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Massachusetts Privateer Ship William |
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| William | (1) Commander William Pierce Johnson |
| Armed Ship | 25 December 1780- |
| Massachusetts Privateer Ship | (2) Commander Joseph Rowe
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| Commissioned/First Date: | 25 December 1780 |
| Out of Service/Cause: |
| Owners: | (1) John Coffin Jones of Boston, Massachusetts, William Bartlet and Joseph Marquand, both of Newburyport, Massachusetts; (2) John Tracy and Nathaniel Tracy of Newburyport, Massachusetts |
| Tonnage: | 200 |
| Battery: | Date Reported: 25 December 1780 Number/Caliber Weight Broadside 12/ Total: 12 cannon/ Broadside: 6 cannon/ Swivels: Date Reported: 21 June 1781 Number/Caliber Weight Broadside 8/ Total: 8 cannon/ Broadside: 4 cannon/ Swivels: Date Reported: 1782 Number/Caliber Weight Broadside 8/ Total: 8 cannon/ Broadside: 4 cannon/ Swivels: |
| Crew: | (1) 25 December 1780: 31 [total]
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| Description: |
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Comments:
The 200-ton1 Massachusetts Privateer Ship William was commissioned on 25 December 1780 under Commander William Peirce Johnson, of Newburyport. She was armed with twelve guns and noted as having a crew of thirty men. Her bond of $20,000 was executed by Johnson, Bartlet and Marquand.2
Apparently a change of ownership occurred, for William was re-commissioned on 21 June 1781 under Commander Joseph Rowe, also of Newburyport. Her owners are listed as John Tracy and Nathaniel Tracy of Newburyport. William’s battery was reduced to eight guns and her crew to twenty-five men. Her bond for $20,000 was signed by Rowe, John Tracy, and Samuel Newhall of Newburyport.3
This is almost certainly the same vessel as the Massachusetts Privateer Ship William, under Commander Jesse Fearson (Pearson) in 1782. She was listed with eight guns and a crew of twenty-five men.4
1 Currier, John J., History of Newburyport, Mass. 1764-1905, Newburyport: 1906, I, 646
2 NRAR, 492; Allen, Massachusetts Privateers of the Revolution, 327; Emmons, 168, where she is listed as a New Hampshire vessel.
3 NRAR, 493; Allen, Massachusetts Privateers of the Revolution, 327; Emmons, 168, where Rowe appears as “J. Power.”
4 Allen, Massachusetts Privateers of the Revolution, 327
| Posted 9 April 2011 |
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