1782 WASP, Boat. Guns, small arms; Men, 9.
Jan. 26

Commander: Thomas Thompson, of Boston.
C. C. 196, XVI, 24; M. A., 172, 95.

1782 WASP, Brigantine. Guns, 6; Men, 20.
June 5
Commander: Daniel McNeill, of Boston.
C. C. 196, XVI, 22; M. A., 172, 173.

1782 WASP, Boat. Guns, 1; Men, 18.

June 29

Commander: Thomas Thompson, of Boston.
C. C. 196, XVI, 25; M. A., 178, 438.

1777 WEAZLE, Sloop. Guns, 10; Men, 50.

Nov. 24

Commander: Benjamin Parmenter.
Bond: Continental, $5000; State, £500.

325

Bonders: Benj[amin] Parmenter, principal; Arch[ibal]d
Blair and John Blair, of Boston, sureties.
Owners: Archibald and John Blair.
Witnesses: Thomas Crafts, John Avery, jr.
M. A., vII, 319, 322, 168, 40.

1781 WEAZLE, Brigantine. Guns, 4; Men, 12.

Mar. 27

Commander: John Coombs, of Newburyport.
C. C. 196, XVI, 29.

1781 WEAZLE, Brigantine. Guns, 4; Men, 15.

Aug. 23

Commander: William Peirce Johnson, of Newburyport.

C. C. 196, XVI, 30.

1778 WEXFORD, Brigantine. Guns, 16; Men, 100. Commander: John Fletcher.

Jan. 2

Bond: Continental, $10,000; State, £500.

Bonders: John Fletcher, principal; Nathaniel Tracy and
John Coffin Jones, sureties all of Newburyport.
Owners: Nathaniel Tracy and others.

Witness: Willia]m Baker.

M. A., VII, 321, 324, 168, 127.

1781 WEXFORD, Brigantine. Guns, 20; Men, 120.

Aug. 4

May 22

Commander: John P[eck] Rathbun, of Boston.

Note. In the bond the captain's name is spelled
Rathburne, but he himself wrote it Rathbun.

C. C. 196, xvi, 31; M. A., 171, 442.

WILD CAT, Brigantine. Tons, 130; Guns, 12; Men, 65.
Commander: David Ropes.

Bond: Continental, $10,000; State, £4000.

Bonders: David Ropes, mariner, principal; John Fisk and John Norris, of Salem, sureties.

Owners: John Fisk and others.

Witnesses: Peter Lander, Edw[ar]d Rolland.

M. A., vII, 333, 336, 170, 133; Felt, 11, 269, 270.

1777 WILKES, Brigantine. Guns, 14; Men, 100. Commander: John Foster Williams.

July 17

Bond: Continental, $10,000.

Bonders: John Foster Williams, commander, Caleb Davis,
Gustavus Fellows, and John Tileston, merchants and
owners, all of Boston.

Owners: Caleb Davis and others.
Witness: Henry Alline, jr.

M. A., VII, 317, I39, 135, 167, 36.

1779 WILKES, Brigantine. Guns, 12; Men, 30. Commander: William Pearce.

Dec. 28

Bond: Continental, $10,000; State, £4000.

Bonders: William Pearce, mariner, principal; Samuel A[llyne] Otis and Nehemiah Ingersoll, of Boston, sureties.

Owners: William Pearce and others.

Witnesses: David Henley, Russell Sturgis.

M. A., vii, 309, 312, 171, 51.

1780 WILKES, Brigantine. Guns, 14; Men, 70. Commander: Job Knight.

Apr. 21

Bond: Continental, $5000; State, £4000.

Bonders: Job Knight, mariner, principal; David Pearce and John Stevens, of Cape Ann, sureties.

Owners: John Stevens and others.

Witnesses: Andrew Sargent, William Pearce.
M. A., VII, 311, 314, 171, 132.

1779 WILLIAM, Ship. Guns, 8; Men, 20.

Sept. 16

Commander: George Rapall.

Bond: Continental, $10,000; State, £4000.

Bonders: George Rappall [signed Rapall], mariner, prin-
cipal; Samuel Newhall and Richard Hinkley [signed
Hinckly], sureties.

Owners: Samuel Newhall and others, of Newburyport.
Witnesses: John Avery, John Avery, jr.

M. A., VII, 331, 334, 170, 400.

1779 WILLIAM, Brigantine. Guns, 4; Men, 15. Commander: David Allen.

Oct. 9

Bond: Continental, $10,000; State, £4000.

327

Bonders: David Allen, mariner, principal; Benjamin
Thompson and Eben[ezer] Woodward, of Boston,

sureties.

Owner: Benjamin Thompson.

Witnesses: William Raymond, Ebenezer Hancock.
M. A., vii, 335, 338, 170, 418.

1780 WILLIAM, Ship. Guns, 12; Men, 30.

Dec. 25

Commander: William Peirce Johnson, of Newburyport.
C. C. 196, XVI, 39.

1781 WILLIAM, Schooner.

Commander: Solomon Coit.

Owner: Ebenezer Norwood, of Pepperrelborough.
Mar. Court Rec., 45 (Captured schooner Halifax Bob
May 3, 1781, and brought her into Pepperrel-
borough); Boston Gazette, May 28, 1781.

1781 WILLIAM, Ship. Guns, 8; Men, 25.

June 21

Commander: Joseph Rowe, of Newburyport.
C. C. 196, XVI, 40; M. A., 171, 417.

1782 WILLIAM, Ship. Guns, 8; Men, 25.
Commander: Jesse Fearson.

Essex Institute, Miscellaneous Ship Papers.

1782 WILLING MAID, Schooner. Guns, 4; Men, 25. Commander: John Savage, of Salem.

July 24

C. C. 196, XVI, 45.

1782 WINTHROP, Sloop.

Commander: George Little.

Massachusetts State Navy.

1776 WOLFE, Sloop. Guns, 10, and 10 swivels; Men, 90. Commander: Nathaniel Freeman.

Sept. 4

Bond: Continental, $5000.

Bonders: Nathaniel Freeman, Samuel Doggett, Gustavus
Fellows, Nehemiah Somes, and Samuel Partridge — all
of Boston.

Owners: Samuel Doggett, Samuel Partridge, and others.
Witnesses: Peter Edes, Benjamin Gill.

M. A., VII, 327, 165, 210.

1777 WOOSTER, Sloop.

Commander: Enoch Staples.

Note. This may have been a Connecticut vessel. Boston Gazette, Nov. 3, 1777.

1776 YANKEE, Sloop. Tons, 75.

Jan. 4

Commander: Corban Barnes.

Bond: State, £5000.

Bonders: Corban Barnes, mariner, principal, and Samuel
Jackson, merchant, surety, both of Plymouth.
Witnesses: James Warren, William Watson.

Note. Capt. Barnes's commission is dated Dec. 17,
1775.

M. A., 139, 118.

1776 YANKEE, Sloop. Guns, 9; Men, 60.

May 23

Commander: Henry Johnson.

Bond: Continental, £5000.

Bonders: Paul Dudley Sargent and Henry Johnson, mariner, both of Boston, and Nathaniel Crafts, merchant of Watertown.

Owners: P. D. Sargent & Co.

Witnesses: Perez Morton, Benjamin Hichborn.

M. A., vii, 342, 164, 339; American Gazette (Salem), July 9, 1776: "On Wednesday last was taken and sent into Cape-Ann by the Yankey Privateer Sloop in the Continental Service, lately fitted out of Boston to cruise against the unnatural Enemies of America, commanded by Captain Henry Johnson, the Ship Creighton [and] the Ship Zechariah Baily." N. E. Chronicle, July 11, 1776; Boston Gazette, Dec. 9, 1776 (Quoting letter of an Englishman relating to the capture of the Yankee): "... The capture of the privateer was solely owing to the ill-judged lenity and brotherly kindness of Captain Johnson, who, not considering his English prisoners in the same light that he would Frenchmen or Spaniards, put them under no sort of confinement, but permitted them to walk the decks as freely as his own people, at all times. Taking advantage of this indulgence the prisoners one day, watching their opportunity when most of the privateer's people were below and asleep, shut down the hatches and making all fast had immediate possession of the vessel without using any force." Am. Archives, Fifth Series, 1, 684, 754-756.

1776 YANKEE HERO, Armed Vessel. Tons, 120. Commander: Thomas Thomas.

Jan. 13

Bond: State, £1000.

329

Bonders: Thomas Thomas, mariner, Jonathan Jackson,
Nathaniel Tracy, and John Tracy, merchants—all of
Newburyport.

Witnesses: Robert Tracy, Ed[war]d Jackson.

M. A., VII, 339.

1776 YANKEE HERO, Armed Vessel (Brig). Tons, 120; Guns, 14; Men, 40.

Feb. 20

Commander: James Tracy.

Bond: State, £1000.

Bonders: James Tracy, mariner, Jonathan Jackson, Na-
thaniel Tracy and John Tracy, merchants of Newbury-
port, and Joseph Lee, merchant of Marblehead.
Witnesses: Enoch Titcomb, 3d, William Ames.

M. A., vii, 341, 165, 122; Amer. Archives, Fourth
Series, vi, 748. (Commission, Feb. 20, 1776); Mass.
Spy, Sept. 11, 1776 (Action with H. M. frigate Mil-
ford, 28, June 7, 1776): ". . . After some time the
ship hauled her wind so close, which obliged the brig
to do the same, that Capt. Tracy was unable to fight
his lee guns; upon this he backed under her stern,
but the ship, which sailed much faster and worked as
quick, had the advantage and brought her broadside
again upon him, which he could not evade, and in
this manner they lay not an hundred feet from each
other yawing to and fro for an hour and twenty
minutes, the privateer's men valiantly maintaining
their quarters against such a superior force. About
this time the ship's foremast guns beginning to slack
fire, Capt. Tracy tacked under his stern and when
clear of the smoke and fire, perceived his rigging to
be most shockingly cut, yards flying about without
braces, some of his principal sails shot to rags and half
of his men to appearance dying and wounded. .
[The frigate] again came up and renewed the attack,
which obliged Capt. Tracy to have recourse to his
guns again, though he still kept some hands aloft to
his rigging, but before the brig had again fired two
broadsides, Captain Tracy received a wound in his
right thigh and in a few minutes he could not stand;