John Cushing Aylwin (1780s – January 28, 1813) was an officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975.P.49

Early life

Born in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada, Aylwin worked on board

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

naval vessels at an early age. Though never formally enrolled in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

, he received increasing responsibilities eventually performing the duties of a mate by 1795. He refused the offer of a midshipman's warrant, but continued service at sea—apparently against his will—for another six years. Ill health, however, finally brought about his return home.

Later career

Then, for several years, he commanded merchant ships out of Boston, Massachusetts. When

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

between the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

broke out in 1812, Aylwin received an appointment as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the United States Navy and became sailing master in ''Constitution''. He received commendations for his gallantry during that frigate's engagement with ''Guerriere'' on 19 August 1812. In which he refused medical attention until everyone else on the ship had received it. Lt. Aylwin took part in the battle between ''Constitution'' and HMS ''Java'' on 29 December 1812. Severely wounded during that encounter, Aylwin later died at sea.

Namesakes

Four ships in the United States Navy have been named USS ''Aylwin'' for him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aylwin, John Cushing 1778 births 1813 deaths American military personnel killed in the War of 1812 People who died at sea Pre-Confederation Quebec people United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812