- https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/famous-navy-quotes.html
- http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/johnpauljones.htm
- http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/naval/p/War-Of-1812-Commodore-Oliver-Hazard-Perry.htm
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Farragut
- http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/mobile-bay.html
Written by Jenifer Chrisman on November 28, 2016.
There are many famous quotes associated with the United States Navy, but some are so acclaimed they have passed into American culture and folklore. Whether heard in their original context, a movie, a song or just everyday conversation, the history behind each of these well-known phrases is both unique and an important part of the Navy’s distinguished history.
“I have not yet begun to fight!”
– Captain John Paul Jones
On September 23, 1779, Captain John Paul Jones uttered his famous phrase to Captain Richard Pearson during the battle between the Bonhomme Richard and the Serapis. Those words were later recalled by members of his crew, although there is some question to their accuracy.
Some of Jones’ men cried out, wishing to yield. Pearson (of Serapis) then asked Jones’ if he wished to surrender, to which Jones declared, “I have not yet begun to fight!” Jones and his crew won their desperate fight and captured the Serapis and that clash of ships went down as the greatest sea battle of the American Revolution.
“Tell the men to fire faster! Don’t give up the ship!”
– Captain James Lawrence
On June 1, 1813, during the War of 1812 (June 18, 1812, through February 18, 1815), Captain James Lawrence was mortally wounded in the clash between the HMS Shannon and his ship, the frigate USS Chesapeake. As he was being carried below he commanded, “Tell the men to fire faster! Don’t give up the ship!” The Chesapeake was forced to surrender, but Lawrence’s dying utterance became a rallying cry throughout the remainder of the war.
On September 10, 1813, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry flew a private battle flag during the Battle of Erie upon which his dead friend’s motto was sewn.
“Damn the torpedoes, Full speed ahead!”
– Admiral David Glasgow Farragut
On August 5, 1864, during the American Civil War, Admiral David Glasgow Farragut’s fleet led a victory against the Confederacy’s last major open port at the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama. The bay, heavily mined, quickly took out the USS Tecumseh. As some of the ships began pulling back, Farragut ordered, “Damn the torpedoes, Full speed ahead!” Torpedoes, as referenced by Farragut, are today described as tethered naval mines.
Following these famous words he directed his ship, the USS Hartford, to sail across the mines. The mines failed to explode and the bulk of the fleet succeeded in entering the bay, forcing Admiral Franklin Buchanan’s forces to surrender. The bypassed forts, Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines, were shut down by August 23, 1864, effectively shutting down the port.
For more famous quotes and their history visit the Naval History and Heritage Command at history.navy.mil.
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