John Barry, father of the U.S. Navy
John Barry, the future “Father of the American Navy” was born on March 25, 1745, in Tacumshane, County Wexford, Kingdom of Ireland. Most sources report his parents as James Patrick John Barry and Mary Ellen Cullen. However, there’s another claim his parents were John Barry and Catherine Barry (née Kelly).
The elder Barry was a tenant farmer, meaning he rented land to harvest crops, and he wasn’t overly successful. Unfortunately, the family, which also included John’s siblings Margaret, Thomas and Eleanor, was evicted from the property by a British landlord and forced to move with family to the seaside Rosslare about 4 miles away.
From an early age, young John was curious about water and inspired by his uncle Nicholas, who was a ship master at the Rosslare Harbor. John started out by working as a cabin boy on commercial ships before joining the Royal Navy.
It’s been speculated that John Barry left home and traveled to Spanishtown in Jamaica before landing in Philadelphia when he was just 15. A quick study, Barry was captain of a schooner called Barbados and made frequent trips to the West Indies and Halifax by the time he was 21.
The merchant fleets needed experienced sailors, and tempted by stories of the New World, the adventurous Barry immigrated to the American colonies and stayed with a relative, Jane Barry Wilcox.
John Barry and John Paul Jones are both recognized as “Father of the American Navy.” Jones was two years younger than Barry — Jones was vain and volatile, Barry more gentlemanly and reserved, but they both had a great respect for one another.
While he was eager, driven and youthful, the sea was not everything for Barry. He found love and married Mary Cleary (sometimes spelled Clary) in either 1767 or a year later, depending on the source, at St. Joseph’s Church in Philadelphia. Described as a “young Irish girl,” Cleary lived with Barry in a small home near the Philadelphia waterfront, along the Delaware River. Later, because of John’s increasing success, they employed a servant.
Tragically, Mary passed away while John was at sea in 1774. She was just 29 and not much is known of her life or death. It’s interesting to note that Cleary may have been older than the future Commander. Her gravestone indicates she was born in October 1744, a year before Barry. The couple had no children.
When the American Revolution began, Barry was loyal to his adopted country. He was appointed as a captain in the Continental Navy on Dec. 7, 1775. According to American Battlefield Trust, the Continental Congress commissioned its first ship, the USS Brigantine Lexington — the first ship to fly the American flag — to him in 1775. Before the year was out, Barry was appointed as a captain in the Continental Navy on Dec. 7, 1775.
He received his official naval commission just a few months later March 14, 1776. His orders were issued by John Hancock, who served as president of the Second Continental Congress. Barry was the first man to receive a commission from the Continental Congress.
A devout Catholic, Barry read the Bible every morning. He was also well known to respect and care for his crew while on the open seas. That still didn’t stop him from having to fight off three different mutinies throughout his naval career.
The original, two-masted, square-rigged USS Lexington (there have been five with that name in all) with its 14 guns was an impressive ship. She quickly broke through the British blockade and delivered valuable gunpowder to Philadelphia. The Lexington captured the British tender Edward and was involved in other skirmishes in the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware coastal area. Barry was at its helm until Oct. 18, 1776.
On July 7, 1777, Barry married his second wife, prominent Philadelphian Sarah Keen Austin, who friends and family called “Sally.” She has been described as a Patriot in her own right. While she and Barry never had children of their own, the couple raised two children named Patrick and Michael, who were orphaned when John’s sister Eleanor died.
Also, that year Barry was assigned to his second command: the USS Delaware, a larger, heavier, 24-gun frigate which participated in ultimately unsuccessful American naval operations in the Delaware River.
After that, Barry assumed his third command, the USS Raleigh. This ship, also among the 13 original frigates authorized by the Continental Congress, was bigger yet. The Raleigh had 32 guns, and it was a more versatile, active ship than the Delaware. It ran aground on Sept. 27, 1778, with Barry and his crew escaping the British.
Barry authored the first American navy signal book, in 1780, to improve communications among vessels at sea. Soon thereafter, on May 29, 1781, Barry was seriously wounded on the Alliance while taking part in the capture of the HMS Atalanta and her sister ship Trepassey.
He quickly recovered and, along with the crew of the USS Alliance won the final naval battle of the American Revolution south of Cape Canaveral on March 10, 1783.
After the Revolutionary War, he was appointed senior captain and commanded the frigate United States during the Quasi-War with France.
On Feb. 22, 1797, President George Washington issued the first commission to Barry, and he was henceforth referred to as “Commodore” and the first flag officer.
Barry remained active until March 6, 1801, when he brought USS United States into port. He remained head of the U.S. Navy until sick with asthma, he died on Sept. 13, 1803, in Philadelphia. Barry was held up for his integrity, good temper and “universal civility of manners” among other attributes. He was 58.
Since his death, Barry has been honored in every conceivable way. Statues have been erected in his honor, including ones in Ireland, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Four naval ships have been given his name, as have a variety of schools. The Commodore Barry Bridge spans the Delaware River.
And as fitting as it is for the “Father of the U.S. Navy,” the visitor’s welcoming entrance to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Virginia commemorates the Commodore.
