USF Confederacy 1778

Description

USF Confederacy 1778

USS Confederacy was a 36-gun sailing frigate, launched at Norwich, Connecticut on November 8, 1778, one of the Continental Navy in the American Revolutionary War.

From May to August 1779, USF Confederacy cruised on the Atlantic coast under the command of Captain Seth Harding. While convoying a fleet of merchantmen, on 6 June, she captured three prizes, drove off two British frigates and brought the convoy safely into Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

On 17 October of 1779,  she was on a diplomatic mission to carry the French Minister back to France. Also on board were the first American Minister to Spain and his family. During the passage the Confederacy ran into a hurricane near Newfoundland and was completely dismasted. Captain Harding managed to work the ship southward reaching Martinique in mid-December with 6 feet of water in the hold. She remained there for several months for repairs before returning to Philadelphia on April 20, 1780, only to find the need for more extensive repairs.

Later in October, USF Confederacy was damaged once again in a collision with another ship in Philadelphia harbor. More bad luck spilled into 1781 upon returning home from the West Indies with military stores and other supplies, Confederacy was forced to strike her flag to two British ships- the 44-gun HMS Roebuck and the 32-gun Orpheus. She was subsequently taken into the British service as HMS Confederate. Captain Nicholson replaced Harding in on 20 October 1780.

Confederacy was homeward bound from Cape Francois in the West Indies in 1781 with military stores and other supplies and escorting a fleet of 37 merchantmen, when on 14 April she encountered HMS Roebuck and HMS Orpheus off the Delaware Capes. The British ships forced Confederacy to strike her flag. Most of the merchantmen she was escorting escaped. Many of her crew were sent to the old prison hulk Jersey, though some ended up in Mill and Forton prisons.