Evening star., 1935-10-27

actually the first which sailed under
Government orders. Barry's appoint
ment Of December was prior to the
resolution by which the commander
in chief and other officers of the
Navy were ordered by Congress. but
it was bona fide congressional ap-
pointment nonetheless. and this fact
would seem undoubtedly to give him
the honor of being the first COM
mander of the United States Navy"
John Paul Jones first command
was the Ranger. built at Portsmouth,
N. H., the order being dated June a.
l777. 1t was on this day also that
Congress also adopted a resolution
making the Stars and Stripes the ma
tional emblem, circumstance which
led to the legend that Jones, upon
learning the news. said:
THE Flag and are twins!"
JONES sailed for France in the RAN
ger November /. 1777 and made
two captures en- route. April II. 1778,
he embarked from Brest and began a
marrying of the English coast that
made his name anathema throughout
the enemy country. April IL he
landed at Whitenaven. spiked the
guns of the fort and destroyed the
shipping in the harbor. Within %
days Jones operations boosted marine
insurance rates between England and
Ireland from IL to per cent and
the gallant American became an idol
of sympathetic France asthe began
building a great naval tradition for
"a country Of farmers"
The capture of the British fighting
vessel Drake and Jones safe arrival
with his prize at French port was
the most thrilling episode of the Rang
er's career 1t was after the White
haven raid that the Drake sighted the
Ranger The British captain had no
idea he was within striking distance
Of the american pirate" and sent
cut a small boat, the midshipman in
charge of which was soon a startled
| prisoner.
In the meantime the Drake came
out and inquired the identity of the
stranger and its commander was
loudly informed that he beheld the
American Continental ship Ranger
| and to come and get usi"
The ships drifted to close quarters
and broadsides were soon exchanged
The Rangers gunners settled down to
business coolly and proceeded to tear
the Drake to pieces. Her captain and
first lieutenant were killed early in
the engagement.
| With the Drake utterly on the de-
fensive, Jones conceived the happy
idea of taking her to France as a
prize tv demonstrate to that friendly
people just what the embattled colo
nists could do. So he refrained from
sinking the helpless foe
The gesture had the desired effect
and on February 4, 1779, King Louis
XVI presented to the United States
the Due de Duras, which Jones fitted
out as a man o. war This proved
the prelude to an exploit which made
| his name immortal.
In honor of Benjamin Franklin,
whose homely maxims in Poor Rich
ards Almanack" had been of great
inspiration to him, Jones renamed the
4O-gun ship the Bonhomme Richard
In this vessel, defiant of most severe
handicaps, Jones made his most ex-
| traordinary cruise.
TO BEGIN with, the Bonhomme
Richard had not been built for
war, but was an antiquated India
merchantmen. Carrying inadequate
armament and an ill-assorted crew,
with American officers predominating,
however, the vessel sailed August IA,
l779, from L'Orient at the head of a
small squadron.
While making an almost complete
circuit of the British Isles, Jones
captured II British vessels. and on
September % was of Flamborough
Head when a large convoy of enemy
ships was sighted. Satisfying him.
self that only two were warships, the
American commander gave chase. and
as darkness descended there began
an encounter that is an epic in all
naval history-the battle of the Bon
homme Richard and the Scraps.
This action of nearly four hours,
during most of which the vessels were
locked in a death embrace, remains
unsurpassed for endurance displayed
by both sides. At the first broadside
two of the Bonhomme Richards 18-
Founders burst, killing most Of the
men that worked them, and 80 min
utes after the battle opened shots
below her waterline began to fill the
hold. Her decks ran with blood and at
the height of the slaughter the British
commander hailed to learn whether
the American struck. to which Jones
responded with his classic:
II have not yet began to fght!"
The Bonhomme Richard soon was
on fire and its magazine menaced, but
the American ship fought on. even
when one of its own fleet. the Alliance.
drew near and madly raked its COM
radeship. This extraordinary deed
was first interpreted as meaning the
British had captured the Alliance and
turned it against its own flag, but
later there was indisputable evidence
that Capt. Peter Landais, French
commander Of the Alliance, whose
hatred of Jones had previously cropped
out, had actually ordered the attack.
He escaped summary punishment only
through the general belief that he was
mentally unbalanced.
The situation Of the Bonhomme
Richard became 50 desperate Jones
was urged to surrender and an ordinary
commander would have been JUSTIFIED