USS Deane

The Continental Navy frigate USS Deane, named after American commissioner to France Silas Deane, was built at Nantes, France, and brought to the United States in May 1778 to be prepared for sea.

Under the command of Captain Nicholson of the Continental Navy, Deane sailed from Boston 14 January 1779 with Alliance for a cruise in the West Indies. She returned to Philadelphia 17 April with one prize, the armed ship Viper. On 29 July she joined with Boston and two ships of the Virginia Navy guarding a convoy of merchantmen out to sea and continuing on for a 5-week cruise which netted eight prizes, including four privateers, the packet Sandwich, and the sloop-of-war HMS Thorn. The frigates arrived at Boston 6 September with 250 prisoners after one of the most notable cruises of the Continental Navy.

During the winter and early spring of 1781 and again in 1782 Deane cruised with Confederacy and Saratoga in the West Indies, capturing four prizes on the second of these cruises. After two more cruises in the Caribbean, one in September 1782 and the other in 1783, Deane was placed out of commission in 1783 at Boston. She was renamed Hague in September 1782 (perhaps because of false accusation against Deane that were current at the time).

This article includes information collected from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.