John Barry (naval officer)
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| John Barry | |
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 Portrait by Gilbert Stuart |
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| Born | March 25, 1745 Tacumshane, County Wexford, Ireland |
| Died | September 13, 1803 (aged 58) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Buried at | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | Continental Navy |
| Years of service | 1775–1803 |
| Rank | Commodore |
| Battles/wars | American Revolutionary War *Lexington vs HMS Edward *Alliance vs HMS Atalanta and Trepassey *Alliance vs Sybil |
John Barry (March 25, 1745 – September 13, 1803) was an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and later in the United States Navy. He is often credited as "The Father of the American Navy". Barry was born in Tacumshane, County Wexford, Ireland and appointed a Captain in the Continental Navy on December 7, 1775.
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[edit] Personal life
On October 34, 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. 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.
Barry died at Strawberry Hill, in present-day Philadelphia on September 13, 1803, and was buried in the graveyard of Old St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Center City, Philadelphia.
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Barry's name does not appear on the first list of Rank. Fortunately the Navy found more ships and posted a new list in which Barry was 7th out of 24. He commanded the Lexington, Raleigh, and Alliance. He and his crew of the Alliance fought and won the final naval battle of the American Revolution off the coast of Cape Canaveral on March 10, 1783. He was seriously wounded on May 29, 1781, while in command of Alliance during her capture of HMS Atalanta and Trepassey. Barry was successful in suppressing three mutinies during his career as an officer in the Continental Navy.
Captain Barry was given command of Lexington, of 14 guns, on December 7, 1775. The Lexington sailed March 31, 1776. On April 7, 1776, off the Capes of Virginia, he fell in with the Edward, tender to the British man-of-war HMS Liverpool (1758), and after a desperate fight of one hour and twenty minutes captured her and brought her into Philadelphia. Barry continued in command of Lexington until October 18, 1776, and captured several private armed vessels during that time.
John Barry was once offered £100,000 British pounds and command of any Frigate in the entire British navy if he would desert the American Navy. Outraged at the offer, Captain Barry responded that not all the money in the British treasury or command of its entire fleet could tempt him to desert his adopted country.[1]
He was still in command of the Alliance when it participated in the last battle of the Revolutionary War.[2]
Appointed senior captain upon the establishment of the U.S. Navy, he commanded the frigate United States in the Quasi-War with France. Barry authored a Signal Book published in 1780 to improve communications at sea among vessels traveling in formation.[3]
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.[4]
Barry's last day of active duty was March 6, 1801, when he brought the USS United States into port, but he remained head of the Navy until his death on September 12, 1803, from asthma.
[edit] Commemorations
- The US Revenue Cutter Commodore Barry, captured in the War of 1812 off Maine
- The Commodore Barry Bridge over the Delaware River
- 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 that Barry helped found.
- Four U.S. Navy ships
- USS Barry (DD-2) (1902–1920)
- USS Barry (DD-248) (1921–1945)
- USS Barry (DD-933) (1956–1983)
- USS Barry (DDG-52) (1992– )
- In World War II, the United States liberty ship SS John Barry was named in his honor.
- John Barry Hall at the US Merchant Marine Academy
- John Barry Hall at Villanova University
- Commodore Barry Club (Philadelphia Irish Center) Emlen St & Carpenter Lane, Mt Airy, Phila Pennsylvania
- Barry Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
- 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
- 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
[edit] Statues
- Commodore John Barry stands in Franklin Square (Washington, D.C.).
- A large statue of Barry stands directly in front of the formal entrance to Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA.
- 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 Navy frigate. 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.
- 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 new plaque with a cannon was dedicated on March 10, 2007 in Port Canaveral.
- A plaque stands in the city of Boston at Boston Common
- A stone plaque commemorating his grave site at Old St. Mary's Church in Philadelphia, PA.
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Barry and John Paul Jones on a U.S. postage stamp
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Barry on an Irish postage stamp
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Barry on an Irish first day cover
[edit] See also
- List of people on stamps of Ireland
- William Brown (admiral), "Father of the Argentine Navy"
- Irish military diaspora
[edit] Sources
- Tim McGrath, John Barry: An American Hero in the Age of Sail, Westholme Publishing, 2010, ISBN 9781594161049 [5]
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ The American Irish Blog
- ^ "The Alliance" in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
- ^ Woods, D. & Sterling, C. Signaling and communicating at sea. Arno Press, 1980. p. 195
- ^ specifically issued by a Joint Congressional Resolution and proclaimed by President George W. Bush on December 22, 2006.
- ^ "The Revolutionary War's Other Naval Hero". Aram Bakshian Jr.. June 5, 2010. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704717004575268681479651038.html.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: John Barry |
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A Compendium of Irish Biography article John Barry |
- Barry-Hayes Collection, papers at Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, digitized by Villanova University's Digital Library, Villanova, Pennsylvania.
- John Barry (naval officer) at Find a Grave
- John Barry: True Father of the American Navy - New American
