John Paul Jones was born in July 6, 1747 and he died on July 18, 1792. He was born the son of a gardener in Kirkcudbrightshire, in Scotland. His name at birth was John Paul. His first voyage took him to

Frederickburg, Virginia, where his older brother was a tailor. In 1769 he was given command of a merchant ship called John.

Jones was the foremost American navel officer in the Revolutionary war. He is honored as the Father of the American Navy. He began raiding British ports in 1777.

John Paul was returning to Scotland in 1768 as a passenger in the brig John, when both the master and the mate died. He was the only on who could navigate; so he took control. The owners were impressed and he made Jones master of his own ship, even though he was just 21. Jones was disliked by his crew because of his demands and severe discipline. Charges were brought to him twice for murder. The first murder was when he was on a trip to the West Indies and a sailor died a few weeks after John had whipped him and he was charged for murder. He was cleared for the first charge, and he became captain of the Betsey in 1773. The second "murder" was an act of self-defense. He fled to Virginia and changed his name to John Jones. Later he was known as John Paul Jones.

John went to Philadelphia at the outbreak of the Revolution, which gave him a chance to go back to sea. He received a commission as a lieutenant in the new Continental Navy on December 7, 1775. He was appointed first lieutenant of the Alfred, the first navel ship bought by the Continental Congress.

In 1776, Jones took command of the Providence. Then he was promoted captain, and in June 1777, he was given command of the Ranger, one of the first navel vessels to fly the American flag. The Ranger was also the first American man-of-war to receive a foreign salute. This occurred in 1778 in Quiberon Bay, France.

Off Belfast he captured the British ship Drake. With angry viewers watching from the shore the fighting was soon over. While riding on the Ranger in 1778 he raided Whitehaven on the Irish Sea Coast of England. He was not successful of burning the ships in the harbor.

Jones took command of the Bonhoome Richard (Poor Richard), which he named in honor of Benjamin Franklin. On September 23, 1779, off Flamborough Head near Hull, England, Jones fought the battle gave him a place in history. It was called the greatest sea fight of the Revolutionary War. The fight raged for 3 ½ hours. The Richard was wrecked by the Serapis. Seeing that Jones ship was leaking badly, the British commander challenged Jones to surrender. Jones did not give up. In words that have become famous he is said to have replied "I have not yet begun to fight!" The Serapis surrendered and was boarded by Jones and his crew. The Bonhomme Richard sank two days later. In February 1781, Jones was formally thanked by Congress, and he was given a gold medal.

For a brief time afterwards he took control of the ship America. The America was given to France, and the American navy was abolished. Jones studied naval tactics aboard French vessels, and he wrote on naval tactics. In 1787, Empress Catherine of Russia persuaded Jones to serve as rear admiral in the Black Sea fleet, which was then fighting the Turks. Jones soon decided to leave Russia, and he went to Paris in 1789.

John Paul Jones was appointed United States commissioner to Algiers in 1792, but he died before the appointment reached him Paris. John Paul Jones died in Paris alone on July 18, 1792, at the age of 45. His remains were returned to the United States in 1905, where it was buried with honors in the chapel at the United States Navel Academy. In the same year, Jones was nominated for the Hall of Fame. The nomination was rejected.

His heroism in fighting against larger and better-equipped enemy fleet, established a tradition that has never been forgotten.