John Paul Jones believed that great ships should be fast because they were meant to “go in harm’s way.” It’s a philosophy that feels especially fitting aboard USS NORTH CAROLINA, America’s first fast battleship.
In a November 1778 letter to a French nobleman, Jones wrote:
“I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm’s way.”¹
He wasn’t simply expressing a preference. He knew that speed could make all the difference in battle.
More than 160 years later, the USS NORTH CAROLINA combined the firepower of a battleship with the speed needed to operate alongside fast-moving naval forces during World War II. Jones never saw a ship like her, but it’s hard not to think he would have admired the design.
From Scotland to the Continental Navy
John Paul Jones was born July 6, 1747, in Kirkcudbright, Scotland. He went to sea at just 12 years old as a cabin boy in the British merchant marine.
His early career took many turns. He briefly worked aboard a slave ship before leaving the trade “in disgust.” He later became a ship’s master, but after killing the leader of a mutinous crew in self-defense in 1773, he fled to Virginia to avoid trial. There, he added the surname Jones and began a new chapter.
When the American Revolution broke out in 1775, Jones joined the Continental Navy in Philadelphia. Commissioned as a lieutenant aboard Alfred, he quickly rose to captain and took command of the sloop Providence. During his first cruise, he destroyed British fisheries in Nova Scotia and captured sixteen British prize ships.
“I Have Not Yet Begun to Fight.”
Jones built his reputation by taking the fight directly to Britain’s shores. While commanding Ranger, he conducted bold raids in British home waters before assuming command of the French-American squadron led by Bonhomme Richard.
His defining moment came on September 23, 1779, during the Battle of Serapis. With his own ship burning and sinking, the British demanded that he surrender.
Jones famously refused, replying, “I have not yet begun to fight.”¹
More than three hours later, the British frigate Serapis surrendered instead.
A Reputation That Endured
To Americans, John Paul Jones became a naval hero. In Britain, however, his daring attacks earned him a very different reputation. According to some historians, British publications portrayed him as a ruthless pirate, a perception that lasted for generations.
Those who knew him described him as disciplined, well dressed, sociable, and deeply committed to his honor and duty. He wrote poems and letters, spoke some French, and, above all, was known for his extraordinary courage.
Remembering John Paul Jones
After the American Revolution, Jones served briefly as a rear admiral in the Russian navy before settling in Paris. He died there before learning he had been appointed U.S. Consul to Algiers.
In 1905, after a lengthy search, his remains were discovered in Paris and returned to the United States. They were reinterred in an ornate tomb at the Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis in 1913.
Today, visitors aboard the Battleship North Carolina can appreciate the qualities in a ship that John Paul Jones valued almost 250 years ago. His belief that a warship should be fast enough to “go in harm’s way” lives on in the legacy of America’s first fast battleship.
Sources
¹ Adapted from Lauren Pitre’s article for SWONET, as published by the Naval History and Heritage Command. Direct quotations from John Paul Jones include his November 1778 letter (“I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm’s way.”) and his reported response during the Battle of Serapis (“I have not yet begun to fight.”).
Hero image: “On the Sea Wall with John Paul Jones” by N.C. Wyeth, 1928