04/15/2026
Great post about Brother John Paul Jones..
https://www.facebook.com/share/1AyUUZ39Wj/?mibextid=wwXIfr
On This Day in American History — April 10, 1778
Brother John Paul Jones, Revolutionary War naval hero, father of the American Navy, and proud Freemason, set sail from Brest, France aboard the USS Ranger on one of the boldest and most consequential naval missions of the American Revolution.
Born John Paul in Scotland on July 6, 1747, he went to sea at just 13 years old and quickly rose through the ranks of merchant service by virtue of discipline, courage, and seamanship. In 1770, before his rise to fame in America, he was initiated into St. Bernard’s Lodge No. 122 in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, beginning his journey in the Craft and joining the ancient fraternity whose principles of brotherhood, virtue, and moral courage would be reflected throughout his life. He would later also associate with the renowned Lodge of the Nine Sisters in Paris, a lodge famous for its ties to the Enlightenment and many of the era’s great thinkers and patriots.
On April 10, 1778, under orders from the Continental Congress, Brother Jones departed France with broad authority to strike British shipping and carry the war directly to the enemy’s shores. Commanding only a single sloop-of-war and a crew of approximately 140 men, Jones sailed into the Irish Sea and undertook an audacious campaign that shocked the British Empire.
His mission would include:
• Capturing and destroying British merchant shipping in heavily trafficked waters
• Raiding the port of Whitehaven, England—the first American attack on British soil during the Revolution
• Threatening the British coast and forcing the Crown to reconsider its homeland defenses
• Capturing HMS Drake, marking the first time an American warship defeated and captured a Royal Navy vessel in British home waters
This was more than a naval raid—it was a declaration to the world that the American cause could not be contained to its own shores. Brother Jones carried the war to the heart of the British Isles and demonstrated that liberty’s defenders could strike the greatest naval power on earth in its own waters.
John Paul Jones embodied the same virtues esteemed in Freemasonry: courage in adversity, fidelity to duty, devotion to liberty, and unyielding perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds. His life reflected the Masonic principle that true honor is found not merely in words, but in action and service to a cause greater than oneself.
Brother Jones’ daring leadership and indomitable spirit helped forge the aggressive fighting tradition of the United States Navy and secured his legacy among the greatest warriors of the Revolutionary generation.
As Freemasons, we remember with pride that one of the founders of American naval power stood among the Brethren of the Craft—proof that men of Masonic character were counted among those who built and defended this nation from its earliest days.
“Those who will not risk cannot win.”
— Brother John Paul Jones
