John Paul Jones, Scottish-American Naval Hero

John Paul Jones, Scottish-American Naval Hero

John Paul Jones (July 6, 1747 - July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval hero of the American Revolutionary War. His career at sea began at age 13, and by 21 he was the captain of a ship sailing between the West Indies and British ports. He was commissioned as first lieutenant on the Alfred in the Continental navy and proved himself a capable officer in action. Congress sent him to France as captain of the Ranger with orders to attack enemy commerce in British waters. In 1778 he captured the sloop of war Drake in a fierce struggle which created a furor in the British press. In 1779 he was given command of a fleet of five naval vessels and two privateers. The Battle of Flamborough Head took place on September 23, 1779, in the North Sea pitting Jones' Bonhomme Richard against the British Serapis. With the two vessels lashed together, the British captain asked Jones if he wished to surrender and received the famous reply, "I have not yet begun to fight." The victory was the high point of his career. After the war, he served in the Russian navy in the Black Sea in a war with the Turks. Jones died in Paris, still an American citizen, at the age of 45. Engraving by J.B. Longacre after a painting by Charles Wilson Peale.

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27.0 x 36.8 cm | 10.6 x 14.5 in (300 dpi)