Can anyone tell me about the Ship Defence which was used in the Revolutionary War? Many thanks, Janet Currie

Janet -- >>> Can anyone tell me about the Ship Defence which was used in the >>> Revolutionary War? <<<< "Defence" was a very, very common name for an American vessel and they came in all sizes from armed rowboats to full-rigged ships. When you match a Capt George Cook with the ship "Defence" you end up with the Maryland Navy ship of that name. There is a muster roll for this ship dated 19 Sep 1776 in _Naval Documents of the American Revolution_, [NDARs]vol. 6, pp. 905-907. The original is at the Maryland Historical Society (Revolutionary Collection, Ms 1814). Cook commanded about a year and the crew numbered around 150 men. You should be able to find a set of NDARs at a major municiple or university library. Ten volumes covering Dec 1775 to Dec 1777 have been published by the US Navy History Center to date and Vol. 11, covering 01 Jan to 31 Mar 1777 has a tentative GPO release date of 19 July 2005. Bob Brooks