Ranger (initially called
Hampshire) was launched on 10 May 1777 by
James Hackett, master
shipbuilder, at the
shipyard of
John Langdon on what is now called
Badger's Island in
Kittery, Maine. Captain
John Paul Jones was named her first commander.
Ranger sailed from
Brest 10 April 1778, for the
Irish Sea and four days later captured the brigantine "Dolphin" between the
Scilly Isles and
Cape Clear and
scuttled it. On 16 April, she took the ship "Lord Chatham" 5 leagues from Cape Clear and sent her to Brest. On 19 April she sunk a Scottish coastal schooner in the
Mull of Galloway. On 20 April she sunk a sloop.Captain Jones led a raid on the English port of
Whitehaven on 23 April, spiking the guns of the fortress but failing in his attempt to burn the ships in the harbor. Sailing across the bay to
St. Mary's Isle, Jones planned to seize the
earl of Selkirk and hold him as a hostage and use him to make several political demands. However, since the earl was absent, the plan failed. Several
Royal Navy vessels were searching for
Ranger, and Jones sailed across the
North Channel to
Carrickfergus, Ireland, to induce of 14 guns, to come out and fight on 24 April.
Drake came out slowly against the wind and tide, and after
an hour's battle, the battered
Drake struck her colors, with eight sailors being killed in action during the engagement. Later on the same day she captured the brigantine "Patience". Having made temporary repairs and with a prize crew on
Drake, Jones continued around the west coast of Ireland, capturing a lone storeship and arrived at Brest with her prizes on 8 May. Jones was detached to command , leaving Lieutenant Simpson, his first officer, in command.
Ranger departed Brest on 21 August, reaching
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on 15 October, in company with and , plus three prizes taken in the Atlantic.
Ranger departed Portsmouth on 24 February 1779 joining with the Continental Navy ships and in preying on British
shipping in the North Atlantic. Seven prizes were captured early in April and brought safely into port for sale. On 18 June,
Ranger was underway again with
Providence and
Queen of France, capturing two
West Indiamen in July and nine more vessels off the
Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Of the 11 prizes, three were recaptured, but the remaining eight were sold with their cargoes for over a million dollars.
Ranger was ordered to Commodore
Abraham Whipple's squadron, arriving at
Charleston, South Carolina, on 23 December to support the
garrison there under
siege by the British. On 24 January 1780,
Ranger and
Providence, in a short cruise down the coast, captured three transports, loaded with supplies, near
Tybee,
Georgia. The British army tasked with capturing Charleston was also discovered in the area.
Ranger and
Providence sailed back to Charleston with the news. Shortly afterwards the British commenced the final push. Although the channel and harbor configuration made naval operations and support difficult,
Ranger took a station in the
Cooper River and was captured when Charleston fell on 11 May 1780.
Royal Navy Ranger was taken into the British
Royal Navy and commissioned under the name HMS
Halifax. She was
decommissioned in Portsmouth, England, in 1781, then sold as a merchant vessel for about 3 percent of her original cost. ==Specifications==