View source for USS Fly

{{short description|Sloops-of-war of the United States Navy}}
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|Ship image=USS Fly and USS Mosquito, by William Nowland Van Powell.jpg
|Ship caption=Painting by [[William Nowland Van Powell]] of USS ''Fly'' and {{USS|Mosquito|1775|6}}
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|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1777}}
|Ship name=''Fly''
|Ship namesake= [[Fly]]
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|Ship commissioned=January 1776
|Ship decommissioned=November 1777
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|Ship fate=Burned to prevent capture
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|Ship armament=6 × 9-pound guns
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'''USS ''Fly''''' was an eight-gun sloop in the [[Continental Navy]]. She was part of a squadron that [[Battle of Nassau|raided]] the port of [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]] and engaged the 20-gun {{HMS|Glasgow|1757|6}}.
''Fly'', one of the eight former merchant ships fitted out by the Naval Committee between November 1775 and January 1776. She was purchased in [[Providence, Rhode Island]]<ref>Naval Documents of the American Revolution vol 3, 1307 - 15 Feb 1776 - reference to increase of fleet by two from Baltimore (Wasp and Hornet) and one from Rhode Island (Fly). Confirm Fly is from Rhode Island.</ref> under a Congressional authorization dated 16 January 1775 for a small tender or despatch vessel for the fleet. A [[schooner]], often referred to as a [[sloop]], she was first commanded by [[Lieutenant]] [[Hoystead Hacker]]. This ship appears to be the same one that General George Washington authorized on 18 September 1775 to sail for supplies. A list of those supplies brought to the colonies by ''Fly'' was reported in the Naval Documents of the American Revolution, Volume 2, pg 254.
Early in 1776, ''Fly'' joined the squadron of [[Commodore (rank)|Commodore]] [[Esek Hopkins]] off [[Reedy Island]] at the head of [[Delaware Bay]], and on 17 February sailed with this force for its historic cruise to [[New Providence]], America's first amphibious operation. Two nights out, ''Fly'' fouled the sloop [[USS Hornet (1775)|USS ''Hornet'']], who was forced to return to port. ''Fly'', however, was able to rejoin the squadron off New Providence 11 March, finding that the operation had been a great success, and that a large quantity of military stores sorely needed by the [[Continental Army]] had been taken. Heavily laden with the valuable supplies, the fleet departed New Providence 17 March, and on 4 April arrived off [[Long Island]] where it took two small British ships of war and two merchantmen. Two days later the squadron engaged the British sloop-of-war [[HMS Glasgow (1757)|HMS ''Glasgow'']], damaging her so badly that she fled into [[Newport Rhode Island]], leaving her tender to be captured. On 8 April the fleet arrived at [[New London, Connecticut]], to land the captured military stores.
''Fly'' patrolled off New London to learn the strength of the British Fleet until June, when she was detached to carry cannon from Newport to [[Amboy, New Jersey]], where she was blockaded briefly by the British. Later in 1776, she cruised the New Jersey coast to intercept enemy ships bound for [[New York City]]. In an encounter with one of these in November, a number of ''Fly'''s men were wounded, and she was damaged to the extent that she had to put in at [[Philadelphia]] to repair and refit.
Ready for active service early in 1777, ''Fly'' convoyed merchantmen to sea, carried dispatches, and protected American ships in [[Cape May Channel]]. During the later part of the year, she was one of the Continental ships working with the [[Pennsylvania Navy]] to defend the [[Delaware River]]. In November when the British Fleet and powerful shore batteries forced the evacuation of [[Fort Mifflin]] and [[Fort Mercer]], giving the British control of the river, ''Fly'' and the other Continental ships were burned to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy.
==Citations==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==References==
* {{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/f3/fly.htm}}
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[[Category:Sloops of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Ships of the Continental Navy]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1777]]