The Wreck of the Somerset

The Wreck of the Somerset

Cape Cod Waters Claim a Formidable British Warship

Ron Petersen

Orleans Massachusetts

The east-facing coast of Cape Cod has long been known as a graveyard for ships navigating its often-treacherous waters and sandbars. Since the wreck of the Sparrow-hawk in 1626 off the coast of what is now Orleans, there have been more than 3000 recorded wrecks. The number of unrecorded wrecks is, of course, unknown.

Among the most famous of these wrecks is the HMS Somerset on Sunday, November 1,1778 in the midst of the American Revolutionary War. The formidable-line-of-battle warship carrying 64 guns floundered in a violent storm and ran aground on the southeast end of the Peaked Hill sandbar off Provincetown and Truro. The story of the Somerset and its demise is repeat with fascinating and illuminating history, as well as a number of myths, legends, and folklore that evolved in its aftermath.

The Somerset was part of the British military buildup in the American Colonies as revolutionary fervor increased. She set sail from Plymouth, England on October 19, 1774 and anchored in Boston Harbor on December 20. Five months later in April 1775, she played pivotal roles during critical events related to the battles of Lexington and Concord.

During the night of April 18, the Somerset was anchored near the mouth of the Charles River. Paul Revere had to row across the river at that very spot as he began his famous ride to warn Adams, Hancock, and the other patriots in the Lexington area that “the British are coming!” Had he been spotted by the night watch on the Somerset and detained, the patriot militias might not have been mobilized, the ammunition stores seized, and Adams and Hancock arrested. Revere’s success in slipping by the Somerset is commemorated in Longfellow’s epic poem “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere”.

The next day, April 19, 1775, the Somerset was anchored off of Charleston in a position to cover the retreat of the bedraggled and exhausted British troops returning from Lexington and Concord, pursued by a growing body of patriot militia. The ship’s intimidating presence and the use of all of its boats to assist in the retreat were key to averting a major British disaster.  Admiral Samuel Graves, Commander of the British Navy’s North American Station, summed up the role that the Somerset played in the final phase of the April19 British retreat in a message that he sent back to England.

“But it was the Somerset alone that preserved the detachment from ruin. The vicinity of that formidable ship to Charlestown so intimidated its inhabitants that they though reluctantly suffered the King’s troops to come in and pass over to Boston, who would have otherwise been undoubtably attacked, and in their defenseless condition such a proceeding must have been fatal to all the land forces on that side, exhausted as they were with fatigue and without ammunition and the consequence of their destruction might have been that of the rest of the army in Boston, for, had the Charlestown people massacred those poor harassed soldiers just returning from Lexington, there can be no doubt but they would have immediately crossed over to Boston where they were certain to find 19 out of 20 willing and ready to assist them in finishing their work.”[i]

According to Admiral Graves’ assessment, the course of history would likely to have changed had it not been for the presence of the Somerset on that fateful day.

In less than two months, on June 16, 1775, the Somerset’s presence in Boston would again be felt as she served as Admiral Grave’s flagship during the battle of Bunker Hill. Along with other British naval vessels, the Somerset provided covering fire for the British Army as they took the hill that had been occupied by the patriot army.

The Somerset at Bunker Hill

Fast forward to November 1, 1778 when the Somerset found herself floundering in a terrific storm off the east coast of Cape Cod on her way to intercept an approaching French fleet. The ship ran aground on the southwest end of the Peaked Hill sandbar off Provincetown and Truro. The first boat to come ashore brought a Lieutenant, who surrendered to Captain Isaiah Atkins of the Truro militia. Atkins was also a Truro selectman. The second boat brought the Somerset’s commander, Captain George Ourry. Evidently, the rule that calls for the captain to be the last to leave a distressed ship did not apply in this case. The third boat with 21 men floundered in the surf and all were lost. Ultimately, 460 British sailors came ashore and were provided for by the 250 families that comprised the Town of Truro at the time.

On Friday, November 5, the prisoners began a march to Boston under the guard of Captain Atkins’ militia. Militias from each town along the way picked up the guard as the column made its way across the Cape. While some prisoners managed to walk off along the way, most, including Captain Ourry were ultimately exchanged for American prisoners being held by the British.

A considerable amount of folklore, legend, and myth evolved in Cape Cod history about the period between the time that the Somerset left Boston after Bunker Hill. A number of historians and writers report that the Somerset was stationed in Provincetown Harbor until its demise in 1778. There are claims that members of the crew frequently came ashore and interacted with Truro citizens. Accounts differ as to whether these contacts were friendly or adversarial. E.A. Grozier reported that “Cape Cod mothers were wont to frighten their children by saying that the black-whiskered Cap. Aurey (sic) was coming after them in his big ship.”[ii] He also reported that “The frigate’s (sic) boats frequently landed, and the officer’s and tars helped themselves to water, provisions, and anything else they wanted.”[iii] The Captain is also said to have periodically sent the chaplain ashore to preach to the people that is was ungodly to “cherish any rebellious feelings against King George.”[iv] A thorough review of the Somerset’s logs by Marjorie Hubbell Gibson has revealed that the ship was never anchored in Provincetown Harbor. After Bunker Hill, the Somerset’s locations were documented as being in other locations including England, Halifax, Narragansett Bay, and New York. When she was dispatched in 1778 to intercept the French fleet, she departed from New York.

Several well-known Cape historians also report that the Somerset was stationed in Provincetown Harbor. Henry C. Kittredge in his history of Cape Cod (1939) that “The British recognized the strategic value of Provincetown Harbor as a base for naval operations, and early in the war stationed a fleet of frigates there, the celebrated Somerset among them.”[v]  Simeon Deyo, in his history of Barnstable County (1898) wrote of the Somerset being stationed in Provincetown Harbor “She previously lay at anchor halfway between the Pond landing and Provincetown for nearly two years, and the residents had been distressed by the exactions of the men, so that  when the vessel was finally cast ashore on the other side of town, the opportunity for remuneration was welcomed by the Truro people.”[vi] Charles Francis Swift, in his history of Cape Cod wrote “While in Provincetown Harbor she had become a familiar sight, and had, with her formidable armament, been viewed with some degree of awe by the inhabitants.”[vii]

Another legend is that the ship’s surgeon, Dr. William Thayer, stayed behind in Truro and married North Truro resident Lucy Rich, remaining in Truro to practice medicine. In fact, Dr. Thayer was an American and had married Lucy Rich in 1772. The ship surgeon of the Somerset was Henry Watson.

Some historical accounts refer to the Somerset as a frigate. In fact, she was a much larger third-rate line of battle warship carrying 64 guns. Captain Ourry has been referred to as Curry, Aurey, and even Bellamy, likely in confusion with the wreck of the pirate ship Whydah in 1715.

The volume of myth that infiltrated the accounts of the Somerset presents a cautionary tale as we attempt to create a complete, accurate, and inclusive account of Cape Cod history. While many of the accounts that have come down through the years are accurate and useful, it is important to separate the fact from fiction.

Over the years, the remains of the Somerset have surfaced on three occasions, in the winter of 1885-86, in 1973, and in 2010. In 1872, the relic pictured below was presented to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by James Gifford as a souvenir of the wreck along with the accompanying card. Gifford was town officer of Provincetown as well as a local historian. Note the text of the card contains several errors, including the date of the wreck and the number of the crew that perished. The relic and card are on display at the Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters museum in Cambridge.  

Courtesy National Park Service 1

Somerset Remains-1886