Under Commodore Warrington at age 15. See the image of the Macedonian to the right.
Under Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones (his uncle), a number of smaller boats took a practice cruies beyond the capes from Hampton Roads.
Cruised from Hampton Roads to New York. See the image of the Macedonian to the right.
Under Commodore Warrington, sailed from Hampton Roads on May 6, 1838 to the Island of Madeiro, Rio Janeiro, Bombay, Columbo, Singapore, Valparaiso, Callao (Feb. 28, 1840).
Under Lieutenant-Commodore A. Bigalow, sailed along the west coast of Peru and Ecuador.
Old Ironsides, a 44-gun frigate built in 1797, under the command of Captain Daniel Turner and Commodore Alexander Claxton (commander of the Pacific Squadron, died 7 Feb 1841), Returned to Hampton Roads. See a summary of the log from 2 March 1839 - 16 May 1841 and from 17 May 1841 - 12 Nov 1841.
Under Matthew F. Maury (picture at LOC, Info, Chronology). Worked with John M. Brooke. The U.S. Naval Observatory, Naval Oceanographic Office, and the Naval Meterology and Oceanography Command evolved from the Depot of Charts. See the links for its history.
Under Lieutenant Powell, surveyed Tampa Bay.
Under Lieutenant Powell, landed at Havana and Key West before continuing to survey Tampa Bay and other Florida bays.
Served as Lieutenant under Captain Dupont. Traveled to Rio Janiero, Cape Town, East Indian ports, and Hong Kong.
Under Commodore F.A. Parker, traveled from Hong Kong to Macao, Sandwich Islands, Society Islands, and Valparaiso.
A history of the Ohio. Another history of the Ohio.
This was during the Mexican War (1846-1848). Served as Acting Master. It went from Boston (December 1846) to Rio de Janeiro (August 1847), [Thomas ap Catesby Jones arrives in Valparaiso in Dec. 1847 to take command of the Ohio, raising his pennant 21 Jan 1848.] Valparaiso (January 1848), Callao (February 1848), Mazatlan (May 1848) [the ship had gone here to blockade, but the war was over by the time it arrived], La Paz (July 1848), Guaymas (Aug 1848), Monterey, CA (October 1848), Sausalito (November 1848).
Warranted Master on September 14, 1848. Promoted to Lieutenant on May 12, 1849. Promoted to Commissioned Lieutenant on June 5, 1849.
U.S.S. St. Mary's ??-June 17, 1850 (He isn't on the St. Mary in April 1849 and first writes in her log on Oct. 18, 1849. Gene Smith (in his book on Thomas ap Catesby Jones) indicates that Catesby ap Roger Jones was on the St. Mary's in the spring of 1849 surveying the harbors in SF Bay, but I've seen no other evidence.)
An artist's conception (in 1852) of what Commodore Perry's Japanese Squadron would look like. The St Mary's is the largest ship (3rd from the left). While scheduled to join the squadron, the St. Mary's
did not participate in the Perry Expedition to Japan..
The image was provided by Baxley Stamps, which buys and sells material related to Perry's Japan trip. Please visit that site for information regarding purchasing the original publications.
See also Ships of the World and this image and these images.
Wounded by two shots by French troops during a civic upheaval in Paris. Lost his forefinger on his left hand and nearly lost his life.
Ordered to return to the U.S.
Ordnance duty, Navy
Yard, Washington, D.C. February 28, 1853-February 5, 1856. Worked with Dahlgren to introduce the Dahlgren gun.
U.S.S. Merrimack February 5, 1856-April 3, 1857. Originally the ordnance officer because he was the only man besides Dahlgren that was familiar with the three Dahlgren guns on the Merrimack, he became the watch officer on March 27, 1856. See the image to the right.
Executive Officer on this ordnance steamer. In the image of Perry's fleet above, the Plymouth is the second largest ship, fifth from the left.
He was the ordnance officer on a Paraguay expedition.
Special duty fitting Pawnee for sea.(onboard image)
This was the day that Virginia, his home state, voted to secede. He wrote his resignation in the office of Virginia Governor Lechter that night.
CSS Virgina Nov. 9, 1861-May 10, 1862Catesby ap Roger Jones was the senior officer of the Virginia untiil Captain (later Admiral) Buchanan was appointed Flag Officer of the James River Squadron on Feb. 24, 1862, and arrived to take the Virginia as his flagship on Feb. 25, 1862. Executive and Ordnance Officer under Buchanan (picture from LOC), and because of an injury to the Admiral on March 8, 1862, commanded the CSS Virginia (a rebuilt USS Merrimack) in the famous battle of the first Ironclads against the USS Monitor on March 9 at Hampton Roads. He again was the senior officer until Captain Josiah Tattnall was appointed on March 29 as the Flag Officer of the James River Squadron.
With the approach of the enemy troops, Norfolk was being evacuated. The Virginia could not be made light enough to go up the James River. To prevent its capture, the Virginia was run ashore in the bight of Carney Island and set afire.
Battles the Monitor and Galena at Drewry's Bluff (Fort Darling), May 15, 1862
This order, which would have had him appointed as a Colonel in the Confederate Army was apparently recalled. July 1862 request. January 1863 request. Mallory's permission.
The Selma Naval Foundry supplied armor and cannon to the Confederate Naval. This ordnance allowed the Confederate ships to fight with the more numerous federal ships.
Upon orders, Jones disassembled the machinery of the foundry and took it away before Selma was captured.
Catesby ap Roger Jones Page