ESEK HOPKINS AND THE FIRST AMERICAN FLEET COMMANDER

Esek Hopkins and the first American fleet commander

In the early months of the Revolution, the Continental Congress moved from ad-hoc privateers to something closer to a real navy by appointing Esek Hopkins as commander in chief of the Continental Navy. American leaders knew they could not match the Royal Navy ship for ship, but they hoped a small fleet could raid British commerce, escort vital supplies, and show that the rebellion was more than a loose uprising on land. Hopkins received a motley collection of converted merchantmen and hastily armed vessels, along with a roster of ambitious captains. His record at sea would be mixed, and politics ashore would eventually end his tenure, yet the step was still crucial. By designating a single naval commander and creating a fleet under congressional authority, the revolutionaries laid down an early marker for the maritime arm of the American military that would later grow into the United States Navy.