John Barry (naval officer)

John Barry
A 1972 repaint by V. Zveg of an 1801 portrait by Gilbert Stuart
Born	(1745-03-25)March 25, 1745 Tacumshane, County Wexford, Ireland
Died	September 13, 1803(1803-09-13) (aged 58) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Buried	St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	Continental Navy United States Navy
Years of service	1775–1783, 1797–1803
Rank	Commodore
Battles/wars	American Revolutionary War Lexington vs. HMS Edward Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet Alliance vs. HMS Atalanta and Trepassey Alliance vs. Sybil

John Barry (March 25, 1745 – September 13, 1803) was an Irish-born American naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War. He has been credited by some as "The Father of the American Navy", sharing that moniker with John Paul Jones and John Adams, and was appointed as a captain in the Continental Navy on December 7, 1775.^[1][2] Barry was the first captain placed in command of an American warship commissioned for service under the Continental flag.^[3] After the Revolutionary War, he became the first commissioned American naval officer, at the rank of commodore, receiving his commission from President George Washington in 1797.