GENERAL WASHINGTON APPOINTS NAVY COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF
Philadelphia (JFK+50) On December 22, 1775, Esek Hopkins* was appointed Commodore of the Continental Navy and Commander-in-Chief. Hopkins was put in charge of eight ships and would later sail on his flagship Alfred to attack Fort Nassau** which was captured on March 6, 1776.
Despite this accomplishment, Commodore Hopkins was in disfavor with some members of the Continental Congress because he did not follow orders to go to Chesapeake Bay.
Hopkins was censured by Congress in June 1776 and dismissed from service in January 1778.
*Esek Hopkins (1718-1802) was born in Scituate, RI & went to sea at age 20. He commanded a privateer in the French & Indian War & was the only Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Navy in the Revolutionary War. After leaving naval service, EH served in the RI General Assembly.
**Fort Nassau, located in the Bahamas, was built in 1697 & fortified with 22 cannons. It was demolished in 1897.
SOURCE
"The Continental Navy," The Orders of the Founders and Patriots of America, www.founderspatriots.org/
