Commodore Perry Flag (1813): History of "Don't Give Up The Ship" Banner

Don't Give Up The Ship: The Motto That Carried Commodore Perry to Victory (1813)

The Commodore Perry flag emblazoned these words “Don’t Give Up the Ship” which carried him to victory at the Battle of Lake Erie.

During the War of 1812, Captain James Lawrence of the Chesapeake encouraged his men, as he lay dying, by exhorting “Don’t Give Up the Ship”. Three months later at the Battle of Lake Erie, Commodore Perry emblazoned these words on a flag that carried him to victory.

Similar flags and mottoes have inspired Americans throughout our two centuries of existence.

The History Of the Commodore Perry Flag

The famous phrase “Don’t Give Up the Ship” stands among the most enduring symbols of American naval heroism. Its origins lie in the War of 1812, during one of the young United States Navy’s most formative and challenging periods. The motto was born from tragedy but soon became a rallying cry for perseverance, courage, and national pride—forever tied to Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and his decisive victory at the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813.

The phrase was first uttered by Captain James Lawrence, commander of the USS Chesapeake, during an engagement with the British frigate Shannon on June 1, 1813, off the coast of Boston. The battle was fierce but short.

The Chesapeake was struck by British broadsides and, within minutes, was disabled. Mortally wounded, Captain Lawrence’s final command to his crew was, “Don’t give up the ship! Fight her till she sinks!” His words encapsulated the spirit of defiance and determination that defined the American Navy during the war. Lawrence died three days later, but his phrase was immortalized.

Lawrence’s friend and fellow officer, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, took those words to heart. Preparing for battle on Lake Erie in September 1813, Perry commissioned a blue battle flag emblazoned with the white letters “DONT GIVE UP THE SHIP”—notably without the apostrophe, just as it appeared on the flag.

The banner was hand-sewn by women in Erie, Pennsylvania, under the direction of Purser Samuel Hambleton, one of Perry’s officers. Perry raised it on his flagship, the USS Lawrence, named in honor of his fallen comrade.

On September 10, 1813, Perry’s fleet met the British squadron under Commander Robert Barclay in the Battle of Lake Erie, a crucial engagement that would determine control of the Great Lakes. The fight was brutal and chaotic.

Perry’s flagship, Lawrence, was battered and nearly destroyed, with most of its crew killed or wounded. Refusing to surrender, Perry famously took the flag, climbed into a small boat, and transferred his command to the relatively undamaged USS Niagara under heavy fire. From there, he turned the tide—sailing directly into the British line and unleashing devastating broadsides. Within fifteen minutes, the entire British squadron had surrendered.

After the victory, Perry wrote his now-famous dispatch to General William Henry Harrison:

We have met the enemy and they are ours: two ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one sloop.

The victory on Lake Erie ensured American control of the Great Lakes, strengthened national morale, and secured the Northwest Territory. More importantly, it cemented Perry’s flag—and Lawrence’s dying words—as a lasting emblem of resilience and patriotism.

Today, the original “Don’t Give Up the Ship” flag is preserved at the United States Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, Maryland, revered as a sacred relic of American naval history.

The courage displayed by Lawrence and Perry turned the phrase “Don’t Give Up the Ship” from its wartime origins into a universal motto for perseverance in the face of adversity. It serves as a lasting reminder of the indomitable spirit that helped a young nation navigate one of its earliest tests of strength.

Click here purchase a Don't Give Up The Ship Flag