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John Paul Jones Facts

John Paul Jones Facts
John Paul Jones was a famous seaman, pirate, privateer, and military commander of the eighteenth century. Largely credited with being the "father" of the American Navy, Jones led a number of daring naval raids on the British Isles during the American Revolutionary War. After the war was over, Jones served in the Russian Imperial Navy before dying at a relatively young age, even for the nineteenth century. John Paul Jones was born John Paul on July 6, 1747 near the town of Kirkbean in rural southwest Scotland to John Paul Senior and Jean McDuff Paul. Paul began his sailing career at the age of thirteen, serving as a cabin boy and crew mate on a number of merchant and slave ships. As Paul's sailing career advanced and he gained command of a number of ships, so too did his legal problems. After being accused of the murder of two of his crew in two separate incidents, Paul changed his name to "John Paul Jones" in 1770. He was a fugitive from the British from that point forward and dedicated himself to helping the Patriot cause on the high seas.
Interesting John Paul Jones Facts:
Although Jones is said be the father, or even founder, of the American navy, it was already in operation in 1775 when he volunteered his services.
After learning about his skillful yet somewhat shady background, the Continental Congress agreed to give Jones the commission of First Lieutenant and command of the frigate Alfred.
Jones took his alias from North Carolina planter and Patriot, Willie Jones.
Jones repeatedly clashed with Commodore Eske Hopkins, the commander of the American Navy, which earned Jones a demotion. He was assigned the smaller frigate Ranger and posted in France.
While in France, Jones cemented his reputation as the father of the American Navy by engaging in a number of daring raids along the coasts of Scotland, England, and Ireland.
Because of his raids, John Paul Jones was often depicted as a pirate in the British press.
Once the war was over, Jones, like many professional soldiers and sailors, found himself out of work so he traveled to Europe.
In 1787, Catherine II, the tsarina of Russia, gave Jones the commission as rear admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy. He was just one of many Western professionals whom Catherine brought to Russia in order to modernize it.
Jones was married to his career and the seas, never having married or starting a family.
His only known residence in the United States was a room he rented in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Jones was discovered dead from a kidney infection in his Paris apartment on July 18, 1792. He was initially buried in a Paris cemetery that became derelict.
Jones' remains were located and exhumed in 1905 and returned to the United States where he was ceremoniously reburied at the United States Naval Academy in 1906.


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