HMS Syren
Frigate · Great Britain · Lost 1777 · Narragansett Bay & the Rhode Island Coast
A British frigate run aground off Point Judith in 1777 and abandoned after American artillery drove off Royal Navy salvage crews.
The Vessel and Her Loss
HMS Syren (also spelled Siren) was a 28-gun British frigate escorting a wood-cutting convoy out of occupied Newport when she ran aground near Point Judith before dawn on 6 November 1777. American militia brought field artillery to the shore and kept British salvage parties at bay, forcing Captain Tobias Furneaux to abandon his ship. The grounding and capture were documented in contemporaneous depositions taken from local Rhode Island militiamen.
Vessel
- 1773
- John Henniker & Co
- Chatham, England
- Wood
- 121 ft
- 34 ft
- Not established
- Sail, full-rigged ship
- Royal Navy
Loss
- November 6, 1777
- Grounding
- Near Point Judith, Rhode Island
- Rhode Island Sound
- Newport, Rhode Island → Shelter Island, New York (wood-cutting expedition)
- Not established
- 200
- 2
- Tobias Furneaux
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Point Judith, Rhode Island
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (68/100)
A specific wreck position, depth, and present condition are not established in the sources reviewed.
Rhode Island Historical Society, Revolutionary War Military Papers
Contemporary deposition confirming date, location, and circumstances of the Syren's capture.
Wikipedia, citing Royal Navy service records (used as general secondary confirmation)
Build details, dimensions, casualty figures, fate.
Journal of the American Revolution
Narrative detail of the grounding and American response.
