Ship's Crew

Jacob Jones was born near Smyrna, Delaware in March 1768 and was orphaned at the age of 4. He studied medicine and practiced as a doctor, and later was appointed clerk of the Delaware Supreme Court. At age 31, shortly after losing his wife, he received a midshipman’s warrant despite being twice as old as most entering midshipmen. He served first aboard USS United States in the Quasi-War with France, and then in the corvette Delaware. After being commissioned a lieutenant on February 27, 1801, he had a brief assignment to the corvette Ganges, which was soon laid up. He next was assigned to the frigate Philadelphia, which ran aground in Tripoli Harbor and was captured by the Tripolitans in October 1803. He and the crew remained prisoners until June 1805. Following a long period of shore assignments, Jones was promoted to master commandant in 1810 and given command of the sloop-of-war Wasp. In October 1812, he captured HMS Dolphin, and the next month fought a brutal battle against HMS Frolic. Unfortunately, HMS Poictiers appeared while Jones was repairing battle damage and captured Wasp. Soon exchanged, he was promoted to captain and made commander of the newly captured frigate Macedonian. Trapped by the British blockade at New London, Connecticut, Jones finally was ordered to Lake Ontario, where he took command of the frigate Mohawk. Early in 1815, he transferred to the new frigate Guerriere, and participated in the second Barbary War as part of Commodore Stephen Decatur’s squadron.