USS Paul Jones (DD-10)

The USS Paul Jones (DD-10) was a United States Navy destroyer commissioned in 1902. She was one of the first destroyers built for the U.S. Navy and belonged to the Bainbridge class. Named for Captain John Paul Jones, a celebrated naval hero of the American Revolutionary War, the Paul Jones served primarily in the Pacific, participating in various exercises and patrols. Her early service saw her conducting operations in the Philippines and along the West Coast of the United States.

As a relatively small and early destroyer, the Paul Jones became less relevant as naval technology advanced. During World War I, she was relegated to less demanding duties, mainly patrolling and escorting convoys, although her primary area of operation remained the Pacific. She did not see significant combat action during the war.

Following the war, the Paul Jones was decommissioned. Like many of her sister ships, she was obsolete by the 1920s and was subsequently scrapped in 1919. The Paul Jones, while not a vessel of enormous historical significance in terms of decisive battles, represents an important stage in the development of the United States Navy's destroyer force and its early adoption of torpedo boat destroyers.