USS Charlemagne

A Continental Navy warship, she is known as the first Continental command of Captain Isaac Biddlecomb in James L. Nelson's Revolution at Sea series. She was originally built as a privateer but was taken into the Rhode Island State Navy to stop HMS Rose in her attempt to stop all smuggling in that colony. There she accompanied Katy in capturing Rose's tender, Diana.

She was then purchased by the Continental Army for a mission to liberate gunpowder on Bermuda. On the way, however, she was taken by HMS Glasgow, but was later retaken by her crew. She made it back to Boston with a prize full of valuable gunpowder.

She was later purchased by the Continental Congress to become one of the first ships of the United States navy. She accompanied Commodore Esek Hopkins in the Battle of Nassau and the capture of the brig Bolton. She took part in the squadron's fight with the Glasgow as chased her all the way to Newport.

Before that mission, Ezra Rumstick had been demoted by the Continental Congress to second lieutenant, while a Roger Tottenhill from North Carolina took his place as first. Isaac Biddlecomb disliked Tottenhill, but tried not to show it, and was, in fact, accused of discrimination against Southerners by various members of his crew. When the convoy of men-o-war (mostly converted merchantmen) captured three Bahamian schooners, Biddlecomb was asked by the commodore to take charge of one of them, leaving Tottenhil in charge of Charlemagne. He did, taking with him most of his Northerner crew, and leaving Tottenhil more convinced of his discrimination against Southerners than ever.

Her next mission was to carry Benjamin Franklin to France. After this was accomplished, she raided the British coast and succeeded in taking HMS Swan and HMS Hector. She later returned to Philadelphia in 1777. She was finally sunk by HMS Merlin in the fall of 1777 off New Jersey.

• Nelson, James L. (1997). Maddest Idea. New York: Pocket Books.
• Nelson, James L. (1998). Continental Risque. New York: Pocket Books.
• Nelson, James L. (1999). Lords of the Ocean. New York: Pocket Books.
• Nelson, James L. (2001). All the Brave Fellows. New York: Pocket Books.