The U.S. Navy, made in........... Scotland?

I was watching Q.I. last night on BBC4and one of the questions was to name some things invented in Scotland (apparently things people often associate with Scotland weren’t invented there such as the haggis and kilts). After the question had finished the host rattled off a list of things that were invented in Scotland, including the United States Navy. I realise that T.V. is not always a reliable source of information but Q.I. has a better than average record for getting it’s facts straight so what is the truth behind this? In what sense was the U.S. Navy invented in Scotland or is a load of bunk?

It’s entirely possible they are just couching “All the steel sheets for all the boats were pressed in Scotland” or something random like that in grander terms, of course. But let’s see if the Wikipedia doesn’t have anything to say.

Google turned out the better choice: Here

It’s ridiculous saying the US Navy was invented in Scotland just because John Paul Jones was a Scot who emigrated to the American colonies. You might as well say that the atom was first split in New Zealand because Sir Ernest Rutherford was born here - and that statement would be daft, too.

I had a feeling they meant J.P. Jones, too, but it’s a stretch.

As a Yank, I’ve got a very different question – What the heck is “Q.I.”?

Q.I.

It’s basically a quiz show with three comedians and Alan Davies. Stephen Fry hosts it. Think of it as snopes if made into a quiz, with a dash of comedy.

The Wikipedia article is more informative. Basically the idea of the show is to ask questions to which the obvious answers are wrong. “Points can be deducted… not for wrong answers, but only for obvious but wrong answers.” If you blurt out one of these answers, klaxons go off and that answer flashes up on a giant screen behind you, to show that they knew somebody would say it.

Right, if John Paul Jones invented the US Navy, Lafayette invented the US Army :wink:

I am sitting about 200 yards from John Paul Jones childhood home and looking down on his old school house.

JPG is locally feted as the founder of the US Navy, but no-one claims that it was 'invented ’ here.

http://www.jpj.demon.co.uk/

http://www.rampantscotland.com/famous/blfamjones.htm

Commodore John Barry has a decent claim to being the father of the American Navy. And he was Irish by birth.