USS Morris (1779)

History
United States
NameUSS Morris
NamesakeRobert Morris (1734-1806), American politician and signer of the Declaration of Independence
Acquired1779
General characteristics
TypeSchooner
PropulsionSails

USS Morris was a schooner in the Continental Navy placed in commission in 1779. She was named for Founding Father, Continental Congressman, and a major financier of the American Revolutionary War, Robert Morris.

Morris was presented to Oliver Pollock by Governor Bernardo de Gálvez of Spanish Louisiana in the summer of 1779 for the use of American forces on the Mississippi River. Armed and commanded by Captain William Pickles, Morris operated on the Mississippi and nearby waters against British commerce. In September 1779 she captured British sloop HMS West Florida in the Battle of Lake Pontchartrain after a severe conflict.