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Abraham Whipple (26 September 1733 - ) was born near Providence RI and chose to be a seafarer early in his life. He embarked upon a career in the lucrative West Indies trade. In the French and Indian War period, he became a privateersman and commanded privateer Game Cock from 1759 to 1760. In one six-month cruise, he captured 23 French ships. As American colonists began to resist unfair oppression by the British crown, acts of defiance became more and more prevalent. One such occurrence happened on 18 June 1772, when Whipple led 50 Rhode Islanders in the capture and burning of British revenue cutter Gaspee, which had run aground off Pawtucket while chasing the packet Hannah.
Three years later, the Rhode Island Assembly appointed Whipple commodore of two ships fitted out for the defense of the colony's trade. On the day the sea captain received his commission, 15 June 1775, he led his men to capture the frigate HMS Rose. After cruising in the vicinity of Narragansett Bay, he headed south to Bermuda to procure gunpowder for use by the colony and, on the return voyage, transported naval recruits to Philadelphia. Upon her arrival there, his ship, Katy, was taken over by agents of the Continental Congress and was fitted out as sloop-of-war Providencce. Whipple was commissioned a captain in the Continental Navy on 22 December and was given command of 24-gun frigate Columbus. During the period from 17 February to 8 April 1776, he commanded that ship during the first American Navy-Marine Corps amphibious expedition to cruise to New Providence, in the Bahamas, to seize essential military supplies from the British garrison at Nassau. After returning north to New England, Whipple captured five British prizes before 27 March 1778, when his ship ran aground off Judith Point. After stripping the ship, the wily captain and his crew abandoned her and escaped capture ashore. Next assigned to command 28-gun frigate Providence, Whipple ran the British blockade on the night of 30 April 1778, damaging HMS Lark and outrunning another Britisher during the escape. Tacking for France, Whipple's Providence crossed the Atlantic unmolested, bearing important dispatches relating to agreements between France and the American colonies, and reached Paimboeuf. After acquiring needed guns and supplies for the Continental Army, Providence and Boston sailed home to the colonies, taking three prizes en route.
Upon his return, Whipple received command of a small squadron; Providence, Ranger, and Queen of France. On one occasion in mid-July 1779, this group of ships encountered a large British convoy in dense fog off the Newfoundland Banks. Whipple cagily concealed his guns and ran up the British flag. Like a wolf among sheep, he cut 11 prizes out of the convoy, eight of which contained spoils of war valued together at over one million dollars, easily one of the richest captures of the entire war. Following this adventure, Whipple cruised off Bermuda before arriving at Charleston, S.C., on 23 December 1779. British forces threatened that key Continental port, causing the guns and crews from the Continental Navy ships in port to be moved on shore to reinforce the land batteries to repulse the expected British assault. However, after a rugged four-month siege, the overwhelming pressure of British arms forced the Continental forces to surrender on 12 May 1780. Whipple remained a prisoner of the British until he was paroled to Chester, Pa., and he took no further part in the war. Upon the conclusion of hostilities, Whipple took up farming near Cranston RI. For the remainder of his life, he remained a farmer, with the exception of two spells of seafaring as master of merchantmen, first of General Washington and then of St. Clair. With the formation of the Ohio Company in 1788 and the initial westward migration into that territory, Whipple and his family became pioneers on the American frontier and were among the founders of the town of Marietta, Ohio. Granted a pension by Congress in recognition of his distinguished service in helping to win American independence, Whipple died at Marietta on 27 May 1819.
USS Whipple DE-1062 was the third ship named in his honor, following Destroyer #15 and DD-217. (Photo from the Whipple Family Web Site) |
Bill Gonyo |
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circa 1977-1979: at Pearl Harbor - moored inboard of USS Badger (DE-1071) |
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Robert M. Cieri |
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26 May 1977: At sea - A sailor suffering from a collapsed lung is hoisted aboard an HH-53 Super Jolly helicopter from the helicopter pad of Whipple. The US Air Force helicopter will transport him to a medical facility on shore. (US Navy photo DVID #DF-ST-86-11913 by Ssgt Martin Cavazos from the Defense Visual Information Center) |
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22 May 1982: At sea - Crew members aboard Whipple stand at the ship's rail to render honors to the crew of the frigate USS Brewton (FF-1086) after the completion of a manila high-line transfer-at-sea. (US Navy photo DVID #DN-SN-84-01401 by Don S. Montgomery from the DVIC) |
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***1 January 1993: NavSta Subic Bay PI - A view of the repair ship USS Ajax (AR-6) moored at the Boton pier. The three frigates nested with the Ajax are the USS Brewton (FF-1086), Whipple and USS Ouellet (FF-1077). (US Navy photo DVID #DN-ST-93-01096 by Don S. Montgomery from the DVIC) (This, and the next photo are dated 1 January 1993. However, as pointed out by Carl Musselman, Ajax was decommissioned in 1986. In addition, Brewton hadn't received her hull upgrade in these shots. The date has to be incorrect, and the real date has to be prior to 1984.) |
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***1 January 1993: NavSta Subic Bay PI - A view of the repair ship Ajax moored at the Boton pier. The three frigates nested with the Ajax are the USS Brewton (FF-1086), Whipple and USS Ouellet (FF-1077). (US Navy photo DVID #DN-ST-93-01095 by Don S. Montgomery from the DVIC) |
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July 1985: Off Oahu Hawaii (Photo © Richard Leonhardt) |
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6 January 1987: At sea - An elevated starboard view of Whipple underway. (US Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-86-08674 by PH2 Powell from the DVIC) |
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July 1987: Pearl Harbor - USS Badger (FF-1071) pierside with Whipple outboard of her. |
Robert M. Cieri |
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1 June 1989: Pearl Harbor HI - A starboard quarter view of Whipple underway. (US Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-92-06499 by OS2 John Bouvia from the DVIC) |
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18 September 1989: San Diego CA - Whipple moves past the carrier piers at Naval Air Station, North Island, as it departs San Diego at the start of PACEX '89. Tied up in the background are the aircraft carriers USS Constellation (CV-64), left; USS Ranger (CV-61), center; and USS Independence (CV-62), right. (US Navy photo DVID #DN-ST-90-09780 by PHAN Andrew Heuer from the DVIC) |
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18 September 1989: San Diego CA - Whipple moves past the carrier piers at Naval Air Station, North Island, as it departs San Diego at the start of PACEX '89. Tied up in the background is the USS Independence (CV-62). (US Navy photo DVID #DN-ST-90-09781 by PHAN Andrew Heuer from the DVIC) |
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31 May 1996: Pearl Harbor HI - Port quarter view of the decommissioned guided missile frigate Duncan moored with other reserve ships at the Ships Intermediate Maintenance Facility in the middle loch at Pearl Harbor. To the right are the Knox class frigates Harold Holt (FF-1074), Whipple (FF-1062) and one unidentified unit. (US Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-97-01130 by Don S. Montgomery, USN (ret.), from the Defense Visual Information Center) |
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4 June 2000: Middle Loch, Pearl Harbor - Port quarter view of Whipple moored at the Naval Ships Intermediate Maintenance Facility. Whipple was the last remaining Knox class ship at this site. (US Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-02-05644 by Don S. Montgomery from the DVIC) |
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1 August 2000: Moored at NISMF Pearl Harbor, HI |
© Jim Bedient |
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