John Paul Jones proclaimed "I have not yet begun to fight!" from aboard the ship Bonhomme Richard, which he named after this man.
John Paul Jones proclaimed "I have not yet begun to fight!? from aboard the ship Bonhomme Richard, which he named after Benjamin Franklin?s nickname. On September 23, 1779, an American attack on a British convoy pitted the British frigate HMS Serapis, against the Richard commanded by Scotsman Jones. When Richard began to sink, Serapis commander Richard Pearson called over to ask if Richard would surrender and Jones responded, ?I have not yet begun to fight!?–a response that would become a slogan of the U.S. Navy. The ships kept firing, and Richard ended up sinking, but not before Pearson surrendered and Jones took control of Serapis.
