John Paul Jones USS Ranger vs HMS Drake

John Paul Jones was captain of an American ship, The Ranger, during the Revolutionary War. He attacked and sank the British ship, HMS Drake, in the harbor of Ireland's Belfast Harbor in 1778. During the battle, there were several Irish fishing men on shore who were so excited, they jumped into their fishing boats and came out to see the action. Because they were "technically" Englishmen, John Paul Jones brought them aboard when their boats sank and locked them down below. As soon as John Paul Jones and his crew conquered HMS Drake and the battle was over. He then brought the men to the deck and lined them up. Shaking each of their hands, at the end cheers and Huzzahs went up for the captain of The Ranger. In each man's hand, John Paul Jones had placed a fifty dollar gold piece for them to purchase another boat.

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Over the next several weeks, I will be publishing, with the aid of my daughter, Bettse Folsom, a series of answer & questions & snippets about Ireland that many people have asked me during events where I have attended. The recordings of these can be found on my YouTube channel, HelenWalshFolsom or if you have a question, please contact me by email and I will be happy to address it.

Thank you for reading my blog!