THE LAST NAVAL BATTLE OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR
Posted by: 
tiki-4
N 28° 21.064 W 080° 40.927
17R E 531152 N 3136134
Last maritime action of the Contential Navy
Waymark Code: WM19YA
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 03/10/2007
Views: 162
"The last naval battle of the American Revolutionary War took place off the coast of Cape Canaveral on March 10, 1783. The fight began when three British ships sighted two Continental Navy ships, the ALLIANCE commanded by Captain John Barry and the DUC DE LAUZON commanded by Captain John Green sailing northward along the coast of Florida. The ALLIANCE, a 36-gun frigate, and the DUC DE LAUZON, a 20-gun ship, were loaded with 72,000 Spanish silver dollars they were bringing from Havana, Cuba to Philadelphia to support the Continental Army. One of the British ships, the HMS SYBIL, a 28-gun frigate commanded by Captain James Vashon, chased the ALLIANCE and the DUC DE LAUZON to the south. The HMS SYBIL fired first, exchanging shots with the slower DUC DE LAUZON. Then in a daring strategy Captain John Barry aboard the ALLIANCE reversed his course, and while under fire, waited until the HMS SYBIL was close. When the British ship was alongside he returned fire to the broadside with greater number of cannon. The battle lasted less than an hour, when the HMS SYBIL, outgunned and badly damaged, broke off from the battle and fled. The ALLIANCE and the DUC DE LAUZON then continued on their mission at dawn on March 11, 1783."
Marker Number: F-583
Date: 2006
County: Brevard
Marker Type: Roadside
Sponsored or placed by: Cape Canaveral Port Authority, Florida Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, and the FLDOS
Website: [Web Link]
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