MARVIN MANDEL, Governor                            2651

Maryland as the Bicentennial Navy State

FOR the purpose of requesting that Maryland declare
itself the Bicentennial Navy State for the
celebration of the Bicentennial of the United States
of America.

WHEREAS, The first naval unit known as the Maryland
Sea Service, later as the Baltimore City Brigade of Naval
Militia, Maryland Sea Fencibles and the Maryland Naval
Militia, was organized on January 6, 1775 by Commodore
Samuel Purviance and the Committee of Safety at Fells
Point in Baltimore Towne; and

WHEREAS, The Maryland Sea Service raised the first
naval force to oppose the British in the Patapsco and
Upper Chesapeake with the armed schooners Defensive,
Defense and Defiant; and

WHEREAS, The Maryland Sea Service did raise the
first Maryland Marines in June, 1775 and did join forces
with the newly organized Pennsylvania Navy to form the
Continental Navy, jointly sailing to raid both the
Bahamas and Bermuda to acquire powder and arms for the
Continental Army; and

WHEREAS, Maryland provided such great naval heroes
as Samuel Purviance, Hugh Purviance, Samuel Nicholson,
Joseph Nicholson, David Porter, Sr., David Porter, Jr.,
Joshua Barney, John Rodgers, Franklin Buchanan, Raphael
Semmes and countless others; and

WHEREAS, Baltimore and Maryland counties provided
most of the privately armed vessels which broke the
economic back of Britain's merchant trade and drove
British insurance rates to a point of economic disaster;
and

WHEREAS, The Privateers and Letter of Marque vessels
from Maryland captured more enemy shipping in the
American Revolution and War of 1812 than any other state;
and

WHEREAS, The Maryland Sea Fencibles defended
Maryland against invasion of British forces at Baltimore
under the command of Barney, Rodman, Rodgers and Decatur
on September 12, 13 and 14, 1814; and

WHEREAS, The Frigate Constellation has been
designated as Flagship of the National Bicentennial and
is the Flagship of the State of Maryland by Act of the
Legislature in 1967; and

WHEREAS, The Constellation was the first
commissioned ship of the new U.S. Navy of 1794 and was
built and launched from the yard of Major David Stodder,
the outstanding Maryland Army Militia hero of the