This special Saint Patrick's Day edition honors Commodore John Barry: the Irish boy who became the father of the U.S. Navy.
1745—Ireland. In a small tenant farm along a windswept coast in County Wexford, a boy named John Barry is born into a family of poor Catholic farmers. Life under the English penal laws crushed Irish spirits into the ground. Like many Irish families, the threat of eviction was always present, and one day, the landlord forced them off their tiny piece of land.
Homeless, the Barrys moved to the rugged seaside village of Rosslare. Luck of the Irish—hardly, but it did give young Barry a way out. He learned the ropes on his uncle’s fishing skiff, and sailing it through choppy waves was the boy’s first taste of the sea. Who could have guessed that someday he’d make the Royal Navy tremble at his name and build what would eventually become the world’s most powerful navy?
Cabin Boy to Captain
Barry’s no stranger to hardships. As a young boy, he barely had shoes, but he has grit. By his teens, he was on ships, starting as a cabin boy—fetching water, scrubbing decks, and avoiding the mate’s boot. The sea is a tough school, but Barry learns fast. With broad shoulders and a calm head that made him a natural leader, he quickly rose through the ranks.
In the 1760s, he was in Philadelphia, a busy port on the Delaware River, becoming wealthy through trade. By age twenty-one, Barry was a merchant shipmaster, commanding vessels for major names like Reese Meredith. Standing over six feet tall, he was strong but still calm and steady even in fierce storms and rough seas. Soon, he was in high demand as a captain. “Big John” Barry was the skipper owners trusted to lead their ships.
He spends years hauling cargo across the Atlantic, dodging icebergs and setting speed records — such as the fastest day of sailing in the century aboard the prestigious Black Prince. By the 1770s, John Barry had reached the peak of his fortunes. However, storm clouds were gathering on the horizon — tension between the colonies and British authorities. Soon, Barry would exchange merchant manifests for cannonballs.
From Merchant Navy to the Continental Navy
When the First Continental Congress met in 1774, Barry was already friends with future Revolutionary War financier Robert Morris. When the Second Continental Congress decided to create a navy in 1775 using merchant vessels, Barry’s Black Prince was turned into the USS Alfred, which flew the Grand Union flag—America’s first naval ensign. Barry pushed for a naval command and was appointed captain of the USS Lexington, a 14-gun brig, that December.
He was the first army or navy officer to receive a Continental commission, signed by none other than John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, on March 14, 1776. History is about to be made!
First Fight
Barry’s first action takes place on April 7, 1776, off the Virginia Capes. Barry demonstrates his resolve. The Lexington engages with the British tender Edward, a spirited ship serving HMS Liverpool. Broadsides are exchanged—cannonballs flying, wood splintering—for an hour and twenty minutes. As calm as ever, Barry shows his courage, giving orders, and when the smoke clears, Edward strikes her colors—the first British ship captured by a Continental vessel. Barry sails his prize into Philadelphia—the American navy’s first!
Warrior on Land and Sea
By late 1776, the Cause was at its lowest point. Washington’s shrinking army was retreating through New Jersey after New York. What could Barry do? His next ship, the frigate Effingham, was still in the shipyard. Eager to join the fight, he gathered sailors, marines, and heavy artillery, formed an ad hoc naval brigade, and marched to support Washington.
At Trenton, his crew transported artillery through snow and ice, pounding the Hessian lines. His brigade also fought at Princeton. Washington personally thanked Barry before asking him to escort wounded prisoners to British General Cornwallis under a flag of truce. A true fighting Irishman on land or sea!
Back on the water in 1777, Barry commanded the brig USS Delaware and began raiding British shipping in the river with the same name. For the seasoned naval leader, it was like shooting ducks in a barrel; he took over twenty prizes, including the armed schooner Kitty.
In 1778, Barry took command of the frigate Raleigh, capturing three more prizes before she ran aground during a skirmish with British warships. Barry was forced to scuttle his ship but swiftly took command of another vessel, the USS Alliance, the fleet’s fastest ship.
In 1780, he was given a secret mission: to take Colonel John Laurens to France. That mission—securing loans and supplies—helped secure Washington’s victory at Yorktown in October 1781. To top it off, Barry captured a few British prizes on the return trip—just because he could.
The Final Fights
Barry’s most brutal fight took place on May 29, 1781. Standing tall on the quarterdeck of the Alliance, he faced the fight of his life. Two British sloops, HMS Atalanta and HMS Trepassey, attacked him. All hell broke loose as they closed in—broadsides tearing sails, grapeshot ripping through flesh. Barry was badly wounded when a piece of grapeshot went through his shoulder. He stayed at his station, rallying his crew and shouting commands, but the heavy blood loss eventually forced him below deck. In the end, both British warships surrendered—an act of double surrender. Even British captains now agree that he’s an American sea captain to respect.
Fittingly, on March 10, 1783, Barry fought the last naval battle of the war off Cape Canaveral. His Alliance squared off against HMS Sybille and a squadron. Barry is in a tight spot as he is convoying the Duc de Lauzane, loaded with cash and supplies from the West Indies. Barry has the advantage over Sybille in firepower, but the rest of the squadron is closing in on him. He abandons the newly captured Sybille, choosing to save the convoy and get the Duc de Lauzane safely to port. As the war nears its end, Barry has made a name for himself as a fighting captain.
Father of the Navy
Our Celtic commodore quickly resumed merchant sailing, making a historic voyage to China in 1787—opening trade with the “reclusive empire.” However, in 1794, with the U.S. Navy forming under the Naval Act, Barry was called to serve his country once more—as its first commodore! President Washington himself awarded Barry Naval Commission Number One. Barry began overseeing the construction of the 44-gun frigate USS United States, his flagship.
During the Quasi-War with France (1798–1801), Barry went back to work, seizing French merchant ships in the West Indies while training the next group of naval leaders—future icons like Stephen Decatur and Richard Dale.
The Final Watch
Despite worsening asthma, Barry continued to sail. But on March 6, 1803, the United States slides into port with Barry on the quarterdeck for the last time—his sea duty finished. He may have given up his ship, but not the Navy, remaining as its head until he died on September 13, 1803, at his Strawberry Hill home near Philadelphia. The first commodore was buried with full honors at St. Mary’s Churchyard. While happily married, Barry died childless. Yet his legacy lives on in the Navy he shaped and the men he mentored.
Legacy of a Legend
Some random shots about John Barry: author of an influential book for improving fleet communication, an early supporter of a standalone Navy Department (which was established in 1798). Barry was a man of faith—he started each day with a Bible reading. He was a brilliant leader of men—he cared for his crew, ensuring they were fed and in good shape. A wise disciplinarian—he quelled three mutinies with a firm yet fair approach, earning lasting loyalty from his men.
Many tributes were paid: four destroyers were named USS Barry, statues of Barry stand in Wexford and D.C., and the Commodore Barry Bridge was named in his honor. Rhode Island celebrates September 13 as “Commodore John Barry Day.”
Who's the Best?
Though not as famous as John Paul Jones, Barry distinguished himself in both war and peace. Starting as an Irish cabin boy and eventually becoming an American commodore, he fought on land and sea, built a navy from scratch, and set a standard for bravery. Historians often call John Barry the “Father of the American Navy,” a title many also credit to John Paul Jones.
Jones's contributions after the Revolutionary War were inconsistent, especially since he took a commission in Czarina Catherine the Great's navy (see my blog, Yankee Doodle in the Crimea). However, unlike Jones, Barry's legacy includes long-term influence and establishing institutions. Jones was flamboyant, but Barry left a lasting mark.
Next time you hear “I have not yet begun to fight,” tip your hat to Jones—and raise a glass to the quiet giant who led the Revolution to victory and beyond. Fair winds to you, Commodore Barry.
Great post SW. Barry had the skill, the courage and the virtues to be rightly recognized as the Father of the American Navy. I hope that I have done him proud in my recent book The Irish Admiralty - ISBN 9798992351422
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