This vessel was part of Washington's Fleet and was not formally a part of the Continental Navy

Captain Nicholson Broughton was put in command. His instructions, signed by Washington and dated September 2, 1775, were as follows:

You, being appointed a Captain in the Army of the United Colonies of North-America, are hereby directed to take the command of a detachment of said Army and proceed on board the Schooner Hannah, at Beverly, lately fitted out and equipped with arms, ammunition and provisions, at the Continental expense. You are to proceed, as commander of said Schooner, immediately on a cruise against such vessels as may be found on the high seas or else where, bound inwards and outwards, to or from Boston, in the service of the Ministerial Army, and to take and seize all such vessels laden with soldiers, arms, ammunition or provisions, for or from said Army, or which you shall have good reason to suspect are in such service." Broughton was to send his prizes into "the safest and nearest Port to this camp "; papers disclosing the enemy s designs were to be searched for ; prisoners were to be humanely treated, allowed to retain their private property and sent to headquarters under a guard furnished by the Continental officer stationed at the port ; the apportionment of prize money was prescribed ; armed vessels of the enemy were to be avoided, the sole object of the enterprise being the interception of supplies ; a system of signals was to be established for communicating with other vessels to be sent out. The instructions concluded with the injunction " to be extremely careful and frugal of your ammunition ; by no means to waste any of it in salutes, or any purpose but what is absolutely necessary.