Jones was born John Paul on 6 July 1747, in Kirkcudbright, Scotland. At the age of 12 he entered the British merchant marine and went to sea for the first time as a cabin boy.

Seafarer

His seafaring adventures would eventually take him to America and, like many other sailors before him, Jones got involved in the slave trade. He became first mate on a slaver brigantine in 1766

Left Slave Trade in Disgust

However, he soon left that trade in disgust the realities of human trafficking repulsed him, and he returned to shipping cargo duties.

1773 - Fled to America

In 1773 Jones was caught in a very difficult situation: he murdered a mutinous sailor on the island of Tobago in self-defense.

Because Jones believed he wouldn’t receive a fair trial, he fled to America.

Jones Added to His Name

It was there he added the last name “Jones” to conceal his identity.

1779 - Great US Naval Commanders

In 1779 Jones would go down in history as one of the greatest naval commanders of the Revolutionary War.

Bon Homme Richard

It was in 1779, Captain Jones took command of the 42-gun USS Bonhomme Richard, a merchant ship rebuilt and given to America by the French shipping magnate, Jacques-Donatien Le Ray.