Little Known Facts About the First Barbary War-- Part 4: James Lawrence "Don't Give Up the Ship"

JAMES LAWRENCE also rose to great fame during the War of 1812.  As commander of the USS Hornet, he captured the HMS Peacock and was promoted to captain.  On June 1, 1813, as commander of the 48-gun frigate USS Chesapeake, he fought the HMS Shannon and was mortally wounded.  As he lay dying, he told his men:  "Tell them to fire faster and not give up the ship, fight her till she sinks!"

In honor of Lawrence, a group of women stitched the words "Don't Give Up the Ship" into a flag and presented it to Oliver Hazard Perry, who flew it on his USS Lawrence named in Lawrence's honor in the pivotal Battle of Lake Erie.

Since then, the Navy has named many ships in Lawrence's honor and his words, "Don't Give Up the Ship" have become the motto of the U.S. Navy.

--Cooter

A Look at Some of Hampton Roads' Most Famous Ships-- Part 1: USS Chesapeake

From the January 10, 2014, Stars and Stripes by Mark St. John Erickson of the Hampton Roads Daily Press.  Like I said before, he sure gets the good articles to write.

Two of the most famous shipyards are located in Hampton Roads, Virginia, area: Norfolk Naval Shipyard which launched its first U.S. Navy warship in 1799 and the Newport News Shipbuilding which was founded in 1886.

In 1798, the USS Chesapeake, the fourth and smallest of the original "Super Frigates."  (The USS Constitution was one of them.)  The ship and country were greatly embarrassed when it was boarded by the HMS Shannon off of Cape Henry and the famous "Don't Give Up the Ship" quote came about because of it.

The CSS Virginia, built on the hull of the USS Merimack and fought the famous Battle of Hampton Roads against the USS Monitor.

--Cooter