A call to a breed that never dies
Navy recruiting sheet built around a verse in which the ghosts of John Paul Jones, Perry and Dewey ask whether American seafaring men have died out. A portrait and a sailing-ship battle flank the verse; a modern battleship and the line 'Come man the ships' close it. Past naval heroes lend their standing to the present appeal (transfer).
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- U.S. Navy
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Military
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Recruit
- Theme
- War and the military
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
U.S. Navy. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-3 (NAID 513499).
Text on the object
A CALL TO A BREED THAT NEVER DIES "WHERE are they now?" said John Paul Jones, "The men like the men I knew; The hardy men who sailed with me When I made up the Ranger's crew? Has the breed died out? Are they all asleep In the sea with Davey's bones? There MUST be men like the men I knew!" Said John Paul Jones. "YOU'RE right!" said Perry, the Commodore, "I knew such men on the Lake When we launched our ships and took the chance The men of our breed will take! 'We have met the enemy . . . he is ours!' THAT was our spirit then! Where is it now? Is the spirit gone? Does America have no MEN?" SAID the shade of Dewey: "I knew them, too; My men of the Great White Fleet, When the crew of the Oregon bade us wait Till they and the fleet could meet. And they drove her fourteen thousand miles From half the world away To join the fight that Sampson fought At Santiago Bay!" WHERE are they now? Where they always were-- They bend over desk and hoe, Awaiting the word to man the guns-- Awaiting the word to go! And the word is out . . . you are needed now Where the sea-tide swells and dips . . . From orchard and office, from city and plow Come join the Navy, come man the ships! "SURRENDER? I HAVE NOT YET BEGUN TO FIGHT!" John Paul Jones uttered these famous words on Sept. 23, 1779 during the battle between the Bonhomme Richard, a frigate of 42 guns, and the Serapis, a frigate of 50 guns, in reply to the Captain of the Serapis, who asked him if he surrendered when the Bonhomme Richard broke out in flames and started sinking rapidly. This action is considered the greatest battle of John Paul Jones' career and is the only naval battle in history in which the victor lost his ship and returned to port in the vessel which he captured. JOHN PAUL JONES (1747-1792), the Soldier of Fortune and United States Naval Hero who commanded the first naval vessel to receive a salute to the American Flag from a Foreign Power. He joined the Navy of the Colonies at the outbreak of the American Revolution. His efforts at sea caused much damage to the enemy supply system, delayed reinforcements for their armies and showed, even at that early date, that the Navy was America's First Line of Defense. LEARN HOW YOU CAN JOIN THE NAVY OR NAVAL RESERVE Apply at the Navy Recruiting Station nearest you. There you'll find Navy men ready to discuss with you in a friendly way the opportunities the Navy offers. You'll be able to get complete information, without any obligation to enlist. Come man the ships . . . The Navy needs you NOW! Modern 35,000-Ton Battleship, U.S.S. WASHINGTON [imprint:] NRB-30200-9-18-41-10M
