louisiana2000

If you’ve uttered those words yourself or wondered how they came to be included in our lexicon, this entry might be of interest to you. According to history, the dying words of Captain James Lawrence were said to be “Don’t give up the ship” while Captaining the frigate USS Chesapeake. After leaving port on June 1, 1813 Lawrence engaged in fierce battle while blockading the Royal Navy frigate HMS Shannon. Although the Shannon was slightly smaller than Lawrence’s Chesapeake, the British ship successfully disabled the US ship via gunfire within the first few minutes of onslaught. Captain Lawrence was mortally wounded by small arms fire but ordered his officers “Don’t give up the ship. Fight her till she sinks.” As his men carried him below after uttering these words, the crew was overwhelmed by a boarding party of British sailors. Lawrence died of his wounds a few days later on June 4, 1813; and we can only hope that he was never fully cognizant of the fact that his ship had not only been given up, but that she was soon to serve in the Royal Navy under the name of HMS Chesapeake until she was broken up for salvage and sold in 1820.