John Paul Jones

The Revolutionary War was the most dramatic occurrence in America’s long, tragic, and amazing history. After all, it was the technical beginning of the country we live in today. When starting out, America had virtually no navy. This changed because of John Paul Jones. Jones was the revolutionary war’s first naval commander, and is known as the “Father of the American Navy.” Though he started out as not a very rich man, Jones became a naval commander for both America and Russia. He was very charming, but he had a horrible temper that tended to get him in trouble. At one point he was in such deep of trouble that he was charged for murder, but then acquitted soon after. This is just one of the murders Jones was [allegedly, for the previous one, on account of his acquittal] involved in. The second murder he committed happened on the ship Betsy in the West Indies, where he killed the ringleader of a mutiny with his sword in a dispute over wages. He was forced to flee to Virginia, where he changed his name first to John Jones, then to John Paul Jones. Though he seems like a horrible mass murderer, he really wasn’t. He had his good points in history. For example, he “started” the American navy and he performed a hit and run raid on Whitehaven.

When Congress formed the “Continental Navy,” Jones offered his services and was commissioned as first lieutenant. His first ship was the Alfred. The navy at this time consisted of the ships Alfred and Columbus, the brigantines Andrew Doria and Cabot and the sloop Providence. Thirteen frigates were ordered to be built. As lieutenant of the Alfred and later the Providence, Jones gained many skills and a variety of experience in naval warfare. In 1777 he sailed in the “Ranger” for France, where he struck up a connection with the American commissioner in Paris, with Benjamin Franklin and at Quiberon forced the French to salute the American flag. It was the first time the American flag had been hoisted in a foreign harbor.

The Whitehaven Raid took place before the revolution, but it was still important. It occurred on April 10th, 1778 Jones sailed himself and his crew over to Whitehaven while capturing and destroying small vessels. Even though his crew was nearly considered rebellious, the hit and run made upon Whitehaven succeeded. Two forts guarded the harbor, and Jones’ plan was for his party of two shore boats to capture each one of them. His boat captured their assigned fort without a drop of blood shed, while the other boat’s crew decided that they would go to the pub instead of following orders. So, Jones took that fort too, set fire to some colliers, and managed to get the raiding party safely back to the ship.

4 hours after this, Jones reached Kirkcudbright Bay, in hopes of capturing the Earl of Selkirk and exchanging him for captured American sailors. When they landed, they met the head gardener and told him that they were a British press gang. This news was spread and caused the locals to flee. Jones and his crew soon learned that the Earl was absent. After leaving Kirkcudbright, Jones spotted the HMS Drake, a 20 gun sloop, near Carrick Fergus in Northern Ireland. The battle that occurred with that ship lasted just over an hour and ended when The Drake surrendered.

These events caused Jones’ name to burn on British tongues, militia units were mobilized along the coast in case of any raids, and a squadron of ships was order to seek out and kill him. Jones, upon returning to Portsmouth with Benjamin Franklin, convinced the French to loan him another ship, the Duc de Duras, which he renamed the “Bonhomme Richard.” With this ship Jones engaged in one of the goriest naval battles in history, the battle with the British ship the ‘HMS Serapis’ on September 23rd, 1779. Though the Serapis had superior fire power, Jones maneuvered deftly next to it and lashed his ship to it. It was during this battle that when asked to surrender by the British, Jones said “I have not yet begun to fight.” He then won the naval battle, taking over 500 prisoners. The Bonhomme, though victorious, was so badly damaged that two days later it sank with its colors flying.

Later, he received a gold sword and Order of Military