Captain Tobias Lear's Account for Superintending Construction of New Hampshire Privateer Ship Portsmouth [Extract], May 23, 1778

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[Portsmouth, N.H., May 23, 1778]¹

[Extract]

Cor'll John Langdon,²		Dr.
1776	To paying the Carpenters for Building the Ship Portsmouth from the 25th of Sept. to the 21st day of Dec. when she was launched³	£ 634.12. 3
1777	For Cash paid the Carpenters when finishing the ship at town and for lodging of same	£ 141.12.11
1777	To my Time from Sept. 25th, 1776, to Dec. 21st, 777 [1776] 106 days @ 6/6	£ 34. 9. 0
	To 15 Weeks Board @ 14s	10.10. 0
		£ 821. 6. 2
Cotra		Cr.
1776
Oct. 19th	By Cash to pay Carpenters for Building the ship Portsmouth	30. 0. 0
Oct. 25th	By Cash for Do.	104. 8. 0
Nov. 9th	By Cash for Do.	64.16. 0
Nov. 16th	By Cash for Do.	108. 0. 0
Nov. 19th	By Cash for Do.	30. 0. 0
Dec. 6th	By Cash for Do.	180. 0. 0
Dec. 23d	By Cash for Do.	120. 0. 0
1777
Mar. 11th	By Cash for Do.	176. 0. 0
		£812. 4. 0⁴
1778
May 23d	By Cash to Ballance this Ac't	9. 2. 2
		£ 821. 6. 2

Captain Tobias Lear’s Account Book (Dec. 23, 1776–May 12, 1781), taken from Pay Director Joseph Foster Rear Admiral U.S.N. (Ret.) “Capt. Tobias Lear of Portsmouth, Builder of the Ranger,” The Granite Monthly: The New Hampshire Magazine of Biography, Literature, History and State Progress, vol. 39 (1907), pp. 85–92.

1. This date is determined by the last entry in the account.

2. Col. John Langdon was Continental Agent for New Hampshire and colonel in the New Hampshire militia. He owned a shipyard on Langdon’s I., now Badger’s I., Portsmouth, N.H.

3. Privateer Portsmouth was built earlier in 1776 and launched on 21 Dec. at Langdon’s Shipyard. Continental Navy ship Hampshire, later renamed Ranger, was laid down two days later on 23 Dec. 1776 at the same shipyard to a similar draught and dimensions. Portsmouth (20 guns) was manned by a crew of 100 seamen while Ranger (18 guns) was manned by a crew of 140 seamen.

4. In the printed version, the editor added a note to say that the total should have been £ 813. 4. 0.

Document Information

Date

1778 May 23

Volume

Volume 12

Series

American Theatre from April 1, 1778 to May 31, 1778

Naval Documents of the American Revolution

Captain Tobias Lear's Account for Superintending Construction of New Hampshire Privateer Ship Portsmouth [Extract], May 23, 1778

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