Hull, Isaac (1773-1843) Naval Officer: Isaac Hull was born on March 9, 1773, in Derby, Connecticut. His father died when young Hull was a child, so his uncle, General William Hull, adopted him. General Hull wished to educate him to enter Yale College, his own alma mater. However, young Hull had a passion for the sea, and could not get excited about anything else. At 14, Hull became a cabin boy on a merchant ship. When Hull was 16, he saved the captain of the ship when it was wrecked. Before he turned twenty-one, he was commander of a ship that sailed to the West Indies. His reputation was so high that he was able to enter the US Navy, at he age of 25, as a 4th Lieutenant. Hull served in the Tripolitan War, and was appointed to the frigate "Constitution," which was nicknamed "Old Ironsides." In 1812, he captured the British frigate "Guerrière." He went on to command Mediterranean and Pacific squadrons. Hull died on February 13, 1843, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.