John Paul Jones was a sailor-of-fortune who became an American naval hero during the American Revolution. Born on July 6, 1747, he was the son of a Scottish gardener. At the age of 12 he entered the British merchant marine. In 1775 two friendly members of the Continental Congress obtained for Jones a lieutenant's commission in the Continental Navy.
Sailing to France aboard the 18-gun Ranger in 1778, Jones received from the French the first salute given to the new American flag by a foreign warship. During the spring he terrorized the coastal population of Scotland and England by making daring raids ashore. His reputation in Paris greatly enhanced, Jones received from the French government a converted French merchantman, which he renamed Bonhomme Richard (Poor Richard) in honor of Benjamin Franklin.
Setting sail at the head of a small squadron on Aug. 14, 1779, Jones captured 17 merchantmen off the British coast and on September 23 fell in with a convoy of British merchant vessels escorted by H.M.S. Serapis and Countess of Scarborough. Challenging the Serapis, Jones deftly maneuvered the Bonhomme Richard alongside the larger British vessel and lashed the two ships together. With the muzzles of their guns touching, the two warships fired into each other's insides. Although his smaller vessel was on fire and sinking, Jones rejected the British demand for surrender; "I have not yet begun to fight," he replied. More than three hours after the bloody battle began, the Serapis surrendered, and Jones took command of it.
Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones died in Paris on July 18, 1792. He is entombed at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.
