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   dymatsuoka

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   The name of the sixty-four gun British ship is the Somerset.

   When war between the British and the Patriots seemed inevitable, Great Britain sent the Somerset and other warships over to the waters off Boston.  On the night of April 18, 1775, when it appeared that the opening battle was imminent, the British stationed the Somerset at the mouth of the Charles River to keep Patriot boats from crossing from Boston into the surrounding areas.  The gunship was the only gunboat on the river; apparently it was believed that she alone would be "sufficient to prevent boats crossing the river that night".  Unfortunately for the British, Paul Revere and two rowers in a small craft managed to elude detection and get across the water to Charlestown.  Once there, Paul Revere was able to relay the news about an impending attack at Lexington (Chapter 10, Section 4).

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   Posted by dymatsuoka on Monday October 5, 2009 at 7:58 PM