The 200-ton ship Sally, built at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1774, was purchased by the Continental Congress in November 1775, converted to a 24-gun armed ship, renamed Columbus and placed in commission by the Continental Navy. During the first months of 1776 she was a member of Commodore Esek Hopkins' squadron, taking part in the landing at New Providence, Bahamas, in March and the engagement with HMS Glasgow on 6 April. She operated against British shipping off New England later in the year. Columbus was lost on 27 March 1778 when she went ashore to avoid capture by enemy warships and was burned.