Aaron Jones



Aaron Jones was born in London, England in August of 1700. The son of an Admiral, Aaron's family was steeped in the military history of England. Numerous members of the family were Officers in either the land forces or the Navy of England. From a young age Aaron looked towards a career at sea. Spending much time listening to his father and his cousins stories of far off lands and climatic battles left Aaron dreaming of commanding his own warship and making a name for himself within the Royal Navy. At the very young age of nine, Aaron's father, Admiral Lee Jones placed Aaron onto the muster books of HMS Royal Anne; his one hundred gun flagship.

Life on board the Royal Anne at first was exciting, although difficult for Aaron; having to adjust to the new way of life and the harshness that came with the Navy. However Aaron would learn a great deal from the teachings of his father and the other Officers on board the Royal Anne. At the age of 12 Admiral Jones found an opportunity for Aaron to develop and gain promotion on a frigate bound for the West Indies. HMS Blanche was an old warship that leaked and rolled terribly when the winds picked up; but her Captain, Horatio Knight was of the first class. Captain Knight had gained promotion through daring escapades and was dispatched to the West Indies to attack Spanish commerce. Able seaman Jones was signed off of the muster book of the Royal Anne on the 19th April 1712, and Midshipman Jones was entered into the muster book of the Blanche on the same day.

A frigate opened up a whole new world for Aaron, out of the cramped and tedious world of a huge ship of the line; a frigate offered the chance of prize money, new learning experiences and most important to Aaron, activity. Upon leaving Portsmouth the Blanche had a flotilla of merchantmen whom she was escorting to the profitable world of the Caribbean. The cruise was not an easy one and Midshipman Jones would get to see the horrors of storms and extreme gales. Within two weeks of leaving England the Blanche had lost her maintop in a storm and two of the merchantmen had been overcome by the sea. Upon entering the waters of the Caribbean HMS Blanche and Midshipman Jones got their first taste of battle. A French privateer waiting for such a fleet of merchantmen tried to use the wind to pick off a merchantman struggling to keep up with the main group. Captain Knight ordered the Blanche hove to and beat to quarters. The action was short but intense. The privateer firing high into the rigging to disable the Blanche, however the Blanche had exercised her great guns throughout her journey and caused substantial damage to the hull and crew of the Frenchman. The privateer escaped however the merchant fleet remained intact. Jones would stay with the Blanche for two years before transferring with Captain Knight to the newer and far superior HMS Expedient. With forty four guns she was a powerhouse in the Caribbean and took a great many prizes.

In 1718 Jones was eligible for the examination for Lieutenant and did his family and his patrons proud when he passed on the first attempt, impressing the three senior Officers that saw him. The next six years would see rapid advancement for Jones. In 1721 Jones was a first Lieutenant on board the frigate HMS Destiny in the Mediterranean. Here Jones would receive his promotion to Commander and then Captain. HMS Destiny was cruising off of the coast of Malta when she was attacked by a French frigate of equal force. The two thirty eight gun frigates fought a bloody duel in which Captain Forester of the Destiny would be mortally wounded and taken below. The command of the ship fell upon Jones. Jones ordered the wreckage cleared and for the helmsman to ram the Frenchman. This was done and the yards locked between the two ships and Jones led a boarding party. After a discharge of grape from the quarterdeck of the Destiny, Jones stormed the Frenchman to find a scene of shear carnage. The French command had been all but wiped out during the fight that lasted for over an hour. The purser of the French privateer approached Acting Commander Jones with the surrender of the ship and so started Jones journey to the post rank. For his actions during the battle Jones was made Commander and given the command of the brig Calypso. Calypso was a fortunate ship and within the first three months had managed to capture eighteen enemy vessels. Used mainly for commerce raiding Calypso would play a big role in an action off of the port of Genoa and would obligingly make Commander Jones a Captain.

On the 28th November 1723 the Calypso heard the booming of cannons in the fog and made sail towards where they believed the action to be unfolding. What Commander Jones and the crew of the Calypso found was the rare occasion of two third rate ship of the lines engaged in single combat. A massive French eighty gunned warship named L'Gloire was devastating the British sixty four HMS Windsor Castle. HMS Windsor Castle was the flagship of Rear Admiral Percy Lea. The arrival of HMS Calypso couldn't have come at a better time and Jones shortened sail once in a position to rake L'Gloire. The battle raged and the action of the Calypso enabled Rear Admiral Lea to gain the upper hand and eventually force the Gloire to haul down her colours. For this decisive action and the heroic display of the Calypso, Commander Jones was made "post" and many of the Lieutenants were promoted to the flagship.

Jones would be given command of HMS Diamond of thirty two guns. He would stay in the Mediterranean until February of 1724 attached to Rear Admiral Lea's Squadron, however on the 4th of February 1724 sailed home to England to both recuperate and so that HMS Diamond could undergo a much needed refit. Captain Jones' time in England was short lived when the Admiralty gave him orders to sail to the Caribbean to join the St George Squadron under Admiral Lord Fletcher. Attached to the Squadron Captain Jones played an important role and was even given the title of Chief of Naval Operations. Jones held this post until October of 1725 when he was detached from the Squadron. During 1725 to 1726 Jones became an Admiral of the British forces in many of the engagements held between the great powers of the Caribbean. For four long tours of duty he wrote back to the Admiralty about how successful the Royal Navy had been and that new lands had been taken and held. In April of 1726 Jones was given permission to sail to England to recover his health from so many years in the feverish West Indies. In September of 1726 the Admiralty reassigned Jones to rejoin the St George Squadron of the White, which was now under the command of Admiral Lord Laurence. Jones boarded his flagship HMS Invincible and made all sail to rejoin the Squadron, where he found the Caribbean a very different place; one where the enemy had joined forces and taken the upper hand. Only the St George Squadron of the White and a handful of other Captains from battle weary Squadrons remained to fend off the onslaught of France, Spain and the pirate scourge. Jones was back where he longed to be; in the thick of the action.