John Paul Jones

John Paul Jones’ health deteriorated continuously while staying in Paris and he died on July 18, 1792 due to interstitial nephritis.

He was laid to rest at Saint Louis Cemetery, following a small procession comprising of friends, servants and loyal family.

In 1905, after more than a century later, his remains were found and brought to America by US warships, where he was buried with full honors at the Naval Academy Chapel, Annapolis, in 1913, which now stands as a national shrine.

John Paul Jones was born as John Paul on July 6, 1747 in Arbigland estate, Kirkcudbrightshire, southwest Scotland, to John Paul, Sr. and Jean McDuff. His father was a gardener.

He started his career at sea at the age of 13, as a ship’s boy on ‘Friendship’ under a Scottish ship owner, John Younger, when he sailed off to Virginia and visited his elder brother, William, at Fredericksburg.

For the next 14 years, he sailed on various merchant and slave ships, between Britain, Virginia and West Indies, learning the tactics of sea-sailing.

In 1764, John Paul Jones was hired as third mate on ‘King George’ and was later promoted as first mate on ‘Two Friends’ in 1766. However, he began hating the slave trade despite the job being lucrative and quit to join ‘John’ in 1768.

While on his voyage from Jamaica to Scotland, tragedy struck the vessel when the captain and ranking mate died of yellow fever en-route. John Paul Jones sailed the ship back to port safely and was promoted as captain. As captain, he led two trips to West Indies.

In 1770, he severely flogged one of the sailors who died a few weeks later. This resulted in his arrest and imprisonment. He was released later, but the incident had a very bad impact on his flourishing career.

In 1773, he was forced to kill the ringleader of a mutinous crew, in self-defense, after which he fled to Fredericksburg, Virginia to escape trial.

When the American Revolution broke out in 1775, he traveled to Philadelphia and joined the brand-new Continental Navy as first lieutenant on the warship ‘Alfred’.

In 1787, John Paul Jones was honored with a decoration of ‘I’Institution du Merite Militaire’ and a gold-hilted sword, along with the title ‘Chevalier John Paul Jones’, by French King Louis XVI.

He was made the Order of St. Anne by the Russian Duke in 1788