Hopkins, Esek

Hopkins, Esek, 1718–1802, American Revolutionary naval hero, b. Scituate, R.I.; brother of Stephen Hopkins. He commanded a privateer in the French and Indian War, and in Dec., 1775, he was appointed commander in chief of the newly established Continental navy. In 1776 he made a successful raid on New Providence in the Bahamas. After a dispute with the Continental Congress, he was suspended from command in 1777 and then dismissed from the service in 1778. Hopkins is known as the "first admiral of the American Navy."

Bibliography

See biography by E. Field (1898, repr. 1972).

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Hopkins, Esek

(born April 26, 1718, Providence, R.I.—died Feb. 26, 1802, Providence, R.I., U.S.) American naval officer. He went to sea at age 20, proving his ability as a seaman and a trader. A marriage into wealth put him at the head of a large merchant fleet prior to the French and Indian War (1754–63); his privateering during that conflict added to both his fortune and his naval reputation. In 1775 he was appointed the first commander of the Continental Navy. Instructed to attack the British fleet in Chesapeake Bay, he sailed instead for the Bahamas, where he captured the British post at New Providence. He returned to Rhode Island, where the fleet became largely inactive. In 1776 an investigation by Congress led to his censure for disobedience. The fleet's continuing inactivity led to his suspension from command (1777) and dismissal (1778).

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Hopkins, Esek (1718–1802) naval officer; born in Scituate, R.I. He was commander-in-chief of the Continental navy (1775–77). He disregarded congressional orders to attack British ships in the Chesapeake Bay; he instead attacked and captured New Providence, Bahamas (1776). Following a difficult year for the new navy in 1776–77, Congress dismissed him from the naval service.