Congress afterward gave him command of the ship Ranger, and sent him to carry letters to Benjamin Franklin, who was in France trying to get the king to take sides with the Americans.
With the "Ranger" at Whitehaven
Franklin planned for Jones to take the Ranger to the coast of England, and show that American as well as English ships could burn, destroy, and fight. He captured two vessels, made straight for his old town of Whitehaven, "spiked" the cannon in the fort, set some ships on fire, and escaped without harm.
Near by this place, his sailors took all the silver from the home of a rich lady. This robbery troubled him so much that, afterward, at great expense to himself, he returned the silver to its owner.
"Paul, the Pirate"
"Look out for Paul Jones, the pirate!" the people said; and the Drake, carrying two more cannon than the Ranger, was sent to capture her. Five boatloads of people went to see the pirate captured. The fight lasted more than an hour. When the Drake surrendered, her captain and forty-two men had been killed. The Ranger had lost only two men. After this fight the English towns were still more afraid of Paul Jones.
MARINE CANDLESTICK
From man-of-war "Constitution"
The "Good Man Richard"