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US Navy - Amphibious Assault Ship LHA 4 - USS Nassau |
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| 07/21 | ||
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Type,
class: Amphibious Assault Ship (General Purpose) -
LHA; Tarawa - class Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA STATUS: Awarded: November 6, 1970 Laid down: August 13, 1973 Launched: January 21, 1978 Commissioned: July 28, 1979 Decommissioned: March 31, 2011 Fate: in reserve / laid up in Beaumont, Texas Namesake: Battle of Nassau, Bahamas (March 3 - 4, 1776) Ships Motto: PRIMA AB MARE (first from the sea) Technical Data: see: INFO > Tarawa class Amphibious Assault Ship - LHA |
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Deployments: April 1981 - June 1981 with Marine Air Group 32 (MAG-32) embarked - Mediterranean Sea January 1982 - June 1982 with 34th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-263(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean August 1982 - October 1982 with VMA-231 and VMO-1 embarked - North Atlantic Ocean February 1984 - August 1984 with 24th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-263(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea September 1987 - March 1988 with 22nd Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-264(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea August 1988 - October 1988 with Marine Air Group 14 (MAG-14) embarked - North Atlantic Ocean May 1989 - November 1989 with 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-263(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea August 1990 - April 1991 with 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) and Marine Air Group 40 (MAG-40) embarked - Operation Desert Shield + Storm February 1992 - April 1992 with 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) embarked - North Atlantic Ocean October 1993 - April 1995 with 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-261(REIN) embarked - Mediterranean Sea, Adriatic Sea November 1996 - May 1997 with 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-365(REIN) embarked - Mediterranean Sea, Adriatic Sea November 1998 - May 1999 with 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-266(REIN) embarked - Mediterranean Sea, Adriatic Sea November 2000 - May 2001 with 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-162(REIN) embarked - Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean August 2002 - May 2003 with 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-263(REIN) embarked - Mediterranean Sea, Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf November 2005 - May 2006 with 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-261(REIN) embarked - Mediterranean Sea, Persian Gulf February 2008 - July 2008 > NASSAU Strike Group - Mediterranean Sea, Persian Gulf January 2010 - August 2010 with 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and VMM-162(REIN) embarked - off Haiti, Mediterranean Sea, Arabian Sea |
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 Atlantic Ocean - November 2010  Atlantic Ocean - November 2010  departing Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia for her final deployment - November 2010  returning to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - August 2010  returning to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - August 2010  with VMM-162(REIN) and 24th MEU(SOC) embarked - 5th Fleet AOR - June 2010  with VMM-162(REIN) and 24th MEU(SOC) embarked - 5th Fleet AOR - May 2010  with VMM-162(REIN) and 24th MEU(SOC) embarked - 5th Fleet AOR - February 2010  with VMM-162(REIN) and 24th MEU(SOC) embarked - Suez Canal - February 2010  with VMM-162(REIN) and 24th MEU(SOC) embarked - Suez Canal - February 2010  Operation Unified Response - off Haiti - February 2010  Operation Unified Response - off Haiti - February 2010  Operation Unified Response - off Haiti - February 2010  Operation Unified Response - off Haiti - February 2010  Operation Unified Response - off Haiti - February 2010  Operation Unified Response - off Haiti - February 2010  Operation Unified Response - off Haiti - February 2010  with VMM-162(REIN) and 24th MEU(SOC) embarked - Caribbean Sea - January 2010  with VMM-162(REIN) and 24th MEU(SOC) embarked - Caribbean Sea - January 2010  with VMM-162 embarked - December 2009  off North Carolina - October 2009  Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - May 2009  Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) at BAE Systems ship repair, Norfolk, Virginia - February 2009  New York City - October 2008  off Virginia - September 2008  returning to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - July 2008  Atlantic Ocean - July 2008  Atlantic Ocean - July 2008  Persian Gulf - May 2008  during Exercise Phoenix Express 08 - Mediterranean Sea - May 2008  Atlantic Ocean - February 2008  Atlantic Ocean - February 2008  Atlantic Ocean - February 2008  Atlantic Ocean - February 2008  Atlantic Ocean - February 2008  Atlantic Ocean - February 2008  Atlantic Ocean - February 2008  Atlantic Ocean - February 2008  Atlantic Ocean - February 2008  departing Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - February 2008  departing Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - February 2008  flight deck qualifications - Atlantic Ocean - November 2007  flight deck qualifications - Atlantic Ocean - November 2007  well deck operations - Atlantic Ocean - November 2007  Turkish, Greek and Moroccan helicopters on board - Exercise Phoenix Express - April 2007  departing Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - March 2007  Persian Gulf - February 2006  Persian Gulf - February 2006  departing Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - November 2005  off North Carolina - September 2005  Atlantic Ocean - August 2005  off Haiti - May 2005  Pensacola, Florida - May 2005  Joint Shipboard Weapons and Ordnance (JSWORD) Training Exercise - Atlantic Ocean - February 2005  Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - February 2005  Atlantic Ocean - October 2004  Atlantic Ocean - July 2004  returning to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - May 2003  with 24th MEU(SOC) and HMM-263(REIN) embarked - Central Command AOR - February 2003  with 24th MEU(SOC) and HMM-263(REIN) embarked - Central Command AOR - February 2003  with 24th MEU(SOC) and HMM-263(REIN) embarked - off Djibouti - November 2002  with 24th MEU(SOC) and HMM-263(REIN) embarked - Central Command AOR - November 2002  salvage crane exercise - January 2002  during Exercise Unified Spirit 98 - off Nova Scotia - June 1998  Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - August 1996  New York City - May 1995  Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - May 1994  during Exercise Team Work - off Norway - March 1992  during Exercise Team Work - off Norway - March 1992  during Exercise Team Work - off Norway - March 1992  during Operation Desert Storm - 1991  cutout: note the two Mk.45 guns still in service  during Operation Desert Storm - 1991  during Operation Desert Storm - 1991  during Operation Desert Storm - 1991  during Operation Desert Storm - 1991  during Operation Desert Storm - 1991  during Operation Desert Storm - 1991  during Operation Desert Shield - 1991  during Operation Desert Shield - 1991  during Operation Desert Shield - December 1990  during Operation Desert Shield - October 1990  during Operation Desert Shield - September 1990  returning to Norfolk, Virginia - November 1989  returning to Norfolk, Virginia - November 1989  well deck operations - June 1987  during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding - off Norway - August 1986  during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding - off Norway - August 1986  during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding - off Norway - August 1986  during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding - off Norway - August 1986  during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding - off Norway - August 1986  during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding - off Norway - August 1986  during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding - off Norway - August 1986  departing Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - August 1986  Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Virginia - August 1986  Craney Island Naval Fuel Depot (NFD), Portsmouth, Virginia - January 1986  Craney Island Naval Fuel Depot (NFD), Portsmouth, Virginia - January 1986  Craney Island Naval Fuel Depot (NFD), Portsmouth, Virginia - January 1986  Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - October 1985  during Exercise SOLID SHIELD - off North Carolina - April 1985  with HMM-263(C) and 24th MAU embarked - Exercise AHUAS TARA II - off Honduras - July 1984  with HMM-263(C) and 24th MAU embarked - Exercise AHUAS TARA II - off Honduras - July 1984  with HMM-263(C) and 24th MAU embarked - Exercise AHUAS TARA II - off Honduras - July 1984  with HMM-263(C) and 24th MAU embarked - Exercise AHUAS TARA II - off Honduras - July 1984  with HMM-263(C) and 24th MAU embarked - Exercise AHUAS TARA II - off Honduras - July 1984  with HMM-263(C) and 24th MAU embarked - Exercise AHUAS TARA II - off Honduras - July 1984  a RIM-7 Sea Sparrow SAM missile was fired from the Mk.25 box launcher - Basic Point Defense Missile System (BPDMS) - May 1984  cutout  underway replenishment - Atlantic Ocean - November 1983  underway replenishment - Atlantic Ocean - November 1983  Lambert's Point Deperming (degaussing) Station, Norfolk, Virginia - October 1983  Lambert's Point Deperming Station, Norfolk, Virginia - October 1983  Lambert's Point Deperming Station, Norfolk, Virginia - October 1983  Lambert's Point Deperming Station, Norfolk, Virginia - October 1983  OV-10A Bronco (VMO-1) operations - late 1982  OV-10A Bronco (VMO-1) operations - late 1982  OV-10A Bronco (VMO-1) operations - late 1982  OV-10A Bronco (VMO-1) operations - late 1982  OV-10A Bronco (VMO-1) operations - late 1982  OV-10A Bronco (VMO-1) operations - late 1982  OV-10A Bronco (VMO-1) operations - late 1982  Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - July 1982  with HMM-263(C) and 34th MAU embarked - April 1982  with HMM-263(C) and 34th MAU embarked - April 1982  with HMM-263(C) and 34th MAU embarked - April 1982  with HMM-263(C) and 34th MAU embarked - April 1982  with HMM-263(C) and 34th MAU embarked - April 1982  with HMM-263(C) and 34th MAU embarked - April 1982  combat information center (CIC) - April 1982  combat information center (CIC) - April 1982  combat information center (CIC) - April 1982  combat information center (CIC) - April 1982  combat information center (CIC) - April 1982  combat information center (CIC) - April 1982  combat information center (CIC) - April 1982  combat information center (CIC) - April 1982  media center - April 1982  bridge - April 1982  a RIM-7 Sea Sparrow SAM missile was fired from the Mk.25 launcher - April 1982  Mk.45 gun fire exercise - April 1982  1980 |
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USS Nassau (LHA 4): The second Nassau (LHA-4) was laid down on 13 August 1973 at Pascagoula, Miss., by Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp.; launched on 21 January 1978; sponsored by Mrs. Jane C. Wilson, wife of Gen. Louis H. Wilson, Jr., USMC, Commandant of the Marine Corps; and commissioned on 28 July 1979, Capt. William A. Kearns, Jr., in command. The eagle and fouled anchor design in the center of the insignia is a reproduction of the design first used by Sailors and Marines during the American Revolution. This design is credited with being one of the oldest military insignias of the United States Armed Forces. The date, "1776", has been added to the design on the anchor stock as further historical link to the first ever U.S. amphibious landing on Nassau, Bahamas, in 1776. The crimson banner above the eagle contains five gold stars, which commemorate the five battle stars awarded to escort aircraft carrier Nassau (CVE-16) for her World War II service. The banner also contains the Latin phrase Prima Ab Mare, which translates, “First from the Sea”. This motto accurately reflects the historic significance of the landing at Fort Nassau in 1776, as well as the modern capabilities and mission of the LHA class of amphibious assault ship. The sea and sky background represent the ship’s ability to conduct surface and airborne amphibious assault operations. Finally, the insignia is in circled by a nautical anchor chain with the name plate and hull number symbolizing the unification of the Navy and Marine Corps team. Adm. Harry D. Train, II, Commander in Chief Atlantic Fleet, broke his flag in Nassau while the ship, with Marine McDonnell Douglas AV 8A Harriers embarked, sailed to the Caribbean to demonstrate U.S. capabilities to defend the Panama Canal in accordance with the 1979 treaty with Panama (6 March–9 April 1980). The ship visited: Nassau, New Providence Island, Bahamas; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Fort-de-France, Martinique; Bridgetown, Barbados; Kingston, St. Vincent; La Guaira, Venezuela; and Colón, Panama. A helicopter flew Adm. Train to Naval Air Station Key West, Fla., on the morning of 23 March, and Vice Adm. John D. Johnson, Jr., Commander Naval Surface Forces, Atlantic Fleet, broke his flag in Nassau. AV 8As deployed as a group with an LHA for the first time when 20 of the Harriers from Marine Aircraft Group, composed of Marine Attack squadrons (VMAs) 231 and 542, sailed to the Mediterranean on board Nassau (13 April - 29 June 1981). The ship’s mission was to demonstrate the Navy and Marine Corps’ ability to deploy anywhere globally upon short notice. She steamed in company with aircraft carrier America (CV-66), and then sailed off the coast of Lebanon, ready to evacuate Americans endangered within that country during a civil war between Muslim extremists, Christians, and Jews. A Marine North American Rockwell OV-10A landed on board Nassau on 1 August 1983. The event marked the first time that a Bronco landed on an LHA, and the recovery opened up the possibility of a future role for OV 10As in amphibious operations. The ship reported that Broncos that landed on board the ship would battle “treacherous cross winds while affecting a STOL [short takeoff and landing] landing within 300 to 350 feet…All in all, a very tricky business.” Nassau embarked more than 1,000 soldiers and approximately 180 vehicles for transport to Central America, on 20 August. The ship took part in Ahuas Tara II (Big Pine), a training exercise in those waters. She disembarked the majority of the soldiers and off-loaded their vehicles at Puerto Cortės and Puerto Castilla, Honduras, on 25 and 26 August, respectively. Two days later, she landed several Army utility landing craft (LCUs) and the remaining men at Colón. The ship returned to Norfolk on 2 September. Nassau deployed to the Mediterranean (29 September 1987- 29 March 1988), with the AV-8Bs of VMA-231 embarked, marking the first deployment of Harrier IIs to that region. The ship, in company with amphibious transport dock Shreveport (LPD-12) and tank landing ship Barnstable County (LST-1197), and with Marines of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked, deployed as part of Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group 2-89 (30 May - 10 November 1989). The ships took part in Portuguese multi-threat naval exercise Galera 89, but a riot erupted ashore while they visited Lisbon, Portugal, on 11 October 1989. A bar room brawl in the Cais de Sodre dockside area of bars and nightclubs escalated into a clash between hundreds of U.S. Sailors and Marines, British Sailors from their aircraft carrier Ark Royal (R.09), and Portuguese policemen. The rioters overturned cars and smashed windows, and from 150–200 people sustained injuries. Assistant Secretary of Defense Louis A. Williams announced during a press conference that at least 142 U.S. Sailors and Marines received treatment for various injuries, most of them from Nassau. The ship’s medical department treated at least 110 Sailors and Marines, while Shreveport saw 30, and Barnstable County two. Most of the victims suffered minor cuts and bruises, but at least 40 were admitted to ships’ hospitals because of major injuries such as concussions or damaged spleens. President George H. W. Bush met with South American leaders to discuss the worldwide blight of illicit narcotics trafficking, during a summit held at Barranquilla and Cartagena, Colombia (11-16 February 1990). The chief executive and his staff flew to the meetings on board three Sikorsky VH-60Ns of Marine Helicopter Squadron 1 that operated from Nassau. Following the summit, President Bush thanked the officers and men of Nassau, noting that they “played a critical role in the success of our trip.” In the wake of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990, a coalition that eventually comprised 29 nations initiated Operation Desert Shield: a UN sanctioned economic blockade of Iraq. After Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein refused to remove his forces from the invaded country, the coalition subsequently launched Operation Desert Storm: the liberation of the Kuwaitis from the Iraqis. Nassau, with elements of the Fourth Marine Expeditionary Brigade and Amphibious Group 2 embarked, deployed for these operations in what became the Persian Gulf War I (18 August 1990 - 20 April 1991). She passed through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea on 6 September, and on 14 September the ship arrived in the Gulf of Oman. President and Mrs. Bush held Thanksgiving service on board Nassau on 22 November. During the time leading up to the fighting, the ship took part in amphibious exercises Sea Soldier I–IV and Imminent Thunder. Vice Adm. Stanley R. Arthur, Commander Seventh Fleet/Naval Forces Central Command, ordered amphibious diversions at Būbiyān and Faylakā Islands to delay the retreat of routed Iraqi troops from Kuwait City, on 26 February 1991. Marine helos flew from amphibious assault ships Guam (LPH-9), Iwo Jima (LPH-2), and Nassau, rendezvoused with Grumman A-6E Intruders and EA-6B Prowlers, and collectively strafed and bombed Iraqi troops dug-in on the islands. In the interim, most of the retreating Iraqi troops fled toward Basra along a highway in hundreds of military and civilian vehicles. The Iraqis moved through kill boxes assigned to carrier air wing (CVW) 2, embarked in aircraft carrier Ranger (CV-61). Aircraft dropped aerial mines to partially block the escape of the Iraqi troops, and journalists described what ensued as the “Highway of Death.” Some Iraqis panicked and drove off the road into the desert, only to become mired in the sand. Most of the Iraqis then dismounted and fled into the desert on foot, but air strikes killed up to several hundred of the enemy and destroyed an estimated 1,400 tanks, armored vehicles, jeeps, cars, buses, and tractor trailers. Two or more Iraqi surface-to-air missiles shot down and killed Capt. Reginald C. Underwood, USMC, in an AV 8B of VMA 331, while he led a second section of four Harrier IIs from Nassau against Iraqi troops along the northern highway from Kuwait City, on 27 February 1991. Underwood became the final USMC aviator killed by direct enemy action in Gulf War I. While Nassau deployed to the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean (1 December 2000 - 24 May 2001), she discovered a small boat adrift and sinking, in the western Mediterranean, at approximately 0300 on 20 December. The boat was designed to carry only seven passengers, but 30 people filled the craft. Nassau rescued 29 of the 30 castaways. Hurricane Jeanne smashed into Haiti, killing more than 2,000 people and leaving 300,000 homeless, in September 2004. In February 2005, the annual Southern Command exercise Operation New Horizons focused upon relief efforts to the Haitians, and Nassau took part in the humanitarian relief operations (5-21 May 2005). The ship primarily returned 85 Navy Construction Battalion (Seabee) Sailors and Marines from their deployment to Haiti to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and Pascagoula. A magnitude 7.3 earthquake devastated Port-au-Prince, Haiti, killing an estimated 230,000 people, on 12 January 2010. The U.S. initiated Operation Unified Response: humanitarian aid to victims. Nassau worked (27 January-9 February) with 22 other Navy ships and 10 Coast Guard ships during Unified Response. Nassau was decommissioned on 31 March 2011, and is moored, pending disposal, at the Naval Sea Systems Command (NavSea) Inactive Ships On-Site Maintenance Office, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash. source: NHHC - - - - - another history: USS Nassau was commissioned at Pascagoula, Mississippi on 28 July 1979. In October she deployed to reinforce Guantanamo base and earned the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation just 70 days after commissioning. In April 1981 the ship was deployed to Mediterranean to meet US commitment to have two carriers there. She operated for 10 consecutive weeks as an aircraft carrier, reinforcing Sixth Fleet carrier USS Saratoga. Marine Attack Squadrons 231 and 542 formed Marine Air Group 32, equipped with AV-8A planes. It was the first time US Navy operated an amphibious ship as Harrier carrier. Nassau was deployed to Beirut with the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit in February 1984, less than four months after the Beirut barracks bombing. In support of Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Nassau deployed to the Middle East for over eight months on only eight days' notice. On leaving the United States, Nassau became the flagship for Commander, Amphibious Task Force and the 4th MEB's Commanding General. In the last week of the war, she was employed as a "Harrier Carrier", tasked with operating primarily as a STOVL attack carrier for Marine AV-8B Harrier II fighters. Nassau participated in several more operations throughout the 1990s, including Operations Uphold Democracy, Deny Flight, Allied Force and Noble Anvil. These operations were in support of US foreign policy objectives; she also participated in numerous Navy and joint exercises that took her to numerous locations in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Adriatic regions, including Haiti, Spain, Morocco, Italy, France, Greece, Israel, Albania, Zaire and Kosovo. Nassau received her first "Battle Effectiveness "E" award" in November 1983, with a second in 2007 - these awards are presented annually to ships that demonstrate the highest state of combat readiness in their group and their ability to execute their wartime tasks. She deployed in February 2008 as the flagship of the Nassau Expeditionary Strike Group in support of Maritime Security Operations and Theater Security Cooperation efforts in the Navy's 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. In addition to her primary role as a Marine transport, Nassau has served as a flagship; a logistics hub for incoming and outgoing mail, cargo and other supplies; combat search and rescue and the tactical recovery and rescue of downed aircraft and personnel. In July 2008, she had returned from deployment and was undergoing maintenance. At 4:30 pm Central Time on Thursday, 18 September 2008, KHOU News 11 in Houston, Texas announced that Nassau was coming to the aid of Galveston Island, following the landfall of Hurricane Ike. Nassau anchored 7 miles (11 km) offshore and troops deployed to the island with heavy machinery to aid with the clean-up of the devastation caused by the hurricane. In January 2010, Nassau left her Virginia port carrying the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) on a routine deployment of approximately seven months. The 24th MEU, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, consists of a ground combat element, a battalion landing team, an aviation combat element, a logistics combat element and a command element. Nassau, accompanied by USS Mesa Verde and USS Ashland, comprised the Nassau Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), which supported maritime security operations and more in the 5th and 6th Fleet areas. The 5th Fleet covers the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Oman and parts of the Indian Ocean; the 6th Fleet encompasses the Mediterranean Sea. Nassau was diverted to Haiti on 21 January 2010, to assist with the international humanitarian aid effort following the earthquake. After completing its humanitarian efforts in Haiti, Nassau continued on its mission to the Middle East, eventually tying the all time Navy record of 159 consecutive days out to sea without a port call. Nassau was decommissioned in Norfolk, Virginia on 31 March 2011. She is currently moored in Beaumont, Texas, with the MARAD National Defense Reserve Fleet ships. In 2013 the non-profit organization Coalition of Hope announced plans to have the ship donated and operate her as a humanitarian vessel. On 22 January 2019, H.R. 70, known as the "FriendSHIP Act", was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The Bill would authorize the president to transfer the decommissioned Nassau to Japan on a sale or grant basis. source: wikipedia |
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The Battle of Nassau (March 3 -
4, 1776): The Battle of Nassau (March 2 - March 3, 1776) was a naval action and amphibious assault by American forces against British-occupied Nassau, Bahamas during the American Revolutionary War. It is considered the first cruise and one of the first engagements of the United States Navy, and the first action of the newly - created Continental Marines, the progenitor of the United States Marine Corps. It is sometimes known as the Raid of Nassau. Battle: Under the command of Fleet Captain or Commodore Esek Hopkins of Rhode Island, a task force of four ships, including Hornet, Alfred, and Wasp, rallied near Great Abaco Island, north of the Island of New Providence, on March 1, 1776. The force captured two sloops owned by Loyalists and pressed their owners to serve as pilots. On March 2, the force approached Nassau, sending ashore a raiding party of 230 Continental Marines and 50 sailors under the command of Captain Samuel Nicholas, the first commissioned officer in the Continental Marines. The force captured nearby Fort Montague but were repulsed in their assault on Fort Nassau. On March 3, a landing was again attempted, and this time the Marines captured Nassau without a fight, seizing a sizable store of 103 cannon, mortars and munitions. Much of the precious gunpowder stores that were the target of the raid had been evacuated after the failed raid on March 2. It marked the first instance in American military history that forces responded to the equivalent modern command of "Land the landing force." On March 17, the fleet sailed for Block Island Channel off Newport, Rhode Island, with Montfort Browne, Lieutenant Governor of the Bahamas, as a prisoner. Browne was later exchanged for American general William Alexander. |
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