USS Providence (1776 frigate)

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History
United States
Name	USS Providence
Builder	Silvester Bowes, Providence, Rhode Island
Launched	May 1776
Fate	Captured 12 May 1780
Name	HMS Providence
Acquired	12 May 1780
Fate	Sold, March 1783
General characteristics
Type	Frigate
Displacement	632 long tons (642 t)
Length	126 ft 6 in (38.56 m)
Beam	33 ft 8 in (10.26 m)
Depth of hold	10 ft 5 in (3.18 m)
Complement	170
Armament	26 x 12-pounder guns 6 x 4-pounders guns
Service record
Commanders:	Capt. Abraham Whipple

The second Providence, a 28-gun frigate, built by Silvester Bowes at Providence, Rhode Island, by order of the Continental Congress, was launched in May 1776.

After being blockaded in the Providence River for more than a year, the new frigate, under command of Captain Abraham Whipple, ran the British blockade on the night of 30 April 1778, returning the heavy fire of the British frigate HMS Lark and damaging that vessel, killing 3 of her crew and wounding 17, firing on frigate HMS Juno and damaging a tender that was sent to dock in Newport, Rhode Island where it sank.^[1] She sailed directly for France, arriving at Paimboeuf 30 May to procure guns and supplies for Continental Navy vessels under construction. During the voyage she captured brigantine "Lord Grossvenor" at (

40°00′N 10°00′W / 40.000°N 10.000°W / 40.000; -10.000). Three days later Grossvenor was recaptured by Letter of Marque "Nancy" and then retaken by Providence.^[2] She sailed from Paimboeuf 8 August and six days later, joined frigate Boston at Brest, France. The two ships sailed back to America 22 August. They took 3 prizes on the return voyage and Providence arrived Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 15 October.

Transferred to Boston to seek a crew, Providence sailed from Boston 18 June 1779 as flagship of Commodore Abraham Whipple, cruising eastward in company with Ranger and Queen of France. In the early morning of mid-July, the squadron was in a dense fog off the banks of Newfoundland and fell in with a Jamaican fleet of some 150 sails. The vessels remained with the enemy fleet all day without causing alarm. They took 11 prizes, many by quietly sending boats to take possession. The squadron slipped away with their prizes during the night. They sent 8 of the prizes, valued together with their cargo at over a million dollars, into Boston and Cape Ann. The Squadron returned to Boston and 23 November sailed from Nantasket Roads, first cruising eastward of Bermuda, arriving at Charleston, South Carolina 23 December to defend that city.

Providence, with other ships of Commodore Whipple's Squadron remained for the defense of Charleston and was one of the ships taken by British when that city fell, 12 May 1780. She subsequently served in the British Navy until sold in March 1783.

See also[]

• Glossary of nautical terms
• List of sailing frigates of the United States Navy

References[]

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.