DONT GIVE UP THE SHIP Battle Flag patch

Possibly the most famous battle flag of all time, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry had the "Dont Give Up The Ship" ensign created just prior to the epic Battle of Lake Erie, during the War of 1812.  In the days leading up to the battle, Commodore Perry asked his fellow shipmate, mentor, and friend, LT Samuel Hambleton to help him come up with a battle flag to signal to his fleet when to begin firing on the British ships.  It was LT Hambleton who suggested they use an ensign with the words "Don't Give Up The Ship!" written on it as a tribute to Perry's good friend CAPT James Lawrence who uttered them to his crew as he lay mortally wounded on the deck of the USS Chesapeake, just months before.   At the commencement of the battle, Perry's flagship, the Lawrence led the US fleet in a "line of battle".  However, the favorable wind shifted, and Perry's next-in-command, CAPT Jesse Elliott, failed to bring his ship Niagra into range to engage the British fleet. As a result, Perry's ship Lawrence