Three captains—one a scoundrel and two heroes—commanded the last commissioned warship in the Continental Navy, a frigate named in honor of the Franco-American coalition of the Revolutionary War.

An unnamed 36-gun frigate was launched on 28 April 1778 along the bank of the Merrimack River at Salisbury, Massachusetts. Reputedly a fast sailor, she would become a favorite among her officers and crew. 1

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