James Hackett was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 shipbuilder in New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

 in the late 18th century. He was responsible for the construction of a number of significant Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

-era warships for the fledgling country, including the USS Raleigh (1776)

USS Raleigh (1776)

USS Raleigh was one of thirteen ships that the Continental Congress authorized for the United States Navy in 1775. Following her capture in 1778, she served in the Royal Navy as HMS Raleigh.-As USS Raleigh:...

, USS Ranger (1777)

USS Ranger (1777)

The first USS Ranger was a sloop-of-war in the Continental Navy, and received the second salute to an American fighting vessel by a foreign power The first USS Ranger was a sloop-of-war in the Continental Navy, and received the second salute to an American fighting vessel by a foreign power The...

, USS America (1782)

USS America (1782)

America was the first ship of the line built for the Continental Navy, but she never saw service there, being given to France after launching.On 9 November 1776, the Continental Congress authorized the construction of three 74-gun ships of the line...

, USS Congress (1799)

USS Congress (1799)

USS Congress was a nominally rated 38-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was named by George Washington to reflect a principal of the United States Constitution. James Hackett built her in Portsmouth New Hampshire and she was launched on 15 August 1799...

, USS Portsmouth (1798)

USS Portsmouth (1798)

The first USS Portsmouth was a small warship that served in the United States Navy from 1798 to 1801.Portsmouth was constructed for the new United States Navy in 1798 by master shipbuilder James Hackett at what is now Badger's Island in Kittery, Maine, directly across the Piscataqua River from...

, two cutters for the United States Revenue Cutter Service

United States Revenue Cutter Service

The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in 1790 as an armed maritime law enforcement service. Throughout its entire existence the Revenue Cutter Service operated under the authority of the United States Department of the Treasury...

, as well as the Crescent, built for Algiers

Algiers

' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...

 as tribute. As a teenager, he served with Rogers' Rangers

Rogers' Rangers

Rogers' Rangers was an independent company of colonial militia, attached to the British Army during the Seven Years War . The unit was informally trained by Major Robert Rogers as a rapidly deployable light infantry force tasked with reconnaissance and conducting special operations against distant...

 during the French and Indian War

French and Indian War

The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...

. His later military service included serving as lieutenant colonel

Lieutenant colonel

Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...

in the New Hampshire state militia during the Revolutionary War and after in several different units.