James Lawrence (October 1, 1781 – June 4, 1813) was an officer of the United States Navy. During the War of 1812, he commanded in a single-ship action against commanded by Philip Broke. He is probably best known today for his last words, "Don't give up the ship!", spoken during the capture of "Chesapeake". The quotation is still a popular naval battle cry, and was invoked by Oliver Hazard Perry's personal battle flag, adopted to commemorate his dead friend.