John Barry (March 25, 1745 – September 13, 1803) was an Irish-born American naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War. He has been credited by some as "The Father of the American Navy", sharing that moniker with John Paul Jones and John Adams, and was appointed as a captain in the Continental Navy on December 7, 1775.[1][2] Barry was the first captain placed in command of an American warship commissioned for service under the Continental flag.[3] After the Revolutionary War, he became the first commissioned American naval officer, at the rank of commodore, receiving his commission from President George Washington in 1797.
Barry was born on March 25, 1745, in Ballysampson,[4][5]Tacumshane, County Wexford, Ireland to a Catholic family.[6] When Barry's family was evicted from their home by their Anglo-Irish landlord, they moved to Rosslare on the coast, where his uncle worked a fishing skiff. As a young man, Barry determined upon a life as a seaman, and he started out as a cabin boy on commercial vessels.[7] He later served in the Royal Navy, gaining invaluable command experience. Being raised in the Barony Forth, his first language was Yola, as that was the only language used for daily communication at that time in the area.[8]
Barry eventually left his native country and immigrated to the American colonies, where merchant fleets were in need of experienced sailors. When the American Revolution began, Barry found himself sympathetic to the Patriot cause and decided to volunteer his services.
Barry was formally commissioned as a captain in the Continental Navy on March 14, 1776; his warrant was signed by John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress. Barry was a religious man and began each day at sea with a reading from the Bible. He had great regard for his crew and their well-being, making sure they were properly provisioned while at sea.[9]
Captain Barry's first American command was USS Lexington, of 14 guns, which began on December 7, 1775. He was the first officer, army or navy, to receive a commission from the Continental Congress.[10]Lexington sailed on March 31, 1776. On April 7, 1776, off the Capes of Virginia, Barry fell in with Edward, a tender servicing the British man-of-war HMS Liverpool, and after a desperate fight of one hour and twenty minutes captured and brought Edward into Philadelphia.[11]
On June 28, the Pennsylvania brigNancy, carrying 386 barrels of powder in her hold, ran aground while attempting to elude British blockader Kingfisher. Barry ordered the precious powder rowed ashore during the night, leaving only 100 barrels. A delayed action fuse was left inside the brig, exploding and killing the British boarding party that had just seized Nancy.[12] This engagement became known as the Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet.[13]
Barry retained command of Lexington until October 18, 1776. He was noted for his success in capturing several privateers operated by Loyalist crews to help enforce the British blockade.[14]
In 1778, Barry assumed his third command, USS Raleigh, capturing three prizes before being run aground while fighting an action on September 27, 1778. He and his crew escaped and scuttled the ship, but she was raised by the British, who refloated and converted her into a Royal Navy vessel.[16]
Eager to improve the fighting capabilities of the Continental Navy, Barry authored the first American navy signal book, published in 1780, to improve communications at sea among American vessels traveling in formation.[17]
Barry receiving commodore commission from Washington
On February 22, 1797, he was issued Commission Number 1 by President George Washington, backdated to June 4, 1794. His title was thereafter "commodore". He is recognized as not only the first American commissioned naval officer but also as its first flag officer.[21]
Barry's last day of active duty was March 6, 1801, when he brought USS United States into port, but he remained head of the Navy until his death on September 13, 1803, from asthma. Barry died childless.[23]
On October 24, 1768, Barry married Mary Cleary, who died in 1774. On July 7, 1777, he married Sarah Austin, daughter of Samuel Austin and Sarah Keen of New Jersey.[25] Barry had no children, but he helped raise Patrick and Michael Hayes, children of his sister, Eleanor, and her husband, Thomas Hayes, who both died in the 1780s.[citation needed]
The U.S. Revenue Cutter Commodore Barry, captured off Maine during the War of 1812.
Commodore Barry Park in Brooklyn, New York. It is the oldest park in the borough. It was renamed for Commodore Barry in 1951, due to its location next to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which Barry helped found.
A large statue of Barry stands directly in front of the formal entrance to Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
There is a large portrait of Commodore Barry at the Rhode Island State House in Providence; and Title 16 of the Rhode Island Statutes (§ 16-20-3 – Days of special observance) requires observing September 13 as Commodore John Barry Day.
A statue of Barry overlooks the Crescent Quay in Wexford town in Ireland. It was a gift to the town from the United States and was delivered by a United States Navydestroyer, USS John R. Pierce (DD-753). The statue was unveiled in 1956, and each year a parade and wreath-laying ceremony takes place at the statue to celebrate "Barry Day", commemorated by the Irish Naval Service and the Minister for Defence.
Commodore John Barry Elementary School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commodore John Barry Elementary School in Chicago, Illinois
Commodore John Barry Division of Ancient Order of Hibernians, Annapolis, Maryland
Commodore John Barry Division of Ancient Order of Hibernians, National Park, New Jersey
Commodore John Barry Division of Ancient Order of Hibernians, Syracuse, New York
John Barry Bar, Grand Hyatt Muscat, Muscat, Oman
September 13, Commodore John Barry Day in New Jersey public schools
Commodore John Barry Memorial Plaque at Staten Island Borough Hall
A new plaque with a cannon was dedicated on March 10, 2007, in Port Canaveral.
A plaque stands in the city of Boston on Boston Common.
A plaque commemorating Barry and his crew of the Alliance for the final naval battle of the American Revolution is located at Jetty Park in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
A stone plaque commemorating his grave site is located at Old St. Mary's Church in Philadelphia, PA.
The visitor entrance to the United States Naval Academy, from Downtown Annapolis to the Visitor's Center, commemorates Commodore John Barry. Inside the entrance is a monument to Commodore Barry with a plaque with an image of his commission, Number 1 in the United States Navy. Both the gate and the monument were erected by the Ancient Order of Hibernians[27][28]
Plaque and Bust of Commodore Barry at Rickover Hall, USNAThere is a plaque and bust commemorating Commodore Barry on the main floor in the Rickover Hall classroom building at the United States Naval Academy.
Fink, Leo Gregory (1962). Barry or Jones, "Father of the United States Navy"; Historical Reconnaissance. Jefferies & Manz, Inc, Philadelphia. p. 138. URL
Gurn, Joseph (1933). Commodore John Barry: Father of the American Navy. P. J. Kennedy & Sons. p. 274. URL
Ignatius, Martin; Griffin, Joseph (1897). The history of Commodore John Barry. Published by the Author, Philadelphia. p. 261. URL
Ignatius, Martin (1903). Commodore John Barry: "the father of the American navy". Published by the Author, Philadelphia. p. 424. URL
