William Bainbridge

Commodore William Bainbridge by Rembrandt Peale, c. 1814

Courtesy National Portrait Gallery

Quick Facts

Significance:

Ninth Commander of the USS Constitution, second Commandant of the Charlestown Navy Yard.

Place of Birth:

Princeton, New Jersey

Date of Birth:

May 7, 1774

Place of Death:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Date of Death:

July 27, 1833

Place of Burial:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cemetery Name:

Christ Church

William Bainbridge played an instrumental role in the development of the Charlestown Navy Yard, turning it into an effective center for shipbuilding. As a navy officer, he distinguished himself with his ship handling and ability to act despite the odds.

Born on May 7, 1774, in Princeton, New Jersey, Bainbridge wasted no time before making a life upon the sea. At age 15, he began working on a merchant vessel. Proving his ability to be a decisive, driven leader, Bainbridge became a captain before the age of twenty. Only a few years later in 1798, Bainbridge earned the position of Lieutenant in the US Navy.

Unfortunately, just when he started his career as a lieutenant, Bainbridge lost command of his first naval vessel, USS Retaliation, to two French frigates. After this initial loss, Bainbridge demonstrated his naval skill and restored his reputation through a series of impressive acts: capturing French privateers, delivering tributes to the Sultan of Turkey, and securing the release of American prisoners abroad.

A key moment defining Bainbridge's career, though, was the loss of USS Philadelphia to the enemy in Tripoli. During the First Barbary War (1801-1805), a loose coalition of privateers and supporters attacked and harassed US merchant vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. In an attempt to fight these enemy forces, Bainbridge sailed his ship to Tunis to blockade the city after the ruler had declared war on the United States. While chasing an enemy vessel, the pirates lured Bainbridge and the Philadelphia into shallow waters where they ran aground. Tripolitans surrounded their enemy and began a bombardment. With the Philadelphia immovable, Bainbridge could neither attack nor defend. Without any other option, he surrendered.

This moment left a glaring mark on his career, and Bainbridge paid for it dearly. The entire crew, along with Bainbridge, spent 19 months in prison. When the First Barbary War ended, they were given their freedom and sailed home. Upon his return, Bainbridge quickly set sail again. For the next few years, he commanded vessels as a merchant marine under the Navy. But hearing of an impending conflict with Great Britain, he returned to the United States.

The Navy assigned Bainbridge to the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, just before the War of 1812 began. Here, he found the facilities mismanaged and the buildings coming apart to the point that workers could not effectively repair ships. As the recently appointed Commandant, Bainbridge supervised the reconstruction of the Navy Yard. He took the shambles left behind by his predecessor and made the yard, not only productive, but one of the most important shipyards in the United States.

One way Bainbridge improved the Navy Yard was by streamlining the ship repair process. On arrival, he had two ships to repair. However, in order to accomplish this task, he needed to bring them from one place in the Yard to another to complete each step in the repair process. At the time, various buildings within the yard were being used by the Army and others who had previously pushed the Navy out of its own space. Additionally, most structures needed repairs and the few that did not were often the result of lavish spending by previous leaders. This competitive relationship with the Army, as well as the state of disrepair of buildings, led to the Yard being both ineffective and inefficient in fulfilling its role of repairing and building ships. To make improvements to the Yard proved to be quite costly; however, Bainbridge saw potential of what the Navy Yard could be.

He repeatedly wrote to his superiors requesting resources to renew the Yard. The Commandant realized that a war with England would be coming and that a fully functioning public Navy Yard in Boston would be instrumental in the fight. He built shiphouses so workers could continue constructing ships even in the midst of storms. He revitalized the Yard by selling off wasted land and regained control of the buildings that had been ceded.

With the War of 1812, Bainbridge took on a different role in the Navy: Commander of USS Constitution. While at the helm of Constitution, he successfully captured two ships and also received injuries in battle. For example, while contesting HMS Java, the British wounded him twice. In spite of this, he did not give up command and led his sailors while confined below deck via rigging. Through his efforts, they won the day.

He returned to the United States a hero and took command of the Charlestown Navy Yard in 1813 once more. His assignment mainly involved the construction of the monstrous ship-of-the-line USS Independence. The Navy ordered the commission of the ship with the intent to fight in the Mediterranean against the Barbary forces once again. Two years after he started the construction of USS Independence, Bainbridge set out to end the Second Barbary War (1815) and face old foes in the Mediterranean. After the conflict concluded in December 1815, he remained to patrol the seas. The latter half of that decade saw Bainbridge stationed in Boston.

His vision for the Navy Yard continued to come to life. The Yard expanded to include more shiphouses and wharfs, making it easier for ships to be constructed and repaired. He also oversaw the construction of the the Navy Store, which today stands as Building 5. Through his work, he laid the foundation for the furture growth of the Charlestown Navy Yard, a legacy that can be seen today.

Throughout the 1820s, Bainbridge commanded various ships and served at different naval stations, including Boston. He retired from the Navy in 1832 and died shortly after in 1833 in Philadelphia.

William Bainbridge's career proved tumultuous. He notably suffered defeat time and again, with serious consequences. But he defended Charlestown during the war of 1812 as British ships blockaded it and sought to sow chaos amidst the destruction. He saw the world as he sailed from South America to the Mediterranean and to Russia. He spoke with heads of state, represented his country abroad, and defended the young nation. Whether it be a greedy attendant or external aggressors, he rose and stood to fight. While Bainbridge spent much of his life amidst the high seas, his legacy lives on in Boston, Massachusetts where he served as Commandant of the Charlestown Navy Yard.

Sources

American Battlefield Trust. "The Barbary Wars." Updated November 25, 2023. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/barbary-wars.

Bears, Edwin C. Charlestown Navy Yard, 1800-1842. Vol. 1. Boston: National Park Service, October 1984.

James L. Mooney, Raymond A. Mann. "Bainbridge I (Brig) 1842-1863." Last Updated January 25, 2024. https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/bainbridge-i.html.

Desy, Margherita M. and Charles E. Brodine Jr.. "America’s Frigate Triumphs." Naval History Magazine 26, no. 3.

Naval History and Heritage Command. "Commodore, USN, (1774 -1833)." Accessed July 3, 2024. https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-people/b/bainbridge-william.html.

Naval History and Heritage Command. "William Bainbridge 7 May 1774 - 27 July 1833." Published January 31, 2020. https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/research-guides/z-files/zb-files/zb-files-b/bainbridge-william.html#biography.