Barry, John (redirected from John Barry)

Barry, John, 1745–1803, U.S. naval officer in the American Revolution, b. Co. Wexford, Ireland. He went as a youth to Philadelphia, where he was a trader and a shipmaster. In the Revolution he commanded the brig Lexington when she captured (1776) the British tender Edward—first British ship taken by a commissioned American ship. He fulfilled later commands with gallantry: in the Raleigh he fought against superior forces until compelled to beach the vessel to save it and the crew from capture; in the Alliance he took (1781) two British vessels after a hard fight. His renown as a naval hero of the Revolution was second only to that of John Paul Jones.

Bibliography

See biographies by J. Gurn (1933) and W. B. Clark (1938).

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Barry, John

(born 1745, County Wexford, Ire.—died Sept. 13, 1803, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.) Irish-born American naval officer. He immigrated to America in 1760 and was a merchant shipmaster out of Philadelphia at age 21. He outfitted the first American fleet in 1776, and as captain of a frigate he captured several British ships. He fought the last battle of the American Revolution in March 1783 in the Straits of Florida, where he defeated three British ships. After the war he was recalled to active service as senior captain of the new U.S. Navy. He was often called the “Father of the Navy” because he trained many future naval officers.

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Barry, John (1745–1803) naval officer; born in County Wexford, Ireland. He went to sea early and settled in Philadelphia by 1760. An ardent patriot, he became a Continental Navy captain (1776) and commanded the USS Lexington and Effingham (1776–78). He conveyed John Laurens to France aboard the USS Alliance and fought a grueling battle on his return voyage. He brought the Marquis de Lafayette back to France after the victory at Yorktown (1781), and captured numerous British vessels in 1782. After the American Revolution, he worked in the merchant trade and retired before being recalled to the naval service in 1794. He became the senior captain in the navy and commanded all U.S. ships in the West Indies (1798–99). He returned to Philadelphia (1801) and remained the senior naval officer until his death.