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Archiver > GENBRIT > 2005-07 > 1121511340


From: Andrew Sellon <>
Subject: Re: Ireland to Carlisle, Cumberland in 1834 to 1836
Date: Sat, 16 Jul 2005 11:55:40 +0100
References: <20050716075250.7411F5EE24E@smtp1.freeola.net>
In-Reply-To: <20050716075250.7411F5EE24E@smtp1.freeola.net>


Roy Stockdill wrote:

>Surely you are joking? How on earth would a gunboat manned by
>Americans have managed to find its way across the Atlantic to
>Whitehaven? I doubt many Americans could find Whitehaven today, never
>mind in the 1770s!
>
>Perhaps they were really looking for "some place beginning with W"
>(like Washington maybe) and wondered why it had taken them so long to
>get there? <v.b.g.>
>
>
Roy -

How little you seem to know of American naval history!

The (to British eyes) renegard John Paul Jones is regarded by Americans
as the founder of the United States Navy. His (laughable in retrospect)
attack on Whitehaven, and his later cruise in the North Sea caused
considerable consternation in Royal Navy circles at the time.

You should read
http://www.whitehaven.talktalk.net/history/johnpauljones.htm#On .

Unfortunately it will do little to dispel your apparent anti-American,
(I know you deny these), views, as John Paul Jones was born just across
the bay from Whitehaven in Kirkcudbrightshire as plain John Paul.

To this day the USN has a ship named the USS Bonhomme Richard after
Jones's next vessel, an East Indiaman he converted in a French shipyard.

Yours Aye Andrew Sellon
The attacks of the Barbary powers first roused them to form a navy;
which, in 1797, amounted to three frigates. In 1814, besides a great
increase of frigates, four seventy-fours were ordered to be built. In
1816 ..... nine seventy-fours, and twelve forty-four gun ships were to
be ordered to be built. Rev. Sydney Smith 1771-1854, Canon of St. Paul's.



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