On this day 250 years ago in London Vice Admiral Samuel Graves received an Order of the Privy Council approved by the King to send Royal Navy ships to patrol ports in New England in order to intercept ships smuggling arms and ammunition in violation of the Order. Graves promptly ordered the Gaspee, Halifax, Lively and Canceaux to patrol the ports north of Boston. Gaspee and Halifax were to cruise a portion of the Maine coast, Canceaux to the mouth of the Piscataqua River in New Hampshire, and Lively was sent to Salem, Massachusetts.
Source: https://www.nhssar.org/essays/FortConstitution.html#_ednref22
On This Day In The Revolution 
4 responses to “On this day 250 years ago in the Revolution — December 4, 1774”
Makes me wonder how long they remained on patrol before they had to stop at port. At port, I wonder how they were treated? I’m guessing the armed sailors could take what they pleased from the Americans whenever they chose to.
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Hi Ron, They were close to the Port of Boston which was occupied by the British Army and blockaded by many (I am sure I could find a count, but I know it was double digits) Royal Navy ships. It was very easy for these four ships to sail to Boston for resupply. No ships except those approved by the Royal Navy were allowed to dock in the Port of Boston but in 1774 all the other American ports were still open to anything except smuggled goods. The British Navy had for many years patrolled the American Coast looking for smugglers trying to avoid taxes, but at this time they were ramping up the patrols to intercept shipments of arms and ammunitions routed to America even if the taxes had been paid on the shipments.
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Hang on for next week through the next few months to April 19 to read what happens when armed British soldiers or sailors try to take what they want from the American people
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Oh! That will be exciting! I knew the Americans remained really annoyed with the Brits for impressing Americans as British sailors even after the American Revolution. I’ve read that’s one of the main reasons our great-great-grandfather and others enlisted during the War of 1812.
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