateers. The military forces—as in the seagoing ones—lacked decisive leadership; and the land forces lacked artillery and necessary equipment and supplies. Cooperation between military and naval forces was entirely lacking, with the obvious end result that the entire expedition collapsed in disaster like a house of cards.
Warren and the other vessels of the American fleet were consequently burned to prevent their capture by the British. Warren was probably set afire by her crew on either 14 or 15 August 1779 in the Bagaduce River, above the Bagaduce peninsula. Later that autumn, Saltonstall was tried by court martial on board the frigate Deane in Boston harbor and was summarily dismissed from the Continental Navy.
As part of his duties as a Capt. of Marines Grannis was to enlist 40 "good men...". He apparently acted in a dual capacity for a period of time, for on 18 June 1776, he was still serving in the Elizabeth Islands, having delivered there a prominent Tory. Furthermore it was not until 1 July 1776 that the Marine Committe recommended him as a Captain of the Marines for the Warren.
His service allegiance was not settled for several months. When the Council of the State of Massachusetts Bay finally agreed to his relief from its duty, it would not consent to Grannis enlisting his Marine complement from the ranks of the Massachusetts Troops.
Grannis was replaced as Captain of Marines on the Warren in November 1777.
Early in March the Warren, Captain John B. Hopkins, blockaded in the Providence River, escaped through the British fleet in Narragansett Bay. John Deshon, of the Eastern Navy Board, wrote to the other members of the board, March 9: "Respecting the Ship Warren I am happy She so well Succeeded in geting out of this river. Every Circumstance Combined in her Favour that She might Clear of the Enemy; the night was Exceeding Dark, and there was but little wind untill the Crittecal time of Passing the Greatest Danger, when the wind Shifted very Suddenly into the N.W. and blowd Exceeding hard, so that the Enemy Could not without the Greatest Difficulty Get under Sail and Persue. I was at Warrick Neck and up the Most part of the Night when the Warren Passed and am Very Sure it was Imposable for Captn Hopkins to gain the Port of N. London, there being So much wind and the weather so Severe Cold. There [were] on board the Warren abt 170 men, manny of which had not a Second Shift of Cloaths, therefore it will be Very Difficult as well as Teadius for Captn Hopkins to beat this Courst at this Severe Season; the Orders Given him by me you have with you, which Gives him not the least Encouragement to Cruise.
Nevertheless Should the Ship Keep out this three weeks, I Shall not be in the least uneasy abt her; well Knowin the men in no Condission to Beat a Winters Courst, we have Succeeded beyound Expectation in Geting her out and I have not the least Doubt but She will in due time Return with honor to the Commander and his Compy."
After a short cruise the Warren put into Boston, March 23. Two days later William Vernon wrote from Providence: "This moment several of the Ship Warrens Men came to Town from Boston, who inform me they Arrived There last Monday; and in passing the Enemys Ships in this River . . . they sustained some damage, their Mizen Yard shot away, Main yard wounded, several shot passed through their Hull, one Man only sleightly wounded. The Wind blowing and continueing fresh at N.W., the Crew badly Clothed and Weather extreem Cold, were under the Necessity of standing to the Southward in warmer Weather under easie sail far as the Latt. 24°, where they fell in with the Ship Neptune, Capt. Smallwood, from Whitehaven bound to Phila., Loaded with Salt and dry Goods."
This ship and another prize were taken and the Warren then sailed for Boston. The Columbus also tried to escape from Narragansett Bay, but was chased ashore on Point Judith and burned
Christopher Vail's Journal kept by him during the Revolutionary War
I WAS EMPLOYED to carry despatches to Boston to the board of war, and returned to New London and was discharged July 8. I entered on board the Warren frigate of 32 guns and went to Boston where she lay.
Very soon afterwards we sailed to sea and on the 2d of September in the Gulf Stream in a hurricane was upset. We lost 2 men overboard who fell from the main topsail yard and was dround. The ship lay for nearly half hour keel out when she righted, the wind blowing all round the compass every ten minutes. We handed what rags off the topsails that was left, battened down the hatches and housed the guns and secured them, and in a minute was knocked over again. We attempted to hoist the fore topmast stay sail to make her fall off. But before it was six feet high it blew all to pieces. We then top't the fore yard, when she immediately fell off and righted.
At this time the whole horrizon was like a thick fog. The clouds and water all mixed together. And you could not hear a man which was standing along side of you and halloring as loud as possible. The sea at this time as smooth as a mill pond and no motion to it but as the wind got steady and blowed from the N.E. the sea at once rose to a mountain.
At 8 P.M. the whole ocean seemed on fire. It was my trick at the wheel from 8 to 10 P.M. The sea that came tumbling after us looked to be half a mile high, and would brake a part of it on our gangway and go 30 feet over the bows. All hands was kept aft. We scudded 16 or 18 hours under bare polls when it moderated. And we put the ship to rights again.
The day following we took a brig laden with molasses from Jamaica bound to Halifax. After this we chased 2 large ships and 3 brigs for three days. Upon a wind by some accident or other we carried away our fore top mast and main top gallant mast and before we could get up others we lost sight of the chass. The day following we spoke a ship from Charlestown bound to Rotterdam who told us they had been boarded by the Revenge and revenue privateers from N. London. That day and while their boats were on board her they saw two large ships and two brigs standing S.E. We left the ship and stood S.E. several hours but saw nothing of the said ships and brigs. We then stood to the northward and spoke the Tyrannicide privateer brig from Boston. We agreed to go as consorts together and cruise off Newfoundland.
We stood to the north several days and struck sounding in 60 fathoms water. We run that day and saw no land. In the night the brig being ahead she sounded and found 6 fathoms water. She fired a signal gun and we both hauled our wind to the westward. The next morning we saw the Island of Sables bearing E.N.E. distance 2 leagues. We then stood to the northward for several days.
When a heavy gale of wind came on. We kept company that day the wind being S.S.E. in the night following the wind shifted into the N.E. & blew a very heavy gale. We wore ship and scudded to the westward 50 hours. When it moderated, we then spoke a ship from France bound to Boston. We parted with her. A few days after this we captured an English brig with a valuable cargo of wine, fruit, &c. on board and order her into Boston. The latter part of October we arrived at Boston.
About 35 Ships Sunk
The worst naval defeat of the revolution
Penobscot River, Maine, 1779
The Penobscot Expedition of 1779 of more than 40 Revolutionary War vessels were sent from Boston. The British had occupied Castine and this expedition sent to expell them from this position.
They were to stop in Boothbay and pick up 1,500 troops, (but, only picked up 1,000.) When they got to Castine, it was decided not to attack, but to proceed to sail up the Penobscot River.
Once in the Penobscot they became trapped by the British Fleet. The different ships were scuttled by the crews.
I would like to read to you a letter from the Department of the Navy describing this. "When the smoke cleared, two Continental Navy ships, three Massachusetts State Navy Ships, 11 privateers and perhaps 20 transports had been scuttled by their crews or sunk by the British, in the worst naval defeat of the revolution and possibly of the history of the United States. The Warren lies in Campden Cove near Winterport.
We understood that the [sloop] Providence which had been John Paul Jones first command with three Massachusetts Navy ships and five privateers lie near Bangor. The Active may be near the mouth of the Kenduskeag Stream. The Diligent is believed to be near the Chamberlain Bridge. I believe the transports being slower than the war ships would tend to lie near Sandy Point below Bangor and Brewer."
The location and exploration of the Penobscot Expedition's watery grave near Winterport began three years ago(??) with the help of local divers who pinpointed two wreck sites off shore.
Using electronic surveys, the remains of four of the American ships burned in the Revolutionary War skirmish have been located. One of the ships located could be the Warren, a Continental Navy frigate that was the flagship of the expedition.