The armed schooner Liberty, the first American naval vessel officially commissioned early in July 1775 by a Provincial Congress, sailed from this port. Commanded by Oliver Bowen and Joseph Habersham, she carried ten carriage guns and fifty men and flew the Liberty Flag, a white banner with a red border and the motto "American Liberty" in large red letters. On July 9, 1775, off Tybee, Liberty made the first ordered capture in Southern waters of the Revolution when she took the British vessel Phillipa, commanded by Captain Richard Maitland. Of some six and one half tons of gunpowder seized, over half was sent north for use by the other colonies. Bowen and Habersham later commanded the Georgia Continental Navy and the first Continental Battalion respectively.

Photo: Mike Stroud

Photo: Mike Stroud

Bluffton, South Carolina · USA