The Last Naval Battle of the American Revolution

On 10 March 1783, off Cape Canaveral, Captains John Barry and John Green fought the last naval engagement of the War of Independence

On 10 March 1783, off Cape Canaveral (Florida), Captains John Barry and John Green fought the last naval engagement of the American War of Independence while attempting to deliver a cargo of Spanish silver to the Continental Congress.

  • Date: 10 March 1783
  • Location: Off Cape Canaveral, Florida
  • American ships: USS Alliance (Captain John Barry), USS Duc de Lauzun (Captain John Green)
  • British ships: HMS Alarm, HMS Sybil, HMS Tobago
  • Context: Transport of 72,000 dollars in Spanish silver for the Continental Congress

The Mission

Captain John Barry, commanding the USS Alliance, arrived in Martinique from France in January 1783. There he found orders from Robert Morris of the Continental Congress directing him to proceed to Havana (Cuba) to collect 72,000 dollars in Spanish silver intended to fund the Continental Army.

When Barry arrived in Havana, he discovered that Captain John Green, aboard the USS Duc de Lauzun, was already there with the same orders from Morris. The silver was already loaded on Green’s ship, so the captains decided to sail together in case they encountered enemies along the way. The ships left Havana on 6 March and sailed for a time with a Spanish and French fleet heading for Jamaica.

The Encounter

On the 7th, the Americans left the fleet and set course northward, but crossed paths with two British ships, HMS Alarm and HMS Sybil. Barry and Green turned back towards the Franco-Spanish fleet, and as soon as the British ships sighted the fleet, they withdrew. On the 8th, the two American ships resumed their northward course and reached Florida, Barry constantly slowing down because the Duc de Lauzun was much slower. On the 9th, the two captains agreed to transfer a large portion of the silver to the Alliance, the Duc de Lauzun’s slowness making her vulnerable to British ships patrolling the area.

The Battle

On the 10th, the Alarm, the Sybil and a third British ship, the Tobago, found the American ships off Cape Canaveral. As the British gave chase, the Duc de Lauzun, as usual, lagged behind. Captain Barry drew alongside Green and persuaded him to throw most of his guns overboard to lighten the ship. A fourth vessel of unknown origin appeared on the horizon, which made the British ships hesitate — Barry thought she must be French or Spanish. Barry then manoeuvred between the Duc de Lauzun and the Sybil, which opened fire.

The Alliance took several direct hits, including one in the captain’s quarters that killed one man and wounded several others. Barry ordered his men not to fire but steered straight for the Sybil. When they were at very close range, he gave the order to fire and his men poured a torrent of shot into the Sybil. After a 40-minute engagement, the Sybil fell silent and began to withdraw. Nearly 40 men had been killed aboard her and 40 others wounded.

Epilogue

The Alliance, the Duc de Lauzun and the vessel from the horizon, which proved to be the French ship Triton, pursued the British ships but lost them in the night. The remaining silver was transferred to the faster Alliance, and the ships set course northward. The Duc de Lauzun was able to sail up the Delaware to Philadelphia on 18 March and the Alliance reached Newport (Rhode Island) on the 20th. Only a few days later, news arrived that the Treaty of Paris had been signed on 3 February, ending the Revolution and making this engagement the last naval battle of the War of Independence.

Henry Williams (SAR)

References