USS Morris (1778)

History


Name:	USS Morris
Namesake:	Robert Morris (1734-1806), American politician and signer of the Declaration of Independence
Acquired:	1778
Fate:	Wrecked 18 August 1779
Notes:	Formerly Rebecca
General characteristics
Propulsion:	Sails
Complement:	150
Armament:	24 guns

For other ships of the same name, see USS Morris.

The first USS Morris was a sailing ship in the Continental Navy in commission from 1778 to 1779.

A party of Americans led by James Willing who had come downriver from Ohio captured the ship Rebecca on the Mississippi River during the American Revolutionary War. Oliver Pollock, the American commercial agent at New Orleans who had charge of naval affairs on the Mississippi during the American Revolution, purchased Rebecca for the Continental Congress. The ship was renamed Morris, manned, and fitted out for action under the command of Captain William Pickles.

A severe hurricane destroyed Morris on 18 August 1779, causing the loss of 11 of her crew.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

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