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The Origins of the Hannah
After convincing the Continental Congress that America needed a proper navy, General George Washington commissioned Nicholson Broughton captain of the Hannah, the first official ship in George Washington's Navy. -
The Nautilus on a Mission
3:00 AM: After questioning a small sailing warship that was on its way to the port of Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia, the Nautilus headed northeast away from the Lynn shoreline in search of colonial thieves. -
Mornings on the Hannah
5:50 AM: Aboard the Hannah, Captain Broughton and his crew ate breakfast while the blacksmith continued the repairs for the ship. -
Out of Sight out of Mind
12:00 PM: The Hannah set sail out of Beverly into open water at the peak of high tide. At this same moment, the Nautilus was offshore outside of Salem Bay, only 8 miles from the Hannah, but the ships were hidden from each other by land. -
The British are Coming
1:00 PM: Captain Collins on the Nautilus finally spotted the Hannah as it sailed out of Beverly, and they booked it towards their target. Sensing the power of the British warship, Captain Broughton on the Hannah turned the ship around to head back to the Beverly Harbor. The Nautilus, however, was considerably faster. Both ships crossed in front of Salem and began to catch the attention of several locals in Salem, Beverly, and even Manchester. -
A Split-Second Decision
3:15 PM: To prevent being captured by the Nautilus, Captain Broughton decided in a quick moment to ground the Hannah on the Beverly shore so that the armament could still be accessed. Grounding the ship, however, damaged the hull and put the Hannah out of commission. -
Bread or Life?
3:40 PM: While Captain Collin's goal was to burn the Hannah, the Nautilus was ordered to fire towards the church in the center of Beverly. Residents began to retreat, but some, like a woman who refused to leave her baking bread, were more stubborn. Militiamen started to return fire and Collins decided to give up the ruse and finally fire at the Hannah. -
Beverly Strikes Back
4:00 PM: The tide was getting lower, and the increased number of men on shore brought in cannons to fire at the Nautilus. Captain Collins realized it would be too great a risk to send his troops onshore. The Hannah was severely damaged by the British. -
Boom-Boom Fire Power
4:30 PM: Captain Collins mistook the power of Salem and their cannons, and a Salem resident got his hand blown off when loading a cannon. -
When all else Fails, Run Away
4:50 PM: As the sun went down and the Nautilus debated retreating, the ship came closer and closer to grounding. They attempted turning around and getting back into deeper waters, but their several attempts failed. -
At First when you Don't Succeed, Try, Try, Again
5:30 PM: Continuing to get out of the muscle bed, Captain Collins sent out one of his ship's boats to take a small anchor into the open water channel. This attempt using a winch failed. -
Stuck in the Muscles
6:45 PM: The Nautilus and crew had no choice but to wait out the tide and take several hits from the men onshore. -
That's a Wrap
7:30 PM: The tide rose high enough for the Nautilus to flee, and they swiftly left Beverly Harbor. There were only 3 total casualties at the conclusion of the fight. -
Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork
4:15 PM: 200 militiamen and townspeople from Salem rallied together with cannons to fight against the Nautilus alongside Beverly, just across the harbor. -
The Amazing Chase
3:30 PM: As the crew of the Hannah began unloading the cannons and ammunition off of the ship, militiamen from Beverly and Manchester quickly arrived. The Nautilus was not letting the Hannah get away that easily, and charged through the channel and dropped an anchor. This anchor dropped right next to a muscle bed (unbeknownst to the British)- the Americans knew exactly what would happen when low tide rolled in.
