USS Andrew Doria (1775)
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- For other ships with the same name, see USS Andrew Doria.
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Purchased: | November 1775 |
| Fate: | Burned to prevent capture November 1777 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 190 tons |
| Length: | 75 ft (22.9 m) |
| Beam: | 25 ft (7.6 m) |
| Depth: | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sail |
| Complement: | 112 officers and men |
| Armament: | 14 x 4 pounders (1.8 kg) |
USS Andrew Doria was purchased by the Continental Congress in October of 1775. The ship was originally named the Defiance, but was renamed Andrew Doria, after being fitted out as a fighting vessel.
The brigantine was named after a 15th century Genoese admiral Andrea Doria. She was part of the first amphibious operation in the taking of Fort Montague as part of Esek Hopkins' fleet.
She was captained by Nicholas Biddle. After the taking of Fort Montague, she became the fleet's hospital ship after the other ships had an outbreak of smallpox. Andrew Doria was not affected as its crew had been inoculated.
The ship received the first-ever salute to the United States by a foreign power when on November 16, 1776 she arrived at St. Eustatius. The Dutch island returned her 11-gun salute. The event was widely reported in the United States, and provided the title for Barbara Tuchman's 1988 book, The First Salute, about the American Revolution.
The not-for-profit corporation, Andrew Doria: the First Salute is currently building a working replica of the Brigantine Andrew Doria.
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This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
