On the eve of WWII, when it came time to assign a name to the future DD617, the Navy paid a long overdue debt to the unsung memory of one of its most intrepid naval heroes. His name was John Ordronaux, a privateer from the United States in the War of 1812.

He was born at Nantes France, Dec. 16, 1778, the son of a French merchant skipper John Ordronaux and his English wife, Joanna Hammond, from the city of Hull. Amid the turmoil of the French Revolution, young John followed his father in the business of seafaring and learned his trade in the waters off Bordeaux. The troubled times in which he gained his education no doubt set the stage for his prowess as a daring and self reliant sea captain years later.

Historically, John Ordronaux comes on the scene at the outbreak of America's war with great Britain in 1812. At the time he was skippering the French privateer Marengo under the ownership of a Mme. Flory Charretton, a Parisian woman of considerable wealth. John sailed to the United States in the Marengo where he obtained a letter of marque to engage in hostilities against the British on behalf of his new host country.

After a successful cruise in Marengo, he turned her over to his former mate, Captain Ridois. His interest had now focused on a new vessel that he had seen lying idle in a New York shipyard. She was a sailor's dream, a sleek fast schooner/brigantine designed by Christian Bergh of Baltimore clipper fame. With Mme. Chareetton's support, John bought the ship and named her the PRINCE de NEUFCHATEL. After obtaining another letter of marque in New York he sailed for Cherbourg to complete fitting out. In early March of 1814, under the American flag, and armed with 18 guns she set out into the target-rich waters off the English Channel. In a short time she took nine prizes and at one point was pursued by seventeen enemy men-of-war and was able to out run them all.

On July 4th, 1814, he sailed for New York with Mme. Charretton on board. She was to die the following September in New York as a US citizen, never to see the fame of her captain was to achieve. After more successes in English waters, John Ordronaux and his crew desired to return to the United States. In early October of 1814, the PRINCE de NEUFCHATEL was making her first privateering cruise out of a US port with a very small crew of 37 men. Four days out of Boston, she captured the English merchantmen Douglass and took it under tow. Suddenly at noon on October 11th, off Nantucket Shoal, the British 40 gun frigate Endymion appeared on the horizon. Spotting PRINCE with her prize, the Britisher gave chase and enjoyed the advantage of a sligh breeze to close the distance.

By seven in the evening both ships were becalmed, in sight of each other and just outside gun range. Seeing his ship was drifting towards shore, Ordronaux cast off his prize and set anchor, knowing the shallow depth prevented the Endymion from closing any further. As darkness fell, 120 English sailors and marines, in five boats skillfully converged on the PRINCE to board her; outnumbering the Americans nearly four to one. Attacking simultaneously from five points, a furious and bloody melee ensued. Few British gained the deck but when one group did and were getting ready to rush the defenders, John Ordronaux took a desperate gamble. Vowing to never surrender his ship, he held a lighted match over a companionway to the magazine, threatening to blow up the entire vessel if his men did not rally and drive the enemy off her decks. This they accomplished.

When it was all over, the British had lost 49 killed, 37 wounded, and 30 taken prisoner. As for Captain Ordronaux's crew their loss was proportionally severe, with seven killed and 24 wounded -a total of 31 or 84% of the crew. The next day with only six able bodied crewmen, John deposited prisoners ashore, reclaimed his prize and when the wind came up, evaded the Endymion; running into Boston Harbor on October 15th. Looking at this engagement the outcome was extraordinary in light of the fact a privately financed vessel frustrated the utmost efforts of a vastly superior man-of-war.

After his return to Boston, John Ordronaux, now a full owner of the PRINCE, handed the helm over to his former first mate. Eventually, the PRINCE was captured by the British and taken to England where her design was incorporated in new construction. She was accidentally destroyer in a dry dock handling mishap. With peace restored John returned to Bordeaux and married Mme Charretton's daughter, Elizabeth. They later moved to New York where John established a sugar business. In 1841 Captain Ordronaux was in Cartagena, Colombia, conducting such business, when he died of yellow fever on August 24th of that same year. His body, while being transported home, was thrown overboard by superstitious sailors when their ship nearly sank during a storm.