The U.S.S. Lexington was an 86-foot, two-masted warship used by the American navy during the Revolutionary War. In response to England’s blockade of the Atlantic coast, the Continental Congress began purchasing merchant ships and turning them into warships.
In March 1776, the merchant ship Wild Duck was converted into the U.S.S. Lexington with 16 deck cannons. With John Barry, widely known as the “father of the American navy,” as captain, and a crew of 110 sailors, the Lexington patrolled the Atlantic coastline, capturing at least five British warships. In February 1777, the Lexington was sent to harass the British in their own waters as part of a new strategy to disrupt the shipping lanes around the British Isles. Along with two other American warships, the U.S.S. Dolphin and the U.S.S. Reprisal, nine enemy ships were captured. Only a few months later, in June 1777, the Lexington’s luck ran out as she was attacked and captured by the English warship H.M.S. Alert off the coast of France.