James Lawrence

James Lawrence (born Oct. 1, 1781, Burlington, N.J., U.S.—died June 1, 1813, in a sea battle off Boston, Mass.) was a U.S. naval officer of the War of 1812 whose dying words, “Don’t give up the ship,” became one of the U.S. Navy’s most cherished traditions. Lawrence entered the navy as a midshipman (1798) and fought against the Barbary pirates. He was first lieutenant to Lieutenant Stephen Decatur when the USS Philadelphia, which had been...