The Original
The original frigate HMS Rose was built in 1757 in Hull, England. She served mainly as a scout vessel for the fleet and as a patrol ship stationed along the coast of any of the British holdings of the day. In 1768 she patrolled the increasingly troublesome Northeastern coast of America. In 1774 she was tasked with bringing the the colony of Rhode Island, specifically Narragansett Bay, back into the fold after years of 'freewheeling' enterprising of which the Crown was not always a partner.

Under the command of James Wallace the HMS Rose effectively halted the smuggling trade which, in turn, brought the Newport ecomony to it's knees. Not to be detered, wealthy Rhode Island merchants not only petitioned their colonial legislature to create a navy to address the HMS Rose problem, they also financially backed the refit of the tops'l sloop Katy for naval service. Katy was commissioned as Providence and soon thereafter became the first naval command of John Paul Jones. Thus, it could be argued, the formation of the U.S. Navy was a direct result of the actions of HMS Rose in American waters.

During 1776 HMS Rose saw action in the invasion of New York and extended British military influence well up into the Hudson River. One such action was the burning of Kingston, NY - a re-enactment of which the Rose participated in during my 'tour of duty'.

In 1779 HMS Rose was scuttled in the Savannah River by the British during the battle for Savannah, Georgia in a successful attempt to block the French fleet's approach to the city. As a result, Savannah remained under British control until the end of the war.

The Replica
The replica of HMS Rose was built in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia in 1970. She underwent extensive repair in the mid 1980's when almost all the timbers from the waterline up were replaced. In 1991 she was certified by the U.S. Coast Guard as a Class-A size sail training vessel - the largest in the U.S. at the time.

The ship is of American registry and is officially named Rose. Although she is sometimes refered to as the "HMS" Rose, the quotes denote a mere historical connection with the British navy and not that she is a commissioned ship in Her Majesty's Navy.