John Barry (March 25, 1745 – September 13, 1803) was an Irish-born American naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War. He has been credited by some as "The Father of the American Navy", sharing that moniker with John Paul Jones and John Adams, and was appointed as a captain in the Continental Navy on December 7, 1775.[1][2] Barry was the first captain placed in command of an American warship commissioned for service under the Continental flag.[3] After the Revolutionary War, he became the first commissioned American naval officer, at the rank of commodore, receiving his commission from President George Washington in 1797.
John Barry
A 1972 repaint by V. Zveg of an 1801 portrait by Gilbert Stuart
Born
(1745-03-25)March 25, 1745 Tacumshane, County Wexford, Ireland
Died
September 13, 1803(1803-09-13) (aged 58) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Barry was born on March 25, 1745, in Ballysampson,[4][5]Tacumshane, County Wexford, Ireland to a Catholic family.[6] When Barry's family was evicted from their home by their Anglo-Irish landlord, they moved to Rosslare on the coast, where his uncle worked a fishing skiff. As a young man, Barry determined upon a life as a seaman, and he started out as a cabin boy.[7] Being raised in the Barony Forth, his first language was Yola, as that was the only language used for daily communication at that time in the area.[8]
Careeredit
Barry received his first captain's commission in the Continental Navy on March 14, 1776, signed by John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress. Barry was a religious man and began each day at sea with a reading from the Bible. He had great regard for his crew and their well-being and always made sure they were properly provisioned while at sea.[9]
Captain Barry was given command of USS Lexington, of 14 guns, on December 7, 1775. It was the first commission issued by the Continental Congress.[10] The Lexington sailed March 31, 1776. On April 7, 1776, off the Capes of Virginia, he fell in with the Edward, tender to the British man-of-war HMS Liverpool, and after a desperate fight of one hour and twenty minutes captured her and brought her into Philadelphia.[11]
On June 28, Pennsylvania's brigNancy arrived in the area with 386 barrels of powder in her hold and ran aground while attempting to elude British blockader Kingfisher. Barry ordered the precious powder rowed ashore during the night, leaving only 100 barrels in Nancy at dawn. A delayed action fuse was left inside the brig, which exploded the powder just as a boatload of British seamen boarded Nancy.[12] This engagement became known as the Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet.[13]
Barry retained command of Lexington until October 18, 1776, and captured several private armed vessels during that time.[14]
Command of Delawareedit
In 1777, Barry commanded the ship USS Delaware, a brig sailing under a letter of marque and capturing British vessels in the Delaware River.[15]
Command of Raleighedit
In 1778, Barry assumed command of USS Raleigh, capturing three prizes before being run aground in action on September 27, 1778. Her crew scuttled her, but she was raised by the British, who refloated her for further use in the Royal Navy.[16]
Barry authored a signal book published in 1780 to improve communications at sea among vessels traveling in formation.[17]
Command of Allianceedit
He was seriously wounded on May 29, 1781, while in command of Alliance during her capture of HMS Atalanta and Trepassey.[18]
Barry was successful in suppressing three mutinies during his career as an officer in the Continental Navy.[20]
Commodore commissionedit
On February 22, 1797, he was issued Commission Number 1 by President George Washington, backdated to June 4, 1794. His title was thereafter "commodore". He is recognized as not only the first American commissioned naval officer but also as its first flag officer.[21]
Barry's last day of active duty was March 6, 1801, when he brought USS United States into port, but he remained head of the Navy until his death on September 13, 1803, from asthma. Barry died childless.[23]
The executors of his estate were his wife Sarah, his nephew Patrick Hayes and his friend John Leamy.[24]
Personal lifeedit
On October 24, 1768, Barry married Mary Cleary, who died in 1774. On July 7, 1777, he married Sarah Austin, daughter of Samuel Austin and Sarah Keen of New Jersey.[25] Barry had no children, but he helped raise Patrick and Michael Hayes, children of his sister, Eleanor, and her husband, Thomas Hayes, who both died in the 1780s.[citation needed]
Commemorationsedit
The U.S. Revenue Cutter Commodore Barry, captured off Maine in the War of 1812
Commodore Barry Park in Brooklyn, New York. It is the oldest park in the borough. It was renamed for Commodore Barry in 1951, due to its location next to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which Barry helped found.
A large statue of Barry stands directly in front of the formal entrance to Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
There is a large portrait of Commodore Barry at the Rhode Island State House in Providence; and Title 16 of the Rhode Island Statutes (§ 16-20-3 – Days of special observance) requires observing September 13 as Commodore John Barry Day.
A statue of Barry overlooks the Crescent Quay in Wexford town in Ireland. It was a gift to the town from the United States and was delivered by a United States Navydestroyer, USS John R. Pierce (DD-753). The statue was unveiled in 1956, and each year a parade and wreath-laying ceremony takes place at the statue to celebrate "Barry Day", commemorated by the Irish Naval Service and the Minister for Defence.
Commodore John Barry Elementary School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commodore John Barry Elementary School in Chicago, Illinois
Commodore John Barry Division of Ancient Order of Hibernians, Annapolis, Maryland
Commodore John Barry Division of Ancient Order of Hibernians, National Park, New Jersey
Commodore John Barry Division of Ancient Order of Hibernians, Syracuse, New York
John Barry Bar, Grand Hyatt Muscat, Muscat, Oman
September 13, Commodore John Barry Day in New Jersey public schools
Commodore John Barry Memorial Plaque at Staten Island Borough Hall
A new plaque with a cannon was dedicated on March 10, 2007, in Port Canaveral.
A plaque stands in the city of Boston on Boston Common.
A plaque commemorating Barry and his crew of the Alliance for the final naval battle of the American Revolution is located at Jetty Park in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
A stone plaque commemorating his grave site is located at Old St. Mary's Church in Philadelphia, PA.
The visitor entrance to the United States Naval Academy, from Downtown Annapolis to the Visitor's Center, commemorates Commodore John Barry. Inside the entrance is a monument to Commodore Barry with a plaque with an image of his commission, Number 1 in the United States Navy. Both the gate and the monument were erected by the Ancient Order of Hibernians[27][28]
There is a plaque and bust commemorating Commodore Barry on the main floor in the Rickover Hall classroom building at the United States Naval Academy.
^Fredriksen, John C. (2006). Revolutionary War Almanac. Infobase Publishing. p. 268. ISBN 9780816074686.
^Griffin, Martin I. J. (Martin Ignatius Joseph) (1902). Commodore John Barry, "the father of the American navy"; the record of his services for our country . Harvard University. Philadelphia, The author.
^Carswell, Simon. "Reputation of Wexford-born founding father of US navy buoyed". The Irish Times. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
^"High time to meet at the Barry Gate". Irish Echo. July 7, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
Bibliographyedit
Clark, William Bell (1938). Gallant John Barry 1745 1803 The Story Of A Naval Hero Of Two Wars. The Macmillan Company, New York. pp. 554. URL
Fink, Leo Gregory (1962). Barry or Jones, "Father of the United States Navy"; Historical Reconnaissance. Jefferies & Manz, Inc, Philadelphia. p. 138. URL
Gurn, Joseph (1933). Commodore John Barry: Father of the American Navy. P. J. Kennedy & Sons. p. 274. URL
Ignatius, Martin; Griffin, Joseph (1897). The history of Commodore John Barry. Published by the Author, Philadelphia. p. 261. URL
Ignatius, Martin (1903). Commodore John Barry: "the father of the American navy". Published by the Author, Philadelphia. p. 424. URL
McGrath, Tim (2010). John Barry: An American Hero in the Age of Sail. AuthorHouse, IN. pp. 704. ISBN 978-1-59416-104-9. URL
Meany, William Barry (1911). Commodore John Barry, the father of the American navy: a survey of extraordinary episodes in his naval career. Harper & brothers, New York, London.
Williams, Thomas (2008). America's First Flag Officer: Father of the American Navy. AuthorHouse, IN. p. 260. ISBN 978-1-4343-8654-0. URL
Further readingedit
Fowler, William M. (1976). Rebels Under Sail: The American Navy During the Revolution. New York: Charles Scribner and Sons. pp. 356. ISBN 978-0-684-14583-9.
External linksedit
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