There does exist an eyewitness account of how this difficulty was overcome. This first hand account is the pension application as filed by George Fisher. At the time of filing, George Fisher was a resident of Goodland Swamp near Edisto, SC and was 75 years old. George Fisher's pension application, "The Pension Application of George Fisher S46036", is rather lengthy compared to others that bear a relation to the frigate South Carolina. But, his perspective is unique in that he either witnessed the specific events related or had good sources of second-hand information related to the frigate herself. He states that "the declarant will relate from memory some other particulars relative to the Frigate;..." He begins his deposition by stating the exact specifications and dimensions of the vessel herself: "...she mounted twenty-eight thirty-six pounder's on her main deck, and twelve long twelves on her quarterdeck and fore castle, length of her keel 168 feet, [text missing -- page torn] of her beam 47 feet, main mast 103 feet, main yard 98 feet, draught of water 22 feet, these dimensions were had from Mr. Lane, the carpenter;..." Then, he goes on to say that "...she was not over the Pomposes where there was only 15 feet of water, on her broadside, hove down by a large old greenlander and towed and steered by 26 dutch lighters;..." He had the later piece of information concerning the dimensions and features of the frigate South Carolina from the man who was the ship's carpenter. In the roster section, of Dr. Lewis's book, Neptune's Militia , there is a Daniel Lane who is cited as being a carpenter on board the frigate South Carolina. In Moss's book, Roster of South Carolina Patriots in the American Revolution, there is only one Lane cited who served on board the frigate South Carolina and he is named as Daniel Lane. Thus, the "Mr. Lane" who is cited by George Fisher as having given him the dimensions of the frigate South Carolina.
The discovery that the bar at the mouth of Amsterdam harbor was too shallow to allow the South Carolina to leave the harbor might have been the end of the story of this great ship. As it was, she sat idle in the harbor from 1778-1781, as the men ashore mulled over what to do. This condition is very detrimental to a ship because marine organisms that feed or act destructively upon wood have greater ability to attach themselves to a wooden surface that is stationary for an extended period of time. Another factor to consider is that the British had become aware of the ship and its true nature and protested to the Dutch government that it was allowing a warship to be built in its harbor that could potentially be turned over to the enemy - either the French government or to the rebellious colonies across the Atlantic Ocean. Holland at this point was a neutral nation and she did not want to compromise that status of neutrality. The British were quite content to have L'Indien sit in Amsterdam harbor and slowly rot rather than putting to sea and potentially causing trouble for them on the high seas. They had a excellent network of spies and informers ringing the ship and keeping a very close eye on it and any further developments concerning it.
There does exist an eyewitness account of how this difficulty was overcome. This first hand account is the pension application as filed by George Fisher. At the time of filing, George Fisher was a resident of Goodland Swamp near Edisto, SC and was 75 years old. George Fisher's pension application, "The Pension Application of George Fisher S46036", is rather lengthy compared to others that bear a relation to the frigate South Carolina. But, his perspective is unique in that he either witnessed the specific events related or had good sources of second-hand information related to the frigate herself. He states that "the declarant will relate from memory some other particulars relative to the Frigate;..." He begins his deposition by stating the exact specifications and dimensions of the vessel herself: "...she mounted twenty-eight thirty-six pounder's on her main deck, and twelve long twelves on her quarterdeck and fore castle, length of her keel 168 feet, [text missing -- page torn] of her beam 47 feet, main mast 103 feet, main yard 98 feet, draught of water 22 feet, these dimensions were had from Mr. Lane, the carpenter;..." Then, he goes on to say that "...she was not over the Pomposes where there was only 15 feet of water, on her broadside, hove down by a large old greenlander and towed and steered by 26 dutch lighters;..." He had the later piece of information concerning the dimensions and features of the frigate South Carolina from the man who was the ship's carpenter. In the roster section, of Dr. Lewis's book, Neptune's Militia , there is a Daniel Lane who is cited as being a carpenter on board the frigate South Carolina. In Moss's book, Roster of South Carolina Patriots in the American Revolution, there is only one Lane cited who served on board the frigate South Carolina and he is named as Daniel Lane. Thus, the "Mr. Lane" who is cited by George Fisher as having given him the dimensions of the frigate South Carolina.
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AuthorIn 2020, William S. Covington, Jr. retired after having been involved in the field of education since 1987. Most recently, he was an instructor of Social Studies at Waxahachie Global High School located in Waxahachie, TX. He was also an adjunct instructor of Western Civilization at Navarro College, also located in Waxahachie, TX. In his spare time and since 1999, he has been an 18th century re-enactor and presenter of the American Revolution who does many presentations through out each year to interested groups. He has been a member of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, Arlington, TX Chapter since April 2013. He has been married to June Renee Jacobsen Covington since May 3, 1986. They have three grown children and two grandchildren. Categories |