Somers and the “Intrepid” 170 The Passing of the Old Navy 181 OLD SALTS AND NEW SAILORS. THE OLD SHIPS AND THE NEW Farragut in Mobile Bay 220 At the Naval Academy 231 Our Nation’s New Heroes 248 Heroes of the Deep 274 OUR FISHING FLEET LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE The Escape of the “Constitution” _Frontispiece_ The Descent on Whitehaven 17 “Yard-arm to Yard-arm” 27 Decatur boards the “Philadelphia” 52 The Danger of the “Intrepid” 53 “No ‘Dutch Courage’ on _THIS_ Ship” 83 In the Tops of the “Constitution” 101 The “Constellation” and the “Vengeance” 155 The Smoking Hour 189 Neptune comes Aboard 191 Modern Sea Monsters in Action 204 The Admiral lashed to the Rigging 225 Reefing Top-sails 242 They did not touch Him and His Leg was saved 252 Her Last Duty 263 THE EFFRONTERY OF PAUL JONES In April, 1778, there were more than two-score of French ships-of-the-line within easy sailing distance of the coast of England. They were tremendous three-decked monsters, armed with tier upon tier of cannon, and it took nearly a thousand officers and men to man each of them. They lay at anchor in the harbors of France or sallied forth into the open sea to the southward to prey upon the commerce of Great Britain. But grand as they were, not one of them dared to do what John Paul Jones did in the little Continental sloop of war “Ranger.” By good seamanship, an element of chance, and a reckless daring almost without precedent, he accomplished under the very noses of the gold-laced French admirals what they had been hemming and hawing about since the beginning of the war.