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From Publishers Weekly

This book establishes McGrath, an executive who has written for Naval History magazine, as an accomplished naval historian. Combining sophisticated use of sources with a pleasing writing style, he masterfully rescues a father of the U.S. Navy from unmerited eclipse. McGrath's own extensive recreational sailing experience adds an extra dimension by vividly conveying the physical facts of life at sea that structured the navy's military and economic aspects. An Irish Catholic, John Barry (1745–1803) went to sea as a boy, emigrated to Philadelphia, and became a successful merchant captain. In the fledgling Continental Navy of the American Revolution, he began by commanding a converted merchantman. He finished by fighting the war's last naval battle as a frigate captain. In between, he established a reputation as a skillful seaman, fighting captain, and successful taker of prizes. Returning to the merchant service, Barry made one of America's first trading voyages to China. In 1794 he was named the first commissioned officer in the new U.S. Navy and continued to offer valuable service through the quasi-war with France in 1798–1799, confirming his contemporary reputation as first of patriots, and best of men. 51 illus. *(June) *
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From Booklist

Along with John Paul Jones, John Barry was the most distinguished American naval officer of the Revolutionary War. Born in Ireland, he went to sea as a teenager and had a respected career in the merchant marine, including a record transatlantic passage. At the outbreak of war, Barry entered the Continental Navy and went on to further distinction in command of every type of American ship and in every type of operation they carried out, particularly harrying British commerce. After the war he enjoyed a successful career in the nascent (and perilous) China trade, before putting on a uniform again. This time he was the senior captain of the new U.S. Navy and showed skill in training the officers and men under him in the handling of the new big frigates. He might have been better known if he had not died in 1803; the last full-scale biography of him is nearly three generations old. The author deserves credit for a labor of love that is also a nearly indispensable addition to U.S. Navy collections. --Roland Green