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Battle of Nassau

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	Battle of Nassau
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	Topics Battle of Nassau Topic Home Battle Under the command of Fleet Captain or CommodoreCommodore (USN) Overview Commodore is a rank of the United States Navy with a somewhat complicated history.... Esek HopkinsEsek Hopkins Esek Hopkins, was Commander in Chief of the Fleet throughout the American Revolutionary War.... of Rhode IslandRhode Island The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations is the smallest state by land area in the United States, and the state... , a task force of four ships, including HornetUSS Hornet (1775) The first USS Hornet was a merchant sloop chartered from Captain William Stone in December 1775 to serve under Stone as ... , AlfredUSS Alfred (1774) Summary USS Alfred was a man-of-war in the Continental Navy of the United States.... , and WaspUSS Wasp (1775) Scorpion, a merchant schooner built at Baltimore, was purchased by the Continental Navy late in 1775 and renamed USS Wasp... , rallied near Great Abaco Island, north of the Island of New ProvidenceNew Providence New Providence is an island, one of the most populous in the Bahamas.... , on March 1, 1776. The force captured two sloops owned by LoyalistsLoyalist (American Revolution) Loyalists were British North American colonists who remained loyal subjects of the British crown during the American Revolut... and pressed their owners to serve as pilots. On March 2, the force approached Nassau, sending ashore a raiding party of 230 Continental Marines and 50 sailors under the command of Captain Samuel NicholasSamuel Nicholas Samuel Nicholas was the first officer commissioned in the United States Continental Marines and by tradition is considered t... , the first commissioned officer in the Continental Marines. The force captured nearby Fort Montague but were repulsed in their assault on Fort Nassau. On March 3 at 10:00 in the morning, a landing was again attempted, and this time the Marines captured Nassau without a fight, seizing a sizable store of 103 cannon, mortars and munitions. Much of the precious gunpowderGunpowder Gunpowder, whether black powder or smokeless powder, is a substance that burns very rapidly, releasing gases tha... stores that were the target of the raid had been evacuated after the failed raid on March 2. It marked the first instance in American military history that forces responded to the equivalent modern command of "Land the landing force." On March 17, the fleet sailed for Block IslandBlock Island Block Island is an island in the Atlantic Ocean.... Channel off Newport, Rhode IslandNewport, Rhode Island Newport is a city in Newport County, Rhode Island, about 30 miles south of Providence.... , with Montfort Browne, Lieutenant Governor of the BahamasColonial heads of the Bahamas List of Colonial Heads of the Bahamas... , as a prisoner. Browne was later exchanged for American general William AlexanderWilliam Alexander William Alexander, styled Lord Stirling, was an American major general during the American Revolutionary War.... . Legacy In commemoration of the battle, two ships of the United States Navy have been christened USS NassauUSS Nassau Overview Two ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Nassau, after the Battle of Nassau, the first action seen by the... . External links