Manning the First American Navy: The Military Mobilization of Maritime Labor in 1775

This essay challenges traditional naval histories of the American Revolution by examining the military mobilization of maritime labor in 1775. It argues that American sea power was not a reluctant, halfhearted effort but an improvised strategy predicated on a pool of highly motivated and experienced New England fishermen. The British Restraining Act of 1775 shut down the American fisheries and transformed thousands of unemployed mariners into a ready-made military asset. The mass mobilization of maritime laborers enabled successful seaborne interdiction. The resulting capture of British supply ships provided essential military stores and provisions. This essay demonstrates that victories on land were inextricably linked to sea power and that understanding American victory requires integrating labor and military history.