John Paul Jones
father of the U.S. navy
His birth,death and education
John Paul Jones or rather just John Paul as he was born came into the world on July 6, 1747
in the small cottage of kirkcudbrightshire in the united kingdom (Scotland). He became well educated with boats by watching them in the near by Solway firth bay. Sometimes he would spend hours observing how they worked and operated. Also he used boats often for transportation as was common in that time. He died in Paris 1792.
Young life of a sea men
At the age of thirteen he became a shipmaster's apprentice under captain Benson sailing out of Whitehaven aboard the "friendship". He could handle rowboats and small sail boats very well out of necessity of where he lived. He worked on many British slave ships for many years but walked away from the profitable trade in Jamaica being disgusted with the cruelty of the slave trade. Aboard the brig john his career took an unexpected turn when on a voyage the captain and ranking mate died of yellow fever leaving him as the only one with the knowledge to navigate it back to Scotland. Where its grateful owners named him captain of his own ship.
Interesting facts
For such a heroic man that never relented in the face of the largest and most dominate naval fleet the world to be known by a respected name. But the name his crew members branded him with was "dandy skipper". Also as the father of the American navy you would think after crushing the British in their own waters that he would stand at the fore front of his navy yet he sought action and ended up joining the Russian imperial navy and also served time in the merchant navy.
Heroic deeds of John Paul Pones
Without hesitation, he took the war at sea to the British, he attacked their coastlines and capturing their ships in the British fleet’s home waters. These acts inspired and transformed the inexperienced Colonial Navy from an juvenile band of rebels to a recognized fighting force, providing crucial recognition of the colonies and their right to independence from Great Britain. in may 1776 John took command of the providence which mounted 21 guns. On just one cruise in international waters he captured 16 British vessels. He also saved an entire crew when in his younger years successfully returned a ship back to port after its captain and ranking mate died. But maybe the bravest thing he did was inspire the American spirit by saying things like" I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast, for I intend to go in harm's way." And not to mention his most famous battle where he embodied the true American attitude.
Contributions to the navy and american independence
On April 10, 1778, John Paul Jones and his crew of 140 men aboard the USS Ranger headed out from the naval port in France, and set sail toward the Irish Sea to begin raids on British warships. This was the first mission of its kind during the Revolutionary War and in this action John Paul Jones transformed the British attitude toward the navy and also set a standard for how naval battles would expected to be fought. These actions scared the British because the rebels that were an ocean away fighting the war were suddenly in their back yard threatening the homeland. This led to the British public loosing interest in the war. Contributing greatly to the freedom cause of the colonies. Also Jones would come to symbolize a standard for what would become one of the greatest and strongest navy's ever to sail
The battle of hamborough
In 1779 Jones took command of the 42 gun Bonnomme Richard. He then led a squadron of five ships and attacked the coast of Ireland and then sailed north around the tip of Scotland to attack a merchant fleet returning to Britain. This set the scene for one of the most iconic American naval battles in our history. The 2 escort ships the countess of Scarborough and the seraphim positioned them selves between the rebels and the merchant fleet allowing the ships to escape, and a battle ensued. After 3 hours of maneuvering Jones commanded the Bonnomme Richard to ram the far superior Serapis and tied the two ships together and they poured deadly fire into each other for two hours. When the British captain Pearson asked if the American vessel was ready to surrender Jones roared back "I have not yet begun to fight"