She was built under the name TWO BROTHERS and owned by Thomas Stevens of Marblehead.
Schooner rigged with a displacement of 74 tons. Dim. ?.
Armament as warship 4 – 4 pdrs., 2 – 2pdrs., 10 swivels.
When and where built not known.
October 1775 was she chartered by Colonel John Glover acting for General George Washington, she was a replacement for the HANNAH.
Renamed in LEE, named after Charles Lee.
After fitting out as warship, and crewed, she sailed down streams with the tide on 28 October 1775 under command of Capt, John Manley.
When reaching Tuck Point she stayed there the night, and headed for sea the next morning.
27 November she took her first prize, the 80 ton sloop POLLY who carried turnips and Spanish-milled dollars from Halifax, Nova Scotia to the British troops at Boston, Mass.
After putting a prize crew on board, they sailed the POLLY to Beverly.
LEE sailed off Boston and the next morning at dusk gave chase to the 250 ton brig NANCY. The NANCY was approaching this port, and thinking that the LEE was the pilot boat. She laid her sails aback and sends up a string of signal flags. Captain Manley dispatched a boat with carefully picked men, ordering them to conceal their weapons as they rowed to and boarded NANCY. Taken by surprise, the brig surrendered without resistance, providing the Americans with a precious cargo of ordnance and gunpowder.
After a prize crew was put on board who sailed the NANCY to Beverly in company of the LEE.
Early December, LEE gave chase and intercepting the 200 ton CONCORD she was loaded with drygoods and coal, after a prize crew was put on board, LEE escorted the CONCORD in Marblehead Harbor.
January 1776 captain Manley was relieved by Capt. Daniel Waters.
29 January while operating together with the FRANKLIN, she took the 60 ton sloop RAINBOW, loaded with potatoes, spruce beer and meat.
The next day the two schooners and their prize were sighted by the British frigate HMS FOWEY.
After a fast chase, the Americans eluded the frigate and with their prize, reached safety in Cape Ann Harbor.
LEE and FRANKLIN soon slipped out to sea again; taking the 300 ton Boston bound brigantine HENRY AND ESTHER, carrying military cargo, northeast of Cape Ann on 1 February.
Early in March, HANCOCK and LYNCH joined LEE and FRANKLIN off Cape Ann. On the night of the 4th, the schooners drove off British Brigg HOPE in a spirited engagement.
The next day they took SUSANNAH, a 300 ton British merchantman laden with coal, cheeses, and porter for General William Howe’s beleaguered army in Boston.
After escorting the prize to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the squadron commanded by Capt. Manley in LEE, returned to Cape Ann, where on the 10th they captured another ship, the 300 ton transport STOKESBY bound for Boston with porter, cheese, vinegar, and hops. Enroute to Gloucester the prize ran aground. After much of her cargo had been removed British brig HOPE arrived and put the torch to the hulk.
While Manley’s squadron was at Gloucester, General Howe evacuated Boston and General Washington ordered his ships to dog the British Fleet, pouncing on any stragglers. The patriot schooners departed Gloucester, 21 March, and sighted a merchant brig off Boston Light that afternoon. They chased their prey and by evening were close enough to open fire. Their quarry then hove to, but two British men-of-war HMS SAVAGE and DILIGENT arrived to compel the American schooners to abandon their prize.
Soon afterwards, Manley divided his squadron, keeping LYNCH and LEE with HANCOCK. On the afternoon of 2 April, they sighted the brig ELIZABETH. This prize an American vessel captured by the British the previous October, was filled with loot plundered from the warehouses of patriot Bostonian merchants and carried a number of Tory refugees. Many of the Tories were transferred to LEE, while their leaders were taken on board HANCOCK, and the captive crew imprisoned in LYNCH, which accompanied HANCOCK into Portsmouth.
On 13 May, LEE operating with WARREN off Cape Ann, was joined by LYNCH. A fortnight later HMS MILFORD pursued the schooners, but they escaped in fog. On 7 June, they captured the British transport ANNE, carrying a light infantry company of the 71st Highland Regiment and some twoscore tars (relief crew) sent out as fleet replacement. Sixty of the Highlanders were transferred to LYNCH and taken to Plymouth, the remainder and the sailors were divided between the LEE and WARREN, which then escorted ANNE toward Marblehead, outrunning the British frigate MILFORD to safety.
LEE next cruised alone off Nova Scotia without success until recapturing BETSY, after that sloop had fallen prey to HMS MILFORD in Massachusetts Bay. LEE scored again in early November by taking the brig ELIZABETH, escorting her into BOSTON on the 7th. While LEE was in port, Captain Waters left the ship to journey to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as Member of Congress. He was succeeded by Capt. John Skinner.
Early in the spring of 1777, LEE was again underway from Boston. She took the schooner HAWKE, 13 April, captured the fishing sloop BETSEY, 3 May; a week later caught the Irish brigantine CHARLES. The latter, laden with fish, was recaptured en route to Boston under a prize crew. Soon the brigantines CAPELIN and INDUSTRY were added to the list of prizes and escorted to Casco Bay to be libelled. LEE then continued on to Boston, arriving 25 June.
Meanwhile, the ranks of General Washington’s Navy were being thinned by captures. When LYNCH struck her colors, 19 May 1777, LEE was the only schooner of the little fleet left in operation. She pushed out into the Atlantic, 24 July. On 29 August, she caught the brig INDUSTRIOUS BEE and sent her into Boston. The next day, she took the snow LIVELY, but that prize was recaptured by the frigate HMS DIAMOND, 23 September.
LEE next turned south and took her final prize, the brigantine DOLPHIN, before returning to Marblehead, 26 October 1777.
A few days later, she was returned to her owner.
12 May 1780 was she captured.
Grenada Grenadines 1c sg177, scott?
Source: as given by Wikipedia and Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.