There were eight longboats from Providence. They were large boats, each easily capable of carrying more than 10 persons.   This was a full scale and organized attack designed to use overpowering numbers to board and capture the English ship Gaspee, with a crew which the Rhode Islander attackers knew would be only about 20 English sailors and an officer or two.

For this attack, John Brown organized a commander of the entire fleet of boats and than had each boat commanded by a ship captain.   There was naval battle knowledge displayed in the line formation that was used.  The ten  boats (eight from Providence, plus one boat each from Bristol and Warren) were deployed with sea captains employed by Brown on the two extremities of the line.

....and a sea captain acted as steersman of each boat.  A line from right to left was soon formed, with Capt. Whipple on the right and Capt. Hopkins on the right of the left wing. [Bowen's statement.]

The following are those we know of as captains of the attacking boats.

Longboats from Providence.

Captain Abraham Whipple was in charge of the entire fleet of longboats. Whipple has been identified by several sources as being in general charge.  It is likely that he was also in command of one of the longboats.

Captain John B. Hopkins was named by Bowen as in charge of the longboat in which he and Joseph Bucklin 4th were passengers or rowers.  Captain John B. Hopkins was a son of Esek Hopkins, and a nephew of Stephen Hopkins. The middle initial was used during his lifetime --- to distinguish himself both from his uncle John Hopkins and also from his cousin John Hopkins, both substantial members within a prominent Rhode Island family.

Captain Samuel  Dunn was identified by Mawney as being on board the Gaspee.  Inasmuch as there would be little reason for the number of ship captains being multiplied in excess of one needed for each longboat, we assume that Captain Dunn commanded a longboat.

Captain Rufus Greene Jr. was in the raiding party. It would have been logical (on the same basis as specified regarding Dunn) to have Greene in charge of a longboat.

Captain Christopher Sheldon, a experienced privateer captain of Brown vessels, may have been in charge of a boat.  He probably was in the Gaspee raiding party, and it would have logical to have him in charge of a longboat.

Captain Joseph Tillinghast, was named by Mawney as in charge of the longboat in which Mawney was a passenger. Joseph Tillinghast was both an experienced ship captain for John Brown ships, and also was a member  one of the most prominent families of Rhode Island.

Boats not from Providence.

Captain Simeon Potter was named by Briggs as being in command of the  longboat from Bristol that joined the eight longboats from Providence.  Simeon Potter was perhaps the most wealthy person of the Bristol area, and an extremely aggressive former privateer/pirate.  The Rhode Island legislature had appointed him a Colonel to command the colonies military forces in Bristol County.

Captain John Greenwood was named by Ezra Ormsbee as being in a whaleboat from Bristol.

Just by thinking about relationships and experience of ship captains that John Brown had at his disposal, we can suggest Captain Esek Hopkins, an experienced privateer captain of Brown vessels, to have been been in charge of a longboat.  Because he had been Brown's captain on past privateering voyages to seize ships, he may have been the most experienced of Brown's captains in boarding and seizing ships.

We know there was at least one Joseph Bucklin in the attacking party, to wit Joseph Bucklin 5th. If Captain Joseph Bucklin 4th was also in the attacking party,  Captain Bucklin would have been a logical choice to command a longboat. Captain Bucklin was an experienced ship captain. Both Captain John B. Hopkins and Captain Bucklin had served as captains of the brigantine Providence, and had ship connections with the Browns. Like Captain Rufus Green, Captain Bucklin had a ship of his seized for unpaid customs taxes in the months leading to the attack.. 

A "Captain Shepard" has been suggested as being on the raid, but there are no facts known at this time which could establish whether he was a ship captain at the time of the raid, was a military captain, or became a captain only later during the Revolutionary War.

For the full list of Gaspee Raiders