7 April 1776 A.D. U.S. Navy and CAPT John Barry: Colonial Navy (LEXINGTON) Captures HMS EDWARD off VA Coast
7 April 1776 A.D. U.S. Navy and CAPT John Barry: Colonial Navy (LEXINGTON) Captures HMS EDWARD off VA Coast Editors. “U.S. Navy captures first warship.” History.com. N.d. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-navy-captures-first-british-warship . Accessed 15 Jan 2015. U.S. Navy captures first British warship On this day in 1776, Navy Captain John Barry, commander of the American warship Lexington , makes the first American naval capture of a British vessel when he takes command of the British warship HMS Edward off the coast of Virginia . The capture of the Edward and its cargo turned Captain Barry into a national hero and boosted the morale of the Continental forces. Barry was born in the seaboard county of Wexford, Ireland, in 1745 and offered his services to the Continental Congress upon the outbreak of the American Revolution . Congress purchased Barry's ship, Black Prince , which it renamed Alfred and placed under the...