The Pilot : A Tale of the Sea. by James Fenimore Cooper.

The hero of THE PILOT -- modeled on John Paul Jones -- leads the American Navy in dangerous raids on the English coast. James Fenimore Cooper's fourth novel, published in 1823, helped start the genre of sea novels. Cooper's other major works include the renowned LEATHERSTOCKING TALES (The Pioneers, The Last of the Mohicans, The Prarie, The Pathfinder, and The Deerslayer).