FreightWaves explores the archives of American Shipper’s nearly 70-year-old collection of shipping and maritime publications to showcase interesting freight stories of way back.
On this edition, from the December 1975 issue of American Shipper, FreightWaves shares the exciting story of a person considered a naval hero in the USA but as a pirate in the UK. That is the primary a part of two recounting the lifetime of John Paul Jones.
Mr. Jones understood women and merchant seapower
A pacesetter, a lover and at times a loser may be the quickest solution to describe John Paul Jones. As Rear Admiral Samuel Elison Morison writes in his preface to his biography of Jones, “No character in naval history, except Lord Nelson, has been the topic of as much romance and controversy as has John Paul Jones.”
The distinguished historian adds, “It is way easier to jot down a novel about Paul Jones than to jot down a biography.”
Because the Bicentennial 12 months looms ahead, it’s to be able to consider the lads of the ocean who’ve contributed a lot to the USA and the role they played within the founding of our country. Leading the list of the nice men of the ocean needs to be none apart from John Paul Jones.
What number of Americans realize that like many other officers of the Navy, Jones was a merchant skipper before he was commissioned within the young Navy? How lots of us know that the merchant marine is the “Mother of Navies”? It was the bravery, courage and seamanship of men like Jones who added lustre to the reason behind freedom.
Scotsman
Born in Scotland, Jones left his family and farm and turned his eyes and his feet seaward. The high roads and low roads of Bobbie Burns brought him to the brig “Friendship,” Captain Robert Renson commanding. He was just 13 years of age when he asked to ship aboard “Friendship.”
Then for the subsequent 4 years, Jones made the brig his classroom and the Master was his tutor because the ship made round trips from Scotland to Barbados and to Fredericksburg, Virginia. It was the start of a profession that carried Jones to the slave trade, a noted place within the history of the American Revolutionary War, into the arms of any number of gorgeous women, intrigue on the Court of Catherine of Russia, a charge of rape and a final resting place within the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.
West Indies
His first position of command aboard ship got here when he signed on the “King George,” a blackbirder out of Whitehaven. Next vessel was the “Two Friends” of Kingston, Jamaica and he was chief mate. It was a 30 ton brig about 50 feet long and it carried six officers and men together with 77 Africans. Outraged at what he called an “abominable trade,” Jones obtained his discharge and was lucky enough to get passage home to Scotland from Kingston. Each Master and Mate died enroute to the “Bonnie Isle” and Jones assumed command of the 60 ton brig “John” home-berthed in Liverpool.
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He was appointed Master of “John” and made trips to the West Indies. Horatio Nelson, like Jones, found that a voyage to the West Indies was a much better school of seamanship than the Royal Navy. It was greater than a nautical school for John. He became well-known in Bridgetown, Barbados “where the living was easy” and female companionship was seldom lacking.
But after his early days of looking for “fun” ashore, Jones made a degree of looking for the corporate of girls and gentlemen and striving to enhance his speech, writing and appearance. He soon became often called a “dandy skipper” elegant in dress and manner.
In his speech, the Scottish burr was gone and in his writing, his style was higher than that of his fellow officers and his letters to ladies were poetic and charming.
Charmed Abigail Adams
In his appearance, Jones was outstanding. Abigail Adams wrote … “I expected to see a rough, stout, warlike Roman — as a substitute of that I should sooner consider wrapping him up in cotton wool, and putting him in my pocket, than sending him to contend with cannon balls. He’s small of stature, well proportioned, soft in his speech, easy in his address, polite in his manners, vastly civil, understands all of the etiquette of a girl’s toilette as perfectly as he does the mast, sails and rigging of his ship. Under all this appearance of softness he’s daring, enterprising, ambitious and lively.”
He was removed from soft. As a shipmaster, he was also a captain of commerce engaged in selling his cargo for the highest price. Then, buying a return cargo that might be profitable to owner and skipper alike.
Charged with murder
At Tobago, his men wanted a draw or an advance payment of wages. Jones wanted to avoid wasting all money available for the acquisition of the return cargo. The seamen, headed by a ringleader, attempted to go ashore without leave. Jones became embroiled in a battle with the leader and to ward off a blow from a bludgeon, ran the person through along with his sword.
On one other occasion, he had a ship’s carpenter lashed with a cat-o-nine tails. The carpenter lodged a criticism at Tobago in May 1770. The judge dismissed the criticism after examining the carpenter.
But, that was not the tip of the affair. Mungo Maxwell, the ship’s carpenter, died on a voyage home aboard the “Barcelona Packet.” Maxwell’s father brought the charge of murder against Jones. Evidence pointed to the incontrovertible fact that Maxwell died at sea of fever. Jones was cleared of the murder charge. He wasn’t a cotton wrapping — he was a person who demanded discipline of his men.
Lost to Patrick Henry
Jones had other difficulties. The person whose inspiring words “I actually have not yet begun to fight” lost an affair of the center to a different American made famous by his words of “Give me Liberty or give me Death.”
John Paul Jones and Patrick Henry were each interested in a Virginia beauty, Dorothy Dandridge. However the loquacious Patrick, then Governor of Virginia and a widower with six children, added, “Give me Dorothy, too!” The talkative Governor Henry did greater than just talk because Dorothy bore nine children by him bringing Patrick Henry’s grand total to fifteen children! (Jones lost this game 15-0!)
While each of those gentlemen had the identical idea about Dorothy, Jones differed later with Patrick Henry within the affairs of presidency. Henry was an opponent of central power citing that “even the Articles of Confederation conferred an excessive amount of authority on central power.” Jones took the other tack stating, “no government could hope to be respected at home or abroad that was not firmly united or able to presenting an undivided and unbroken front in any emergency.” How appropriate are those words in view of the recent motion by President Ford within the S.S. Mayaguez incident.
Jones soon lost any uneasiness over the delightful Dorothy. Other ladies claimed his attention. One stands out particularly, in her missive to the romantic skipper. Comtesse de Nicolson was smitten and expressed herself in lots of letters to Jones. One paragraph of a letter shows her generosity and her love — “I actually have never dared to talk to you of this, but I actually have heard that you just couldn’t find the cash to pay your people. Within the name of all of the love which with I’m consumed, command me if I will be useful. I actually have diamonds and effects of assorted kinds; I could easily discover a sum; command your Mistress, it could make her pleased. Twenty times in your arms I needed to talk to you of this, but I feared to displease you.”
‘Let no boat leave.’
That Jones had definite ideas about pursuing the fair sex is expounded in a story told about him in his favorite French port of Lorient. James Moylan did a superb little bit of ship’s business in that harbor. He was a rude, rough man, an awesome deal older than his 17-year-old bride. Like 40 years older.
The amorous skipper had eyes for the young wife and he or she was most receptive. Methods to get the husband out of the best way called for strategy at its finest. Jones didn’t lack within the strategy department. He knew Moylan had business with the Purser and would visit the ship.
“After Mr. Moylan arrives,” said Jones as he departed for the shore, “let no boat leave the ship until I return.”
About eight o’clock within the evening, the visitor became uneasy however the officer of the deck adhered to the Captain’s order. “Sorry, sir, but no boat may leave the ship.” The officers plied the merchant with wine and eventually put him to bed on board, “drunk as a beast.” Jones should have had a most enjoyable and undisturbed evening ashore with the beautiful, young Madame Moylan.
It was on December 7,1775, that John Paul Jones was commissioned as First Lieutenant within the Continental Navy. It was through Joseph Hewes of North Carolina, a member of the Marine Committee, that Jones received his commission. The previous merchant skipper entered a naval fleet that was a set of merchant ships however it represented the one Navy we had!
The thrifty Yankee hand could possibly be seen in Navy regs for the embryo naval force. John Adams stipulated that “each ship be furnished with fishing tackle” and the commanding officers should drop the hook “where fish were available.” It added to the each day fare of the crew. Esek Hopkins of Rhode Island, a veteran merchant captain, was the Commander in Chief of the brand new Navy.
Jones was placed in temporary command of the “Alfred” and waiting for the arrival of her skipper. Captain Dudley Saltonstall put the crew to work each day by exercising the guns. “Alfred’s” guns were forged iron and threw nine pound cannon balls. The exercise of guns stood Jones in good stead in upcoming battles with the enemy because the ships that he commanded were never noted for his or her speed but Jones along with his daring and courage made his vessels a match against the fleet British ships. He fought the British but at times fought along with his brother officers. After the HMS Glasgow fray, Jones wrote to his patron, Joseph Hewes, a letter highly critical of Captain Saltonstall that ended with the remark — “whoever thinks himself hearty within the service is widely mistaken when he adopts such a line of conduct (rude, ungentle treatment by a superior officer) to be able to prove it — for to be well obeyed it’s vital to be esteemed.”
Click here to read the remainder of the December 1975 issue.
Come back to read the remainder of John Paul Jones’ story.
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