Lawrence, James

Lawrence, James, 1781–1813, American naval hero, b. Burlington, N.J. He entered the navy in 1798 and saw his first important service in the Tripolitan War. In the War of 1812, as commander of the Hornet, he defeated and sank (1813) the British Peacock. He was promoted to captain and was given command of the Chesapeake at Boston. On his way out of Boston harbor he met, engaged, and was defeated by the British frigate Shannon, which had been blockading Boston. His words "Tell the men to fire faster and not to give up the ship" shouted as he was carried from the deck, mortally wounded, became the popular naval battle cry "Don't give up the ship!"

Bibliography

See biography by A. Gleaves (1904); P. Padfield, Broke and the Shannon (1968).

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Lawrence, James

(born Oct. 1, 1781, Burlington, N.J., U.S.—killed in action June 1, 1813, in a sea battle off Boston, Mass.) U.S. naval officer. He served under Stephen Decatur in the Tripolitan War. In the War of 1812 he commanded the USS Hornet in the capture of the British Peacock. Shortly thereafter he was promoted to captain of the USS Chesapeake. In 1813 he accepted a challenge from the British Shannon to a sea fight off the coast of Boston. The Chesapeake was defeated in less than an hour, and Lawrence was mortally wounded. His last words, “Don't give up the ship,” came to express one of the U.S. Navy's most cherished traditions.

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Lawrence, James (1781–1813) naval officer; born in Burlington, N.J. He served with distinction in the Tripolitan War and won a notable victory over the British Peacock In 1813. He was defeated and mortally wounded in the HMS Shannon –USS Chesapeake duel in the same year. His famous appeal, "Don't give up the ship!" became a rallying cry for United States sailors.