John Shaw
Encyclopedia
John Shaw was a Captain
in the early years of the United States Navy
.
, County Laois
, Ireland
, in 1773, and moved to the United States in 1790, where he settled in Philadelphia, and entered the merchant marine.
Appointed Lieutenant
in the United States Navy on 3 August 1798, he first served in Montezuma
in Commodore
Thomas Truxtun
's squadron in the West Indies during the early part of the Quasi-War
with France
. On 20 October 1799, he was given command of the schooner Enterprise
in which, during the next year, he captured seven armed French vessels and recaptured several American merchantmen. By the time he was relieved of command due to ill health in October 1800, he had made Enterprise one of the most famous vessels of the Navy.
During the First Barbary War
, Shaw commanded frigate
Adams
in the Mediterranean under Commodore John Rodgers
from May to November 1804.
Shaw helped suppress the 1811 German Coast Uprising
.
During the War of 1812
, Shaw commanded the New Orleans naval post as well as the frigate United States
.
Captain Shaw died at Philadelphia, where he was interred in the Christ Church Burial Ground
, along with Benjamin Franklin and other signers of the Declaration of Independence. His epitaph reads:
Shaw's daughter was married to Francis Hoyt Gregory
(1780–1866), an officer in the United States Navy during the War of 1812 through the Civil War, serving then as a Rear Admiral.
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
in the early years of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
.
Biography
He was born at MountmellickMountmellick
Other than that its a 15th-century settlement on the narrow Owenass river with an encampment on its banks at Irishtown. Overlooking this valley with its trees and wildlife was a small church called Kilmongan which was closed by the Penal Laws in 1640...
, County Laois
County Laois
County Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, in 1773, and moved to the United States in 1790, where he settled in Philadelphia, and entered the merchant marine.
Appointed Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the United States Navy on 3 August 1798, he first served in Montezuma
USS Montezuma (1798)
The first USS Montezuma was a ship in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France. Her merchant name was retained.Montezuma was built in Virginia in 1795 for transatlantic voyages; acquired by the Navy 26 June 1798 from William Taylor at Baltimore, Maryland, for service against French...
in Commodore
Commodore (USN)
Commodore was an early title and later a rank in the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard and a current honorary title in the U.S. Navy with an intricate history. Because the U.S. Congress was originally unwilling to authorize more than four ranks until 1862, considerable importance...
Thomas Truxtun
Thomas Truxtun
Thomas Truxtun was an American naval officer who rose to the rank of commodore.Born near Hempstead, New York on Long Island, Truxtun had little formal education before joining the crew of the British merchant ship Pitt at the age of twelve...
's squadron in the West Indies during the early part of the Quasi-War
Quasi-War
The Quasi-War was an undeclared war fought mostly at sea between the United States and French Republic from 1798 to 1800. In the United States, the conflict was sometimes also referred to as the Franco-American War, the Pirate Wars, or the Half-War.-Background:The Kingdom of France had been a...
with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. On 20 October 1799, he was given command of the schooner Enterprise
USS Enterprise (1799)
The third USS Enterprise, a schooner, was built by Henry Spencer at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1799, and placed under the command of Lieutenant John Shaw...
in which, during the next year, he captured seven armed French vessels and recaptured several American merchantmen. By the time he was relieved of command due to ill health in October 1800, he had made Enterprise one of the most famous vessels of the Navy.
During the First Barbary War
First Barbary War
The First Barbary War , also known as the Barbary Coast War or the Tripolitan War, was the first of two wars fought between the United States and the North African Berber Muslim states known collectively as the Barbary States...
, Shaw commanded frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
Adams
USS Adams (1799)
The first USS Adams was a 28-gun sailing frigate of the United States Navy. She should not be confused with .-Commissioning:She was laid down in 1797 at New York City by John Jackson and William Sheffield and launched on 8 June 1799. Capt...
in the Mediterranean under Commodore John Rodgers
John Rodgers (naval officer, War of 1812)
John Rodgers was a senior naval officer in the United States Navy who served under six Presidents for nearly four decades during its formative years in the 1790s through the late 1830s, committing the greater bulk of his adult life to his country...
from May to November 1804.
Shaw helped suppress the 1811 German Coast Uprising
1811 German Coast Uprising
The 1811 German Coast Uprising was a slave revolt that took place in parts of the Territory of Orleans on January 8–10, 1811. The revolt took place on the east coast of the Mississippi River in what are now St. John the Baptist and St. Charles Parishes, Louisiana. While the slave insurgency was...
.
During the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, Shaw commanded the New Orleans naval post as well as the frigate United States
USS United States (1797)
USS United States was a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy and the first of the six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794...
.
Captain Shaw died at Philadelphia, where he was interred in the Christ Church Burial Ground
Christ Church Burial Ground
Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is an important early-American cemetery. It is the final resting place of Benjamin Franklin and his wife, Deborah. Four other signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried here, Dr. Benjamin Rush, Francis Hopkinson, Joseph Hewes...
, along with Benjamin Franklin and other signers of the Declaration of Independence. His epitaph reads:
Shaw's daughter was married to Francis Hoyt Gregory
Francis Gregory
Francis Hoyt Gregory was an officer in the United States Navy during the War of 1812 through to the Civil War, serving then as a Rear Admiral.-Early life; service during the War of 1812:...
(1780–1866), an officer in the United States Navy during the War of 1812 through the Civil War, serving then as a Rear Admiral.
US Navy vessels named in honor of Shaw
- Two destroyers have been named after John Shaw: DD-68USS Shaw (DD-68)USS Shaw was a in the United States Navy during World War I. She was later transferred to the United States Coast Guard as CG-22....
and DD-373USS Shaw (DD-373)USS Shaw , a Mahan-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Captain John Shaw, a Naval officer. Commissioned in 1936, she was plagued by construction deficiencies and was not fully operational until 1938...
. In an odd coincidence, both destroyers lost their bows in action yet were repaired and continued their service. DD-68 had 90 feet of her bow cut off by HMS Aquitania during a collision in 1918 and DD-373 is best known for its spectacular explosion during the attack on Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl HarborThe attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
. - Shaw IslandShaw IslandShaw Island is the smallest of the four San Juan Islands served by the Washington State Ferries. The island has a land area of 19.952 km² and a small year-round population of 240 , with only a slight increase during tourist season. The Wilkes Expedition, in 1841, named the island after John Shaw,...
, San Juan IslandsSan Juan IslandsThe San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the northwest corner of the contiguous United States between the US mainland and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of the U.S...
, Washington