John Kendrick, The Captain Killed By A Cannon Fired In His Honor
Public DomainJohn Kendrick was an American war hero who participated in the Boston Tea Party.
John Kendrick was an adventurer through and through. He began sailing with his father at just 14 years old, and by the age of 20, he was a well-respected sailor in the booming whaling industry of mid-1700s Massachusetts.
When he was 22, Kendrick served in the French and Indian War, but the revolutionary spirit soon took hold of him. Ten years later, Kendrick was one of the Sons of Liberty who dumped British tea into the Boston Harbor.
According to Historic Mysteries, Kendrick commanded several ships during the American Revolution before returning home in 1778 a full-fledged war hero.
After the war, Kendrick returned to his life on the New England coast, working in the whaling and shipping businesses. With various new trade routes opening between the Western world and the East, Kendrick put his naval skills to use and made numerous journeys across the sea to trade goods.
After a 14-month stay in Macau that ended in 1794, Kendrick docked in present-day Honolulu, Hawaii, just in time to help a local tribal chief fend off an attempted invasion from a rival tribe. The next morning, to celebrate the victory, Kendrick ordered his men to fire a 13-gun salute.
A British ship called the Jackal that had assisted Kendrick’s men in battle returned the salute with a cannon volley. Unfortunately, no one on the Jackal had bothered to check if the cannons were loaded — and Kendrick’s Lady Washington was struck with grapeshot when the weapons fired.
Kendrick was killed as he ate breakfast in his cabin as a result of the Jackal returning the salute that Kendrick himself had ordered.
