The close ties between Malta and Britain are often celebrated today, but history also records a moment when the Maltese played a role in a violent challenge to British power.
Maltese sailors, seasoned veterans of Mediterranean waters, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with their French comrades as they swung their great ships to starboard, unleashing a thunderous barrage of cannon fire against the masts and rigging of the British fleet. The powerful broadsides battered the Royal Navy, and although not immediately decisive, their relentless precision and greater numbers eventually proved overwhelming. Wounded and strategically cut off, the British force had no choice but to withdraw.
This battle, however, was not fought for Maltese independence. Rather, the Maltese played a crucial supporting role with French allies in the fight for American independence. Around 1,800 Maltese and members of the Knights of St John enlisted in the French Navy, bringing with them critical maritime skills. Their contributions were crucial at the 1781 Battle of Chesapeake Bay, a decisive engagement that prevented the British from regrouping and resupplying their forces. The resulting British surrender effectively ended the American War of Independence.
In recognition of this support, Benjamin Franklin, then the U.S. Ambassador to France, presented America’s first medal, Libertas Americana, to Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan in 1783 as a gesture of gratitude from the fledgling United States.
Malta’s contribution to early American history did not end there. A Maltese foundry worker, John Pass (born Giovanni Pace), worked alongside John Stow, to recast the Liberty Bell. Having migrated to the United States in the early 18th century and settled in Philadelphia, Pass was not considered experienced in bell casting but records show him having cast a church bell in New Jersey. Pass and Stow were engaged after the original bell arrived at Philadelphia from Britain in the late summer of 1752, when it promptly cracked when struck. The bell produced in Britain had a seemingly incorrect mixture in the bronze alloy, making it brittle. Pass and Stow went about correcting this by melting down the bell and recasting it with an adjusted mix. Their names are inscribed alongside the now-iconic words: “Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.”
Nearly 200 years later, on 13 December 1974, Malta became a Republic, this time through political negotiation rather than armed struggle. Although the United States was among the first nations to recognise Malta’s independence from Britain in 1964, it played no active role in the island’s constitutional journey. In contrast, Maltese sailors and Knights had been instrumental in America’s own path to freedom.
