Thomas Boyle

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Thomas Boyle (29 June 1775 – 12 October 1825) was an officer in the United States Navy during the War of 1812. He had also been a privateer.

Born in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Boyle went to sea at 10 or 11 years of age and assumed his first command at the age of 16. In 1794, he moved his base of operation to Baltimore, Maryland. Soon after the War of 1812 began, Boyle took command of the privateer Comet and during his first cruise--conducted in the West Indies between 11 July and 7 October 1812--captured four vessels with an aggregate value of $400,000. On his second cruise, he sailed along the Brazilian coast, departing Baltimore on 25 November 1812. Though he made five captures, his second voyage was a financial disaster because British cruisers retook all five prizes. On 17 March 1813, Boyle slipped past the British blockade into Chesapeake Bay.

That blockade prevented any cruising during the summer of 1813, so Boyle accepted a warrant as sailing master in the United States Navy on 16 April 1813. In that role, he helped to protect American commerce on Chesapeake Bay. His brief Navy career lasted only until 8 September 1813 when he began to prepare Comet for her third voyage as a privateer.

On 29 October 1813, he and his ship sneaked through the blockade in heavy weather. During that cruise to the West Indies, Boyle and his crew captured 20 prizes before returning to the United States at Beaufort, North Carolina, on 19 March 1814. Boyle left Comet at Beaufort and headed north to Baltimore and thence to New York where he took command of the privateer Chasseur, of which he was part owner. The privateer tried to put to sea on 24 July, but British warships obliged her to wait four days off Staten Island.

Once at sea, Boyle set a course for the British Isles via the Grand Banks. The cruise lasted three months, and he netted 18 prizes before returning to New York on 24 October. During his many exploits on the trip, Boyle had the bravado to proclaim a blockade on the entire United Kingdom. His proclamation was posted in Lloyd's Coffee House in London. British merchants were alarmed, and shipping and insurance rates soared. In honor of his daring, the Chassuer earned the nickname "The Pride of Baltimore."

Boyle spent the next two months preparing for his fifth and final privateering voyage. On 24 December, Chasseur put to sea and shaped a course for the West Indies. There, she took a succession of prizes. On 25 February 1815, she chased what appeared to be a weakly armed coaster but which turned out to be a Royal Navy cruiser. Undaunted, Boyle raced to the attack and, after a sharp 15-minute fight, captured HBM schooner St. Lawrence. He concluded his final cruise at Baltimore on 18 March 1815.

Little is known of Boyle's life after the war. He settled in Baltimore and presumably returned to mercantile service. He died at sea.