On This Day 6 September

[Coog]

On the night of September 6, 1776, Ezra Lee piloted the submarine Turtle up to the Eagle, which was moored off what is today called Governors Island, due south of Manhattan. A common misconception was that Lee failed because he could not manage to bore through the copper-sheeted hull. In practice, it has been shown that the thin copper would not have presented any problem to the drill, and that he likely struck a metal rudder support.

A more likely scenario is that Lee's unfamiliarity with the vessel made him unable to keep the Turtle stable enough to work the drill against the Eagle's hull. When he attempted another spot in the hull, he was unable to stay beneath the ship, and eventually abandoned the attempt. Governors Island is off the southern vertex of Manhattan, This is the place where the Hudson River and the East River merge. The currents at this point would be strong and complex. The Turtle would only be able to attack ship moored here during the short period of time when the incoming tide balanced the river currents. It is possible that during the attack the tide turned and Lee was unable to compensate. He released the keg of gunpowder when some British in row boats tried to pursue him. The British suspecting some trick gave up the pursuit.

Lee landed safely after remaining several hours in the water, and received the congratulations of Washington, who afterwards employed him on secret service. Lee made a similar attempt a short time afterward with Bushnell's machine in an attempt to destroy a British frigate that lay opposite Bloomingdale, New York, but was discovered and compelled to abandon the enterprise. The submarine was soon after sunk by the British as it sat on its tender vessel, in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Years later in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, Bushnell reported he had salvaged the Turtle; its final fate is unknown.

[Coog]

The Capture of HMS Savage refers to a naval battle of the Revolutionary War involving the American privateer Congress and the British sloop-of-war HMS Savage. It occurred on 6 September 1781 off South Carolina and is considered one of the hardest fought single ship actions of the war.

By 1781 the smaller British vessels blockading Chesapeake Bay were raiding the American coast by means of boat expeditions. One commander involved in the operations was Captain Charles Sterling of the sloop Savage, armed with sixteen 6-pounders. Sterling is noted for having plundered Mount Vernon, the estate of General George Washington, who was the overall commander of the Continental Army and later the first American president. Shortly after, Captain Sterling sailed his ship south.

In the early morning of 6 September , Savage was escorting a convoy when she encountered the sloop-of-war Congress, ten leagues from Charleston. Congress was under the command of Captain George Geddes of Philadelphia, armed with twenty 12-pounders and four 6-pounders, with a complement of 215 officers and men. Stirling placed Savage between the merchant vessels and the stranger.

When Sterling first saw the Congress he sailed towards her, in the hope that she was a privateer of twenty 9-pounder guns, that had been raiding in the area. However, when he got closer and saw that she was significantly stronger even than the privateer he though she might be, Stirling chose to attempt an escape. However, by 10:30 am the Americans came within range and opened fire with their bow chasers. By 11:00 Congress had closed the distance and her crew engaged with muskets and pistols to which the British replied with "energy". At this point Captain Geddes observed that his ship was faster than that of the enemy so he maneuvered ahead of Savage until almost abreast, in preparation for a broadside attack.

A duel then commenced at extreme close range, during which both ships were heavily damaged. Sailors on both sides were also burned by the flashes of their enemy's cannon. The rigging of Congress was torn to shreds during the exchange which compelled the Americans to stand off for quick repairs. After doing so, the chase was resumed and the privateer was swiftly alongside the Savage again when another duel began.

For about an hour the Americans and British fought and by the end Savage was in ruins. The quarter deck and the forecastle had been completely cleared of resistance, the mizzenmast was blown away and the mainmast was nearly gone as well. Geddes felt this was an opportune time to board the enemy but just as he was moving his ship in, a boatswain appeared on the Savage's forecastle, waving his hat as a sign of surrender.

British forces suffered the loss of eight men killed and 34 wounded, including Captain Sterling; the Americans 11 killed and around 30 wounded. In his letter reporting on the action, Captain Sterling noted that after he and his men became prisoners, the Americans had treated them "with great Humanity."

Unfortunately for the Americans, they never made it back to port. The frigate HMS Solebay captured Savage on 12 September. When she was captured, Savage had a prize crew of 30 men aboard her. Maclay states that the same frigate captured Congress and recaptured Savage. (The London Gazette mentions the recapture of Savage, but not the capture of her captor Congress.)

[Coog]

Commander Charles Napier led the 18-gun brig HMS Recruit into action against the 20-gun French corvette Diligente, under Jean-François Lemaresquier, on 6 September 1808. The action was fierce and resulted in Recruit losing her mainmast and suffering heavy casualties, including Napier, whose leg was broken by a cannon shot. Diligente was only driven off after a lucky shot from Recruit ignited an ammunition store. Recruit lost six killed and 23 wounded, half of them mortally, out of a crew of 106.