The Alfred and the Raleigh At Sea

The ships Raleigh and Alfred were the first two vessels in the American Continental Navy, 1776. The Raleigh was a 32 gun frigate built by James Hackett of Portsmouth, N.H. The Alfred was a converted merchantman. The two ships in consort attacked a British convoy in September 1776 in the West Indies, but later the same month the Raleigh was captured by the British and entered into their navy. She was sold out and condemned in 1783.