July 18, 1792. John Paul Jones, the fiery captain often called the father of the American Navy, died alone and nearly forgotten in a Paris apartment. His story did not end there.
During the Revolution, Jones was the closest thing America had to a naval superhero. In his most famous fight his ship was shot to pieces and sinking, and when the British captain asked if he was ready to surrender, Jones supposedly roared back, I have not yet begun to fight. Then he went on to capture the enemy ship while his own sank beneath him.
After the war the young country had little use for a navy, and Jones drifted to Europe looking for glory, even serving as an admiral for Russia for a while. He ended up broke, sick, and largely abandoned, dying in Paris at just 45. He was buried in an unmarked grave that got lost to history.
More than a century later, an American ambassador became obsessed with finding him, funded a dig under the streets of Paris, and actually recovered his remarkably preserved body. It was shipped home with full honors and entombed in a grand crypt at the Naval Academy, where this half forgotten captain now rests like a king. Not a bad comeback for a man who died alone on this day.
(original story yesterday by Steve Hill)
During the Revolution, Jones was the closest thing America had to a naval superhero. In his most famous fight his ship was shot to pieces and sinking, and when the British captain asked if he was ready to surrender, Jones supposedly roared back, I have not yet begun to fight. Then he went on to capture the enemy ship while his own sank beneath him.
After the war the young country had little use for a navy, and Jones drifted to Europe looking for glory, even serving as an admiral for Russia for a while. He ended up broke, sick, and largely abandoned, dying in Paris at just 45. He was buried in an unmarked grave that got lost to history.
More than a century later, an American ambassador became obsessed with finding him, funded a dig under the streets of Paris, and actually recovered his remarkably preserved body. It was shipped home with full honors and entombed in a grand crypt at the Naval Academy, where this half forgotten captain now rests like a king. Not a bad comeback for a man who died alone on this day.
(original story yesterday by Steve Hill)
