Bon Homme Richard vs Serapis

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Bon Homme Richard vs Serapis
Rekening deur luitenant Richard Dale.

Op 23 September 1779, onderaan, is opgewek deur 'n ongewone gebeurtenis op die dek. Dit het my aangespoor om op die dek te gaan toe ek vind dat die manne op die koninklike werwe swaai, om voor te berei om 'n groot vloot onder ons lee te vaar. Ek het die vlieënier gevra watter vloot dit was?

Hy antwoord: "Die Baltiese vloot onder konvooi van die Serapis van 44 gewere en die gravin van Scarborough van 20 gewere."

'N Algemene jaagtog het toe begin met die Bon Homme Richard, die Wraak, die Pallas en die Alliansie, laasgenoemde skip was toe in sig ná 'n skeiding van die eskader van byna drie weke, maar die skip het, soos gewoonlik, die private seine van die Commodore. Op hierdie tydstip is ons vloot noordwaarts met 'n ligte briesie, en Flamborough Head is ongeveer twee ligas ver. Om 19:00 dit was duidelik dat die Baltiese vloot agtergekom het dat ons 'n kans gehad het deur die sein van die Serapis aan die handelaars om op die strand te staan. Terselfdertyd pak die Serapis en gravin van Scarborough die skip en staan voor die wal, met die doel om ons aandag van die konvooi af te trek. Toe hierdie skepe ongeveer twee myl van die konvooi geskei het, pak hulle weer vas en staan agter die koopmans aan.

Omtrent agt, terwyl hulle hael was, het die Serapis gevra: "Watter skip is dit?"

Hy is geantwoord: "Ek kan nie hoor wat u sê nie."

onmiddellik daarna het die Serapis weer gegroet: "Watter skip is dit? Antwoord onmiddellik, anders moet ek op u afvuur."

Op hierdie oomblik het ek bestellings van Commodore Jones ontvang. om die aksie met 'n breë kant te begin, wat inderdaad gelyktydig aan boord van beide skepe blyk te wees. Die Serapis het gou voor die Bon Homme Richard verbygegaan, en toe hy dink dat hy 'n afstand bereik het om teen die voorvoet af te gaan om ons te hark, het hy gevind dat hy nie genoeg afstand het nie, en dat die Bon Homme Richard aan boord sou wees, sit sy roer a-lee, wat die twee skepe op 'n lyn bring, en die Bon Homme Richard het kop boog in die agterkant van die Serapis geloop.

Ons het in hierdie situasie gebly, maar 'n paar minute nadat ons weer deur die Serapis gegroet is: "Het u skip geslaan?"

Waarop kaptein Jones geantwoord het: "Ek het nog nie begin baklei nie!"

Aangesien ons nie 'n enkele geweer op die Serapis kon dra nie, is ons seile gesteun, terwyl die van die Serapis gevul is, het die skepe geskei. Die Serapis dra kort rond op haar hak, en haar jibboom loop vas in die miserige tuig van die Bon Homme Richard. Richard, en die aksie begin weer vanaf die sterre aan boord van die twee skepe. Met die oog op die skeiding van die skepe, het die Serapis | los haar anker, wat deur haar kop en die agterkant van die Bon Homme Richard na die wind kom, terwyl die skepe styf teen mekaar lê.

'N Nuutheid in vlootgevegte is nou aan baie getuies aangebied, maar aan min bewonderaars. Die ramme is op die onderskeie skepe ingeloop om die manne in staat te stel om te laai nadat die onderste hawens van die Serapis weggewaai is, om plek te maak vir die opneem van hul gewere, en in hierdie situasie het die skepe tot tussen 10 en 1 uur gebly. PM, wanneer die verbintenis beëindig is deur die oorgawe van die Serapis.

Vanaf die aanvang tot die beëindiging van die aksie was daar nie 'n man aan boord van die Bon Homme Richard wat onkundig was oor die superioriteit van die Serapis nie, beide in gewig van metaal en in die kwaliteite van die bemanning. Die bemanning van die skip is as seelui gekies, en die skip self was slegs 'n paar maande van die voorraad af, terwyl die bemanning van die Bon Homme Richard bestaan uit 'n deel Amerikaners, Engelse en Franse, en 'n deel uit Maltese, Portugese en Maleiers, laasgenoemde dra by tot hul gebrek aan vlootvaardigheid en kennis van die Engelse taal om te onderdruk eerder as om 'n regverdige hoop op sukses in 'n geveg onder sulke omstandighede te verhoog. Nóg die inagneming van die relatiewe krag van die skepe, die feit dat die tuigdek daarbo opgeblaas het deur twee van die 18 ponders, of die alarm dat die skip besig was om te waai, kon die vurigheid onderdruk of verander die vasberadenheid van die dapper kaptein Jones, sy offisiere en mans. Nie die herhaaldelike breë kante van die Alliek, wat ek gegee het om die Bon Homme Richard te laat sink of uit te skakel nie, die gereelde noodsaaklikheid om die geveg op te skort om die vlamme te blus, was verskeie kere binne 'n paar sentimeter van die tydskrif, of die bevryding deur die wapenmeester van byna 500 gevangenes, kan die doel van die Amerikaanse bevelvoerder aankla of verswak. Op die oomblik van die bevryding van die gevangenes, het een van hulle, 'n bevelvoerder van 'n o-geweerskip wat 'n paar dae tevore geneem is, deur die hawens aan boord van die Serapis gegaan en kaptein Pearson meegedeel dat as hy net 'n rukkie sou uithou. langer, sou ek langs die skip slaan of sink, en dat al die gevangenes vrygelaat is om hul lewens te red. Die geveg is gevolglik voortgesit met hernieude ywer deur die Serapis.

Die vuur van die bokant van die Bon Homme Richard is met soveel vaardigheid en effek uitgevoer dat uiteindelik elke man wat op die kwartdek van die Serapis verskyn het, vernietig en haar bevelvoerder aangespoor het om die oorlewendes te laat ondergaan. Selfs onder die beskutting van die dekke was hulle nie veiliger nie. Die poeiermonnies van die Serapis, vind geen offisier om die patrone van 18 pond uit die tydskrifte te ontvang nie, gooi dit op die hoofdek en gaan vir meer. Hierdie patrone wat langs die dek gestrooi is en die getalle daarvan stukkend was, het gebeur dat sommige van die handgranate wat uit die hoofwerf van die Bon Homme Richard, wat direk oor die hoofluik van die Serapis was, gegooi is. poeier en het 'n verskriklike ontploffing veroorsaak. Die uitwerking was geweldig; meer as twintig van die vyand is stukkend geblaas, en baie het met die krae van hul hemde op hul lyf gestaan. In minder as 'n uur daarna word die vlag van Engeland, wat aan die mas van die Serapis vasgespyker is, deur kaptein Pearson se eie hand getref, aangesien niemand van sy mense hierdie plig sou waag nie; en dit ook toe meer as 1500 mense van Scarborough en Flamborough Head die konflik en die vernederende beëindiging daarvan aanskou het.

Toe ek agterkom dat die vlag van die Serapis geslaan is, het ek na kaptein Jones gegaan en gevra of ek op die Serapis kan klim, waartoe hy ingestem het, en-op die geweer spring-die hoofstutwimpel vasgryp en m ~ swaai self op haar kwartdek. Midshipman Mayrant het met 'n groep mans gevolg en is onmiddellik deur die bobeen gehardloop met 'n instap snoek deur die bron van die vyand wat in die middel gestasioneer was, wat nie ingelig was oor die oorgawe van hul skip nie.

Ek het kaptein Pearson aan die vrykant van die kwartdek sien staan en my tot hom gerig en gesê: "Meneer, ek het bevel om u langs die skip te stuur." Die eerste luitenant van die Serapis wat op hierdie oomblik aangekom het, het aan kaptein Pearson navraag gedoen of die skip langs hom na hom toegeslaan het.

Die luitenant hernu sy vraag: "Het u geslaan, Meneer?"

"Ja ek het."

Die luitenant het geantwoord: 'Ek het niks meer om te sê nie', en was op die punt om terug te keer toe ek hom meedeel dat hy kaptein Pearson aan boord van die skip moes vergesel. Hy het gesê: 'As u my toelaat om onder te gaan, sal ek die vuur van die laerdekgewere stilmaak.'

Hierdie versoek is geweier, en saam met kaptein Pearson is hy oorgedra na die dek van die Bon Homme Richard. Die bevele wat hieronder gestuur word om op te hou skiet, het die verlowing beëindig na 'n hardnekkige wedstryd van drie en 'n half uur.

Toe hy kaptein Pearson aan boord van die Bon Homme Richard ontvang het, het kaptein Jones bevel gegee om die sjerpe los te sny en my beveel om hom te volg | met die Serapis. Toe ek die Bon Homme, Richard, die Serapis verlaat, het ek een van die kwartmeesters gestuur om vas te stel of die wieltoue weggesny is.
sou nie vrugte afwerp nie, alhoewel die seile groot was en nie na seil nie; Die kwartiermeester het teruggekeer dat die wieletoue goed gaan, en dat die stuur 'n hawe is. Opgewonde oor hierdie buitengewone omstandigheid, het ek van die binnekant, waar ek gesit het, gespring en op my dek gesit, tot my verbasing ontdek ek dat ek net een van my bene kon gebruik. 'N Splinter van een van die gewere het my been getref en ernstig gewond sonder dat ek die besering tot op hierdie oomblik kon sien. Ek is vervang op die binnekant, toe die seilmeester van die Serapis wat na my toe kom, opgemerk het dat ek uit my bevele oordeel dat ek onkundig moet wees dat die skip voor anker lê. Toe ek die tweede luitenant van die Bon Homme Richard opgemerk het, het ek hom beveel om onder te gaan en die kabel weg te sny en die Bon Homme Richard met die Serapis te volg. Ek is toe aan boord van die Bon Homme Richard gedra om my wond aan te trek.

John Paul Jones wen in Engelse waters

Tydens die Amerikaanse Revolusie het die Amerikaanse skip Bonhomme Richard, onder bevel van John Paul Jones, wen 'n harde stryd teen die Britse oorlogskepe Serapis en Gravin van Scarborough, aan die oostelike kus van Engeland.

Die Skotse gebore John Paul Jones vaar die eerste keer as 'n kajuitseun na Amerika en woon 'n tyd lank in Fredericksburg, Virginia, waar sy broer 'n besigheid het. Hy het later op slawe- en handelskepe gedien en was 'n bekwame seeman. Nadat hy 'n mede -matroos vermoor het terwyl hy 'n muitery onderdruk het, keer hy terug na die Amerikaanse kolonies om moontlike Britse vervolging te ontsnap. Met die uitbreek van die Amerikaanse rewolusie in 1775, reis hy na Philadelphia en kry hy 'n senior luitenant in die nuwe kontinentale vloot. Hy onderskei hom gou in aksies teen Britse skepe in die Bahamas, die Atlantiese Oseaan en die Engelse Kanaal.

In Augustus 1779 neem Jones die bevel oor die Bonhomme Richard en het om die Britse Eilande gevaar. Op 23 September het die Bonhomme Richard verloof die Serapis en die kleiner Gravin van Scarborough, wat die Baltiese handelsvloot begelei het. Na aansienlike skade aan die Bonhomme Richard, Richard Pearson, die kaptein van die Serapis, vra Jones of hy sy kleure getref het, die seine wat dui op oorgawe. Vanuit sy gestremde skip het Jones geantwoord: 'Ek het nog nie begin baklei nie, en na nog drie ure woedende gevegte was dit die Serapis en Gravin van Scarborough wat oorgegee het. Na die oorwinning het die Amerikaners oorgeplaas na die Serapis van die Bonhomme Richard, wat die volgende dag gesink het.

Bon Homme Richard vs Serapis - Geskiedenis

Fisiese beskrywing 'n Handgekleurde lyngrafiek wat die aksie tussen die skepe HMS SERAPIS en USS BONHOMME RICHARD op 23 September 1779 voor die ooskus van Engeland uitbeeld. Die maanligte toneel toon drie skepe wat vasgevang is in die stryd met die Britse skip SERAPIS aan die linkerkant en die Amerikaanse BONHOMME RICHARD aan die regterkant. Bykomende seilvaartuie kan effens op die regte agtergrond gesien word.

Die volledige titel van die gravure, wat onder die prent aangeheg is, is blykbaar afkomstig van 'n ander kopie van die afdruk en lui: The memorable Engagement of Captn. Pearson van die Serapis, / met Paul Jones van die Bon Homme Richard & his Squadron, 23 September 1779. 'n Soortgelyke titel in Frans is regs gedruk. 'N Toewyding onder die titel lui: Aan Sir Richard Pearson Knt. wie se dapperheid en optrede die Baltiese vloot gered het, onder sy konvooi wat verplig was om hom / haar aan 'n veel groter mag te onderwerp, word hierdie voorstelling van die aksie met groot respek ingeskryf deur sy mees gehoorsame dienaar, Richard Paton.

Aan elke kant van die titel en toewyding is verklarings in Engels en Frans oor die magte en verliese van die twee eskaders tydens die geveg.

Die inligting van die vervaardigers verskyn onder die titel en toewyding: Richd. Paton Pinxit [links onder] Lerpiniere & Fittler Sculpnt [regs onder] J. Boydell excudit 1781 [middel] Gepubliseer Decr. 12de 1780 deur John Boydell, graveur in Cheapside, Londen.

Die gravure is geglasuur, gematteer en omraam in 'n moderne ¼ "eikehoutraam met 'n ligte vlek.
Historiese noot Franklin Roosevelt was 'n ywerige, lewenslange versamelaar van afdrukke, gravures en skilderye wat die geskiedenis van die Amerikaanse vloot illustreer. Hy het hierdie gravure by die Holden Sale in die American Art Galleries in New York, NY in 1910 vir $ 22 gekoop.
Bykomende besonderhede

Bonhomme Richard vs. Serapis: US Navy Art Collection

Tydens die Amerikaanse Revolusie het die Amerikaanse skip Bonhomme Richard , onder bevel van John Paul Jones, wen 'n harde stryd teen die Britse oorlogskepe Serapis en Gravin van Scarborough , aan die oostelike kus van Engeland.

Die Skotse gebore John Paul Jones vaar eers as kajuitseun na Amerika en woon 'n tyd lank in Fredericksburg, Virginia, waar sy broer 'n besigheid het. Hy het later op slawe- en handelskepe gedien en was 'n bekwame seeman. Nadat hy 'n mede -matroos vermoor het terwyl hy 'n muitery onderdruk het, keer hy terug na die Amerikaanse kolonies om te ontsnap van moontlike Britse vervolging. Met die uitbreek van die Amerikaanse rewolusie in 1775, reis hy na Philadelphia en kry hy 'n senior luitenant in die nuwe kontinentale vloot. Hy onderskei hom gou in aksies teen Britse skepe in die Bahamas, die Atlantiese Oseaan en die Engelse Kanaal.

Die stuk hierbo is deur Anton Otto Fischer en is beskikbaar vir pasgemaakte reproduksie op RequestAPrint.

In Augustus 1779 neem Jones die bevel oor die Bonhomme Richard en het om die Britse Eilande gevaar. Op 23 September het die Bonhomme Richard verloof die Serapis en die kleiner Gravin van Scarborough, wat die Baltiese handelsvloot begelei het. Na aansienlike skade aan die Bonhomme Richard, Richard Pearson, die kaptein van die Serapis, vra Jones of hy sy kleure getref het, die seine wat dui op oorgawe. Van sy gestremde skip het Jones geantwoord: 'Ek het nog nie begin baklei nie', en na nog drie ure se woedende gevegte was dit die Serapis en Gravin van Scarborough wat oorgegee het. Na die oorwinning het die Amerikaners oorgeplaas na die Serapis van die Bonhomme Richard, wat die volgende dag gesink het.

Jones word in Frankryk as 'n groot held beskou, maar erkenning in die Verenigde State was ietwat laat. Hy het die Verenigde State tot 1787 gedien en daarna kortliks in die Russiese vloot gedien voordat hy na Frankryk verhuis het, waar hy in 1792 te midde van die chaos van die Franse Revolusie gesterf het. Hy is begrawe in 'n ongemerkte graf. In 1905 is sy oorskot onder leiding van die Amerikaanse ambassadeur in Frankryk geleë en daarna deur Amerikaanse oorlogskepe na die Verenigde State begelei. Sy lyk is later vasgelê in 'n grafkelder by die U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Besoek RequestAPrint om u eie afdruk van hierdie stuk te bestel.

Bemanning van die 'Serapis' en die 'Bon Homme Richard'

Gaan voort "Ek het nog nie begin baklei nie!" ,
ons keuse uit Die lewe van John Paul Jones deur Alexander Slidell Mackenzie gepubliseer in 1841. Die keuse word aangebied in sewe maklike paaiemente van 5 minute. Sien die afdeling "Meer inligting" onderaan hierdie bladsye vir werke wat baat by die nuutste navorsing.

Voorheen in "Ek het nog nie begin veg nie!"

Tyd: 23 September 1779
Plek: Noordsee by Flambough Head, Yorkshire, Groot -Brittanje

Serapis vs. Bonhomme Richard
Publieke domeinbeeld van Wikipedia.

Jones was baie gretig om die Richard aan die gang te hou en, indien moontlik, om haar in die hawe te bring, ongetwyfeld uit die baie geregverdigde ydelheid om te wys hoe desperaat hy teen haar geveg het. Om hierdie voorwerp te bewerkstellig, het hy die eerste luitenant van die Pallas aan boord van haar gehou saam met 'n groep mans om die pompe te laat werk, terwyl bote wag om dit te verwyder as sy sou sink. Gedurende die nag van die 24ste het die wind aangesteek, en nog steeds op die oggend van die 25ste, terwyl alle verdere pogings om haar te red, nie gevind kon word nie. Die water loop in en uit haar hawens en loop oor haar luikgate. Omtrent negeuur het dit nodig geword om haar te laat vaar, terwyl die water 'n uur later op die onderste dek was, rol sy asof sy haar balans verloor, en terwyl sy vorentoe sak, sak sy eers boog af, haar agterste en mits-mas was laas gesien.

'N Bietjie na tien, ” sê Jones in sy verslag, “ Ek het met 'n onuitspreeklike verdriet die laaste blik op die Bonhomme Richard gesien. troos, die slottoneel van die “ Arme Richard, ” soos die dood van Nelson aan boord van die Victory in die oomblik dat hy 'n nuwe titel op die naam wen, was inderdaad 'n heerlike een. Haar gebroke dop het 'n eerbare houer gebied vir die oorskot van die Amerikaners wat tydens die aksie geval het.

Die Richard word deur kaptein Pearson 'n veertiggeweerskip genoem, terwyl die serapis deur die vlieënier, wat haar aan Jones beskryf het toe sy die eerste keer gemaak is, vier-en-veertig was. Jones en Dale het haar ook dieselfde koers gegee. Die Richard het, soos ons gesien het, ses agtien pond in haar geweerlokaal op haar dekdek aangebring, waar poortgate naby die water veertien twaalf oopgemaak is, en veertien nege pond op haar hoofdek, en agt ses ponders op haar kwartdek, gange en voorspeler. Die gewig van die skoot wat deur haar op 'n enkele breë kant gegooi word, sou dus tweehonderd vyf-en-twintig pond wees. Wat haar bemanning betref, het sy van L ’Orient begin met driehonderd tagtig man. Sy het verskeie pryse beman, wat saam met die vyftien mans wat in die vlieënier weggestuur is, saam met die vyftien mans wat in die vlieënier weggestuur is, verskeie pryse beman het. boot, onder die tweede luitenant, net voor die aksie, en wat eers teruggekeer het nadat dit verby was, het die bemanning, volgens Jones ’ -verklaring, by die aanvang daarvan tot driehonderd veertig man verminder.

Hierdie berekening lyk baie billik omdat die verklaring van diegene wat aan die kus van Ierland geland het, soos uiteengesit in 'n eietydse Engelse koerant, op vier-en-twintig persone was En as vyf van die nege pryse wat deur Richard geneem is, van haar beman kan word, met 'n gemiddelde bemanning van vyf man elk, kan die totale vermindering van haar oorspronklike bemanning bereken word tot sewentig man. Nog agt of tien het tydens die aksie ontsnap in 'n boot wat agter die Serapis sleep. Om by die aanvang van die aksie driehonderd -en -veertig man te hê, moes Jones, soos Jones sê, dat hy rekrute van die pryse ontvang het.

In die opstel van die bemanning van die Richard ’s in die geveg, soos deur Sherburne uit 'n amptelike bron gegee, vind ons slegs tweehonderd sewe en twintig name. Dit kan beswaarlik volledig gewees het, maar die dokument is interessant, aangesien dit die vermoorde en gewonde by die naam noem, en twee en veertig gedood en veertig gewondes. Dit bevat ook die land van die grootste deel van die bemanning waarmee dit blyk dat daar een-en-sewentig Amerikaners, sewe-en-vyftig erkende Engelsmanne, een-en-twintig Portugese was, en die res van die bont versameling bestaan uit Swede, Noorweërs, Iere, en Oos -Indiërs. Baie van diegene wat nie in hierdie onvolmaakte staaltjie genoem is nie, was waarskynlik Amerikaners.

Wat die Serapis betref, het haar battery bestaan uit twintig agtien op die onderste geweerdek, twintig neges op die boonste geweerdek en tien sesse op die kwartdek en voorspeler. Sy het twee volledige batterye gehad, en haar konstruksie was in alle opsigte dié van 'n lyngevegskip. Die gewig van die skoot wat deur haar enkele breë kant gegooi is, was driehonderd pond, vyf en sewentig pond meer as dié van die Richard. Haar bemanning bestaan uit driehonderd twintig alle Engelse, behalwe vyftien Lascars, en as sodanig beter as die bont en gedeeltelik ontevrede samestelling van die Richard. Die superioriteit van die Serapis, in grootte en gewig, sowel as die doeltreffendheid van die battery, is boonop aansienlik verhoog deur die sterkte van haar konstruksie. Sy was 'n nuwe skip, uitdruklik gebou vir 'n krygsman en op die mees volledige manier toegerus deur die eerste van die vlootmagte. Die Richard was oorspronklik 'n handelaar, verslete deur lang gebruik en vrot van ouderdom. Sy was op 'n tydelike manier toegerus met alle vullisgewere en materiaal wat vinnig, teen 'n geringe koste, verkry kon word uit die beperkte middele wat vir haar bewapening was.

Rondom 15:00 het uitkykpunte 'n groot groep skepe na die noorde gesien. Op grond van intelligensieverslae het Jones korrek geglo dat dit 'n groot konvooi is van meer as 40 skepe wat uit die Baltiese See terugkeer, onder toesig van die fregat HMS Serapis (44) en die sloep-of-war HMS Gravin van Scarborough (22). Op die seil stapel Jones se skepe om. Kaptein Richard Pearson van die bedreiging in die suide raakgesien Serapis, beveel die konvooi om vir die veiligheid van Scarborough te sorg en plaas sy vaartuig in 'n posisie om die naderende Amerikaners te blokkeer. Na Gravin van Scarborough die konvooi suksesvol 'n entjie weg gelei het, herinner Pearson sy meisie en handhaaf sy posisie tussen die konvooi en die naderende vyand.

Weens ligte wind het Jones se eskader eers na 18:00 naby die vyand gekom. Alhoewel Jones sy skepe beveel het om 'n geveg te vorm, het Landais afgewyk Alliansie uit die formasie en getrek Gravin van Scarborough weg van Serapis. Omstreeks 19:00, Bonhomme Richard afgerond Serapis'hawe kwartaal en na 'n uitruil van vrae met Pearson, het Jones met sy stuurboordgewere losgebrand. Dit is gevolg deur Landais wat aanval Gravin van Scarborough. Hierdie verlowing was kort omdat die Franse kaptein vinnig van die kleiner skip losgekom het. Dit het toegelaat Gravin van Scarboroughse bevelvoerder, kaptein Thomas Piercy, om te verhuis Serapis'hulp.

A Desperate Sea Duel - die Bon Homme Richard en die Serapis

Gevolglik het kaptein Jones in Augustus 1779 weer 'n keer op die see gelê, hierdie keer met 'n vloot van vier vaartuie. Hy noem sy vlagskip Bon Homme Richard (bo-nom & prime-r ē-sh & aumlr & prime), na die Richard of Poor Richard & rsquos Almanac, wat jy sal onthou Benjamin Franklin geskryf het.

In hierdie ou skip het hy langs die westelike kus van Ierland gaan vaar om Engelse handelskepe te vang. Nadat hy die suidelike punt van Ierland bereik het, vaar hy noordwaarts om Skotland en langs die oostelike kus. Daarna vaar hy op en af aan die oostelike kus van Engeland, op soek na handelskepe.

Op 23 September het die middag 'n vloot van twee-en-veertig handelaars gesien, bewaak deur twee Engelse oorlogskepe, wat almal uit die noorde vaar. Hy het dadelik besluit om 'n aanval te maak. Dit het vroeg in die aand plaasgevind; die aksie was hoofsaaklik tussen die Richard en die Engelse man-of-war Serapis, 'n groot skip, nuut en vinnig, en baie beter as die Richard.

Gedurende die eerste uur het die Amerikaanse vaartuig die ergste van die geveg gekry en & ldquowas het soos 'n mandjie gelek. & Rdquo Die Engelse kaptein, wat seker voel van oorwinning, het uitgeroep: & ldquo Het u skip toegeslaan? & Rdquo Ons held, Paul Jones, skree terug: & ldquoI have nog nie begin veg nie! & rdquo

Toe die Britse vaartuig langs sy eie kom vir 'n meer dodelike stryd, het Jones met sy eie hande die twee saamgeslaan. Albei het vinnig erg gelek, maar die bakleiery het net so kwaai voortgegaan. Tans het albei aan die brand geslaan.

Toe draai Jones sy kanon op die hoofmast van die Serapis, en toe dit dreig om te val, het die Engelse kaptein oorgegee. Dit was immers die Engelse skip en nie die Amerikaner wat die vlag gesteek het nie. Maar die Richard kon nie veel langer uithou nie, want nog voor die oorgawe het sy begin sink.

Toe die Engelse kaptein sy swaard aan John Paul Jones afstaan, het hy gesê: & ldquoDit is baie moeilik om oor te gee aan 'n man wat met 'n halster om sy nek geveg het. & Rdquo U sien, kaptein Jones sou as 'n seerower gehang gewees het, as geneem. Jones het geantwoord: & ldquoSir, jy het soos 'n held baklei. Ek hoop dat u Koning u sal beloon. & Rdquo

Dit was 'n desperate see -tweestryd, en dit duur van half 8 die aand tot tien uur. Dit was ook belangrik in die resultate, want dit het broodnodige respek vir ons vlag gewen en 'n wonderlike opheffing van die Amerikaanse saak gegee. Die oorwinnaar, John Paul Jones, wat met eerbewyse belaai was, het vanaf daardie dag die rang ingeneem by die groot seekapteins van die wêreld.

Die stryd teen HMS Serapis

Op 19 Junie 1779 vaar Jones BONHOMME RICHARD van L ’ Orient, Frankryk vergesel van ALLIANCE, PALLAS, VEGEANCE en CERF. Hulle missie was om troepevervoer en handelsvaartuie onder die konvooi na Bordeaux, Frankryk, te begelei en teen die Britte in die Baai van Biskaje te vaar. Gedwing om na die hawe terug te keer vir herstelwerk, vaar die eskader van Jones ’ weer op 14 Augustus 1779. Noordwes om die Britse Eilande in die Noordelike See en die oostelike kus van Groot -Brittanje af, het die eskader vinnig 16 handelskepe as pryse geneem. Die aand van 23 September 1779 het hulle die Baltiese Vloot van 41 naby die Engelse oewer van Flamborough Head teëgekom. Op 'n seil na Engeland was die vloot onder die vloot van die nuutgeboude fregat, HMS SERAPIS (50 gewere) en die klein sloep GREF VAN SCARBOROUGH (20 GUNS).

Voordat die Britse vloot kon reageer, het BON HOMME RICHARD na SERAPIS geruk en 'n bittere stryd aangewakker wat die hele nag sou duur. Vroeg in die geveg het die gewere van die hoofbattery van Jones ’ ontplof en sy skip tydelik uitgeskakel.

Om die SERAPIS ’ -spoed te verreken, het Jones sy vlagskip langs hom geslaan en die geveg voortgesit lank nadat sy ondergeskiktes die situasie as hopeloos beskou het.

BONHOMME RICHARD brand, sink en versprei met dooies en gewondes en verlig die duisternis met 'n konstante spervuur. Jones het gesukkel om sy vaartuig aan die gang te hou, en in een geval het 'n oorweldigende aantal gevangenes in die gevangenis gedreig om die dek te jaag om te red van verdrinking. Jones het alle kanse getrotseer en die stryd teen Captain Pearson ’s SERAPIS voortgesit.

In die laaste uur is BONHOMME RICHARD ’S se mas bo die boonste seil geslaan. Saam met haar kleure het 'n groot deel van die mas op die dek naby Jones se voete neergestort. In reaksie op die neergevalde kleure, roep SERAPIS: 'Het u u kleure getref?' Roep John Paul Jones weerklankend uit, “Struck Sir? Ek het nog nie begin baklei nie! ” Met 'n nuutgevonde wil het sy bemanning beslissende houe van alle kante gelewer. Jones ’ het 40 mariniers en matrose met granate en muskiete na die tuig gestuur.

Gedood, SERAPIS kon nie 'n nederlaag vermy nie en om 2230 slaan sy haar kleure. John Paul Jones, wat oorwinnend was, het SERAPIS opdrag gegee en haar na Holland geseil vir herstelwerk. Ongelukkig sak BONHOMME RICHARD op 24 September 1779 om 1100 om nooit uit haar watergraf op te staan nie.

Hierdie epiese stryd was die eerste vloot van die Amerikaanse vloot van 'n Engelse skip in Engelse waters! Die koloniale hoop op vryheid, Jones ’ -oorwinning het hom by baie gevestig as die vader van die Amerikaanse vloot. ”

Jones se eerste missie in sy nuwe opdrag het hom diep gefrustreerd gelaat. Hy is beveel om handelskepe na verskillende hawens in die Baai van Biskaje te begelei, eerder as om sy ambisie na te jaag om Britse skeepvaart te verwoes. Sartine het 'n deel van die steek uit die opdrag geneem deur hom byna onbeperkte diskresie te belowe oor hoe en waar om die eskader te gebruik sodra hy die konvooi na 'n veilige hawe gesien het. Tog het gebeure tydens die begeleiding van Jones die geduld van Jones belas. Kort nadat hulle uit L ’Orient vertrek het, het 'n storm ontstaan en, terwyl die geallieerde skepe die nag met swaar seë worstel, Bonhomme Richard en Alliansie in die donker gebots het. Beide vaartuie het aansienlike skade opgedoen, maar gelukkig nie genoeg om te keer dat hulle hul missie kon voortsit nie. Verder het die eskader herhaaldelik Britse oorlogskepe bespied, net om te sien vlug toe hulle die sterkte van Jones se mag besef. Bonhomme Richard te danke aan haar stamboom as 'n timmerende handelaar in Oos -Indië, en sy was te traag om een van hulle te vang, en Jones was bang vir die besef dat hy nooit 'n geveg teen 'n onwillige vyand sou kon afdwing nie.

Nadat hy al sy aanklagte veilig in die hawe gesien het, keer die eskader terug na L ’Orient op 1 Julie 1779. Jones het dadelik begin werk met die herstel van sy skepe. Terwyl Bonhomme Richard 'n nuwe boogspriet ontvang en Alliansie 'n nuwe mizzenmast laat stap het, het hul drie Franse maats van Belle-Ile afgevaar op soek na Britse privaatmense wat op die Franse handelaars in daardie omgewing gepeuter het. Hulle het sonder sukses teruggekeer en self herstelwerk nodig gehad. Intussen het die eskader een matroos verloor toe die ongelukkige man van 'n groot seilwerf af val en 'n paar sentimeter van Jones af op die dek 60 voet onder beland het. Hy het in werklikheid so naby gekom om op sy kaptein te beland dat hy Jones se hoed afgeslaan het net voor hy die dek geslaan het. Hierdie tragedie opsy, die eskader was teen die einde van die maand weer gereed vir die see. Nadat teenstrydige winde plek gemaak het vir gunstige wind, Bonhomme Richard geseil met Pallas, Wraak, en Le Cerf vir waters buite Ile de Groix waar Alliansie en twee Franse eienaars, Monsieur en Granville gewag.

Jones vaar met 'n baie besondere visie oor hoe hy sy eskader moet gebruik. Hy was deeglik bewus van die swakheid van die Amerikaanse kolonies se maritieme mag teen die massiewe Britse vloot. Hy het besef dat die opstandige kolonies nooit kon hoop om met Brittanje om die beheer van die seë mee te ding nie. Jones het eerder gehoop om sy eskader teen Britse skeepvaart en burgerlike teikens te gebruik om vrees op die Engelse tuisfront te veroorsaak, versekeringskoerse te verhoog en soveel as moontlik Britse skepe van die Amerikaanse kus weg te trek en hulle te dwing om tuiswater te patrolleer. Gevolglik was sy plan om tref-en-trap aanvalle op Britse hawens uit te voer en losprys uit stede af te dwing wat bedreig word om dit te verbrand. Hy beskou die steenkool van Brittanje as 'n besonder sappige teiken, aangesien die bedreiging om die land se brandstof vir die winter te stroop, groot paniek kan veroorsaak.

Kort voor dagbreek op 14 Augustus 1779 staan die sewe oorlogskepe uit Groix Roadstead en koers na die suidwestelike hoek van Ierland. Vier dae uit, Monsieur prys geneem. Ongelukkig het sy toe die eskader verlaat om haar slagoffer op die 19de na die hawe te begelei. Later dieselfde dag, Bonhomme Richard en haar maats het 'n groot skip begin jaag, maar nadat hulle haar deur die nag gejaag het, het hul prooi met die eerste glans van dagbreek oor die horison verdwyn. Die volgende dag het twee brigante die brigantine oortuig Mayflower om oor te gee en Jones het haar na L ’Orient gestuur, beman deur 'n prysbemanning onder Midshipman Reuben Chase. Op die middag van die 23ste het die wind heeltemal gesterf, wat die eskader heeltemal van die Skelligs naby die ingang van Dinglebaai laat afsak het. Selfs in die stil waters, Bonhomme Richard added to her haul. A lookout sighted Fortuin and Jones sent two armed boats out to seize her. Their quarry gave up without a fight, and Jones sent her to France under orders to either Nantes or Saint-Malo.

Later that day, Jones’ already strained relationship with Landais ruptured completely. Jones had sensed the calm’s coming on and, realizing that any of his ships stranded close to the Irish shore would be in great danger of being captured, he denied Alliance permission to pursue a vessel that had been sighted in shoal water just outside the breaker line. That order infuriated Landais, and on the 25th he came on board Bonhomme Richard and viciously berated Jones in front of his crew. Jones convinced him to move the conversation into the relative privacy of his cabin, but the change of venue did nothing to improve Landais’s mood. Addressing the commodore “in the most gross and insulting terms” Jones’s second-in-command declared that for the remainder of the cruise he intended to act as he wished, and ignore any orders he received from the commodore. He kept his promise, openly defying orders and drifting in and out of the squadron the rest of their time at sea. Whenever he and Jones did interact, the French captain repeatedly asserted that they would fight a duel once they reached land and that “they must kill one or the other.” Jones was outraged and frustrated by Landais’ behavior, but felt there was little he could do until the squadron got back into port, so he put up with it for the time being.

Other evils also sprang from the calm to bedevil Jones and his squadron. On 23 August 1779, when Bonhomme Richard had drifted dangerously close to shoals off the Skelligs, Jones ordered his barge lowered so that it might tow the frigate into deeper water. Unfortunately, the coxswain was one of the 12 men flogged for abandoning Jones’s barge, and he was eager for a chance to escape from the commodore’s authority. He found ready accomplices in the boat’s Irish oarsmen, who were delighted by an opportunity to return home. Well after dark, they cut the hawser and sped shoreward toward freedom. A jolly boat sent in pursuit of the deserters was lost in a dense fog which settled during the night and remained through the following day. Later, Jones sent Le Cerf to look for the missing boats. After failing in that mission, the cutter was unable to find her way back to the squadron and returned to L’Orient alone.

The squadron’s troubles continued as even other consorts began dropping away. Granville, the remaining privateer, left to take a prize and never returned. Pallas, the French frigate, broke her tiller at night and dropped behind out of sight. Landais, without consulting Jones, took Alliance off in pursuit of prizes on his own, not returning until the end of the month. Moreover, when the deserters from Bonhomme Richard’s barge reached shore, they carried intelligence about Jones’ force to the Admiralty. Britain immediately sent out warships to search for the allied squadron that, for the time being, had been reduced to Bonhomme Richard en Vengeance.

The two ships continued to sail in a generally northerly direction west of the Outer Hebrides and then headed for Cape Wrath, the northwestern tip of Scotland. On the afternoon of 30 August 1779, Jones sighted three ships on his port bow and gave chase. Just before noon the following day, Bonhomme Richard overtook the letter of marque Unie and persuaded her to strike. Shortly thereafter, Alliance reappeared with a prize of her own named Betsy. Pallas rejoined the squadron on the night of 1 and 2 September, and, on the latter afternoon, Vengeance captured an Irish brigantine returning from Norway.

About noon on the 3 September 1779, the squadron passed between the Orkney and Shetland Islands and then, after sending the two prizes to Bergen, Norway, turned south to begin the last leg of its cruise around the British Isles. Alliance took two more small prizes before Landais, after refusing to confer with Jones on board the flagship, again left the squadron. The weather soured on the 4th and drove the allied men-of-war away from the dangerous shores of Scotland. For nine days, Jones saw neither strange ships nor land. Finally, on the 13th, he found himself off Dunbar. The following day, Bonhomme Richard caught two ships carrying coal from Leith to Riga.

On 14 September 1779 the squadron reached the Firth of Forth, the entryway to Edinburgh, Scotland. Jones hoped to raid Leith, Edinburgh’s port, and demand a massive “contribution” or else “lay it [Leith] in ashes.” He also hoped to force Britain to free a sizable number of American prisoners by threatening the town. His plans stalled when Captains Denis Cottineau of Pallas and Philippe Ricot of Vengeance – the only two ships in the squadron still around – objected. It took Jones haggling all night and into the following morning to get them to agree to the mission. By the time he had enticed his subordinates to participate and got the squadron assembled, the wind had turned against them, making it extremely difficult to get up the Firth within sight of Leith. They approached the port under British colors, hoping to maintain the element of surprise, but locals soon figured out what was afoot and began preparing defenses. Jones doggedly pressed on, closing in during the dawn hours of 17 September, but a sudden gale stalled the squadron and then drove it back. Jones lamented that he made it within “cannon shot” of the town before realizing that an amphibious landing was hopeless.

Bonhomme Richard and her consorts lost their chance to attack Leith, but her commodore still refused to give up. His new plan was to raid nearby Newcastle and destroy its coal supplies. This would impose a great hardship on the population of London, who depended primarily on Newcastle to fuel their fires in the winter. But with all of Great Britain now thoroughly aware of their presence, Cottineau and Ricot feared such a raid would be suicidal. They flatly refused to participate, even if Jones ordered them. He reluctantly gave up the plan.

Shortly thereafter, the squadron seized another collier in ballast (loaded with coal) and the British sloop Speedwell. Jones, running short of men to use as prize crews, ordered the two prizes stripped of everything of value and sunk. Ricot ignored this order, and instead extracted a ransom from the crews and then let them go, much to Jones’s chagrin. During a long chase of a group of merchantmen on the night of the 21st and 22nd, Bonhomme Richard captured another collier and drove a second ship ashore south of Flamborough Head, Yorkshire. She also took a British brigantine inbound from Rotterdam. Early on the morning of the 22nd, the squadron sighted a group of merchant ships off the mouth of the Humber estuary, but failing wind frustrated the commodore in his efforts to pursue his quarry.

That evening, Jones reversed course and headed back north toward Flamborough Head to look for Pallas which had fallen behind while chasing local shipping. A little before dawn on the 23rd Jones eagerly called all hands on deck when a lookout sighted ships in the distance. He spirits sagged when he realized they were none other than Pallas en Alliance, the latter of which rejoined the squadron after vanishing for over two weeks. Although not the prizes Jones hoped for, the returns brought the squadron to full strength for the first time in over two weeks.

Propelled by a light breeze, Jones’ ships slowly moved north until early afternoon when a stillness descended almost completely becalming the squadron. About 3:00 p.m., a lookout shouted down from Bonhomme Richard‘s rigging that a large group of ships was approaching from the north. Guided by information he had received from captured pilots, he concluded that the vessels belonged to a 41-ship convoy coming from the Baltic under the protection of the British frigate Serapis and the sloop-of-war Countess of Scarborough. Eager to prey upon such juicy game, Jones bent on maximum sail to close the enemy, but the wind was still so light that some three and a half hours passed before the adversaries reached striking distance. In the meantime, Capt. Richard Pearson, commanding the convoy from the deck of Serapis, eyed the approaching ships suspiciously. Because of the distance, he could not tell what nationality the approaching vessels were, and in any case Jones was flying British colors as a ruse to lure unsuspecting prey within range of his guns. Pearson was cautious, however, and ordered the merchant ships under his protection to move towards the shoreline where coastal defenses could defend them.

While the merchant vessels hastily took cover under the guns of Castle Scarborough, Capt. Richard Pearson led both Royal Navy ships out to determine the identity of the approaching squadron and insure the safety of his valuable charges. As he closed with the two escorts, Jones raised signal flags for the rest of the squadron to form a line of battle. They not only ignored these orders, but turned away entirely and left Bonhomme Richard alone as she closed with Serapis. Pallas eventually engaged and captured Countess. Vengeance sat out the entire battle and, based on what happened later, Jones probably wished Alliance had done the same. For the moment, at least, Bonhomme Richard was entirely on her own.

Keeping his British colors aloft, Jones closed in with Pearson’s ship. The British captain called out to him via trumpet “What ship is that?” Hoping to move in just a little closer, Jones responded that he was Princess Royal. Unconvinced, Pearson called out again “Where from?” and when he received no answer, bellowed “Answer directly or I’ll fire into you.” Jones gave his answer by hauling down his British colors and raising the flag of the American rebellion. Immediately, both ships unleashed full broadsides into each other.

“The battle being thus begun, was Continued with Unremitting Fury,” Jones wrote in his narrative of the cruise. It was an apt description, for the ensuing fight was one of the longest, and bloodiest, single-ship engagements of the Age of Sail. Pearson enjoyed a substantial firepower advantage, having shipped 50 guns, instead of the rated 44, a common practice at the time. Jones’s ship mounted only 40. The total weight of metal for Serapis was 285 pounds to Bonhomme Richard’s 265. Within two broadsides, Jones’s disadvantage worsened dramatically when two 18-pounders exploded. The twin blasts tore a hole in the side of his ship and killed or horrifically injured their gun crews, but their effect was even greater than that: Jones realized that the remaining 4 18-pounders were too old and defective to risk using, and he ordered the gun crews to abandon them as well. His 40-gun frigate was now challenging Pearson with only 34 light cannon.

Jones, knowing that he had no chance by blasting away at the enemy with his now markedly inferior firepower, instead tried to maneuver close enough to board. Bonhomme Richard came alongside Serapis at a poor angle, however, where her men could only board along a narrow point. Pearson’s marines easily repelled them, and Jones pulled away. Pearson then made another attempt at firing a broadside at Bonhomme Richard, but Jones was careful to keep his ship from presenting itself at an advantageous angle for Pearson’s guns.

In their maneuvering, the two ships again collided, this time with Bonhomme Richard’s bow striking Serapis’ stern. Jones now decided his best chance was if the two ships remained coupled together. He scrambled across the deck to grab the enemy ship’s forestay (a rope connected to the primary mast) which had been cut and fallen across Bonhomme Richard’s deck. Seizing this and tying it to his own ship, the commodore called out for more rope. Jones and his crew managed to lash the two ships together, and the men-of-war remained locked in a deadly embrace for the rest of the battle. That slashed Pearson’s firepower advantage significantly, since half his guns were pointed away from the enemy, essentially useless.

The two vessels thus entangled, Jones set to work firing what guns he still had at Serapis’ rigging in hopes of disabling her, while also unleashing small arms fire and grenades to deplete the enemy crew. He ordered his men to prepare for a second boarding attempt. Although the spirited resistance from Pearson’s crew made boarding impossible for the moment, the attempt still forced British seamen out onto the decks, creating easy targets for Bonhomme Richard’s sharpshooters.

Met Serapis’ advantages neutralized, Jones had the fight exactly where he wanted it. Then disaster struck again from a surprising quarter. To this point, Landais, in Alliance, had lingered far from the fighting, watching his commodore’s flagship battered to pieces. Now the French captain moved in, unleashing a broadside not on Serapis maar Bonhomme Richard. The first cannonade killed two American sailors before Landais pulled back, but later he crossed the entangled vessels again and poured more shot into his supposed ally. As she maneuvered past them a third time, seamen rushed to the rail, screaming out “Don’t fire, you have killed several of our men already!” while another officer on the main tops shouted “for God’s sake don’t sink us!” Landais either did not hear or ignored their cries. Alliance unleashed its third, and deadliest, broadside into Bonhomme Richard killing Midshipman Jonas Coram and an unspecified number of seamen. Finally, Landais turned away, and sat out the rest of the battle. Alliance had suffered no casualties and no damage.

Caption: This famous oil-painting of the Battle of Flamborough Head by Thomas Mitchell currently hangs in the U.S. Naval Academy Museum, Annapolis, MD. It features Bonhomme Richard and Serapis in the heat of their engagement, just at the moment when Alliance opened fire on the American ship. The battle between Pallas and Countess of Scarborough is visible in the lower-left corner (KN 10855).

For the rest of his life, Jones claimed that Landais had acted deliberately, and the evidence seems to bear him out. There was a full moon that night, and Serapis en Bonhomme Richard looked nothing alike, so a case of mistaken identity seems highly suspect. According to one Jones biographer, Landais later confided to a fellow Frenchman that he had hoped Jones would sink, and that he could then snatch up the wounded British vessel and claim all the glory for himself. Regardless of the truth of that story, at the very least Landais provided no help to and significantly injured Bonhomme Richard during her most momentous engagement.

At that moment, however, Jones knew his feud with Landais would have to wait, for after three hours of brutal combat, both ships were in dire straits. Acrid smoke engulfed the decks as fires sprang up amid the debris of shattered timbers and shredded sails and rigging. As they scrambled to fight the battle, the men of Bonhomme Richard also worked to contain the blazes and make sure the flames did not reach the powder magazine. There was even a short lull in the fighting as both sides had to devote their full effort to fighting fires and not each other. For the Americans, at least, there was no shortage of water to do so, as their ship was taking on so much that her master at arms was forced to free the prisoners and set them to work manning the pumps. One fled to Serapis, but the rest set to work rather than risk going down with the ship, or being shot by the imperious officer. The lone escapee had a crucial impact, however, for he reassured Pearson that over five feet of water lay in Bonhomme Richard’s hold and she would surely sink soon. The British captain had been on the brink of surrendering, but this intelligence steeled his nerves, and he ordered his men to press on.

Terwyl Bonhomme Richard’s small-arms fire was having a devastating effect on Serapis’s crew, the British cannon were equally successful in decimating American cannon. During the third hour of battle, Jones found himself left with only three small 9-pounders on the quarterdeck. When one of the gunners suffered a severe, possibly fatal, head injury, the commodore himself took over firing away at the enemy mainmast. While he was hunched over a gun, other officers came up from below, where they had found themselves chin-deep in water. Unable to find Jones and concluding that he or Lieutenant Richard Dale would surely have surrendered by now if either were still alive, Gunner’s Mate Henry Gardner assumed he was now the senior surviving officer. He grabbed two nearby gunner’s mates, and the three began screaming at the top of their lungs “Quarter! Quarter!” while trying to make their way to the mainmast and haul down the broad pennant. Jones, hearing their cries, exploded in rage. Turning on the officers, he chased them across the deck and finally hurled his pistol at Gardner, striking him in the head and rendering him unconscious. Pearson, meanwhile, had heard their cries too, and dared to hope that his stubborn opponent was finally giving up the fight. “Have you struck? Do you ask for quarter,” he called out across the deck of Bonhomme Richard, not even bothering to use his speaking trumpet as the two ships still lay lashed together.

It was at this moment that Jones uttered the words forever associated with his name: “I have not yet begun to fight!” Or at least he said something like that. His lieutenant, Richard Dale, was the first to attribute the immortal words to him when he was interviewed for a biography 46 years later. Dale also has the exchange occurring much earlier in the battle, immediately after the two ships collided a second time. Jones’s own narrative put the exchange here, as do all other contemporary accounts. In the narrative, however, Jones only says that he “answered him in the most determined negative.” As to the exact words that “most determined negative” consisted of, accounts given shortly after the battle have him saying either “No sir, I will not. We have had but a small fight as of yet,” or “No sir, I have not yet thought of it, but I am determined to make you strike.” Some contemporary accounts also include more colorful language. British sailors who escaped after the battle have Jones announcing that “I’ll be damned before I’ll strike.” Another version has Pearson calling “out to Jones to strike else he would sink him. To which the latter replied that he might [go ahead and sink Bonhomme Richard] if he could, for whenever the Devil was ready for him, he would rather obey his summons than strike to anyone.” Most likely, Dale paraphrased Jones’s response, but his pithy version soon cemented itself in popular culture, and has been attributed to Revolutionary naval hero as a verbatim quote ever since.

Whatever Jones’s precise wording, Pearson got the message: the fighting would continue. Locked together as they were, Pearson tried a boarding action of his own, but his sailors fell back against stalwart resistance from Bonhomme Richard’s tars. At about 10:15 p.m., an enterprising seaman managed to make his way onto one of the yards overhanging the British deck and drop a grenade into an open hatch. The blast ignited powder cartridges that had been left scattered about the deck in the heat of battle, and triggered a series of explosions that blew guns off their carriages and blasted gaping holes in the side of the ship. Flames engulfed the gun deck, where many of the crew now confined themselves to avoid the constant sniper fire topside. Seamen whose bodies were not blown to pieces leaped, in flames, into the sea.

By this point both vessels were in dire condition, and it was only a matter of time before one had to surrender. Reportedly, a seaman ran up to Jones and begged him “for God’s sake, captain, strike!” Jones bellowed in reply “No! I will sink I will never strike.” Pearson, on the other hand, had had enough of the carnage. Whatever the damage to his enemy his own crew had been gutted, and at 10:30 p.m. his mainmast started to totter. After over four hours of savage combat, Pearson struck.

To some degree, the British captain could claim he accomplished his mission. Jones’s squadron was far too damaged after the battle to think of pursuing the merchant ships that were their original target. All 41 successfully reached their destination. That said, the immediate tactical significance of the battle should not obscure its larger impact on the war effort. Jones’s fame skyrocketed in both America and Europe as a result of his capture. British citizens, terrified of follow-up, remained in panic long after “the pirate Jones” returned to American soil. Meanwhile the Royal Navy dispatched a host of ships to search for him. Back in the United States, the story of the victory over the vaunted Royal Navy captured the imagination of Americans and provided a desperately-needed sense of victory after a ghastly year of fighting on land.

Jones’s crew spent a day and a half desperately working to salvage Bonhomme Richard. It was a hopeless effort. The old Indiaman was riddled with too many leaks, and most of those were too large to get the ship safely into any friendly port. At about 11:00 AM on 25 September Jones watched “with inexpressible grief” from the deck of his new flagship as Bonhomme Richard disappeared beneath the waves.

The human losses of the battle were likewise staggering. Jones reported 150 killed and wounded among his crew of 322. He did not, then or later, specify the exact number of dead. Pearson reported to the Admiralty that he had 49 killed and 68 wounded. Jones later claimed that this number was too low, and that the British surgeon on board Serapis identified over 100 killed. Regardless, this means that both ships saw roughly half their crews either killed or seriously injured, an incredibly high percentage for the era.

For Jones, although the battle insured his immortality, it also proved to be his last cruise. He spent several more months begging for a ship in both America and France. Congress finally rewarded his service with command of the new 74-gun ship-of-the-line Amerika in June 1782, but by the time he got her seaworthy, the war was over and the United States gave his new command to France in partial repayment of war debts. He served a brief stint as an officer in the Russian Navy, before dying penniless in Paris on 18 July 1792.

Caption: Jean Antoine Houdon’s bust of John Paul Jones, reportedly the best likeness of the celebrated captain in existence (NH 48618).

In 1905 President Theodore Roosevelt has his body exhumed and transported to the United States. On 26 January, 1913, the captain’s body was reinterred in a grand ceremony on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD. Its magnificent sarcophagus remains visible on the campus to this day.

Periodically, underwater archaeologists attempt to locate Bonhomme Richard’s remains in the North Sea, but, as of this writing, such attempts have never been successful, and she remains in her watery grave off Flamborough Head.

VERWANTE ARTIKELS

The USS Bonhomme Richard had been involved in a ferocious battle before it eventually succumbed to the sea.

US revolutionary captain John Paul Jones had sailed the 20-gun converted former French ship along the English coast pillaging merchant vessels in the North Sea.

But on September 23, 1779, the 50-gun HMS Serapis engaged the Bonhomme Richard off Flamborough Head close to Filey, North Yorks.

The USS Bonhomme Richard had been engaged in a fierce battle with the Royal Navy HMS Serapis on September 23, 1779. Pictured is an artist's representation of the battle from the Library of Congress

Pioneering satellite technology (pictured) was used to find the precise location of the wreck (in red). Merlin Burrows, the British satellite firm behind he find, said the location of the wreck is near Filey, North Yorkshire

How the USS Bonhomme Richard arrived at the Yorkshire coastline (pictured). It had previously sailed from Lorient to cruise against the British in the Bay of Biscay, but had to return to port after coming under fire. It set out again on August 14, 1779

WHAT WAS THE USS BONHOMME RICHARD?

The USS Bonhomme Richard was a warship in the Continental Navy - the navy of the United States during the American Revolutionary War.

It was originally built as a merchant ship in France for the French East India Company in 1765.

But in February 1779, the ship was given to well-known American naval commander John Paul Jones.

He sailed the 20-gun converted former French ship along the English coast pillaging merchant vessels in the North Sea.

But on September 23, 1779 it encountered the Royal Navy's HMS Serapis and was engaged in a bitter battle.

Both ships sustained horrific damage in the fight, but Jones and his fleet was victorious.

Despite this the Bonhomme Richard sunk beneath the waves.

Within sight of the cliffs of Flamborough Head the two vessels were locked in a vicious firefight.

Realising he was outgunned captain Jones lashed his ship to HMS Serapis in the hope of overcoming her greater firepower with his greater crew numbers.

Both ships sustained horrific damage in the fight, each losing nearly half their crew, but despite staring defeat in the face Captain John Paul Jones refused to surrender.

He eventually won the battle after reportedly responding to his British counterpart who asked if he was surrendering with the immortal line 'I have not yet begun to fight'.

John Paul Jones (pictured in 1781 in a portrait by French artist Jean Michel Moreau) captained the USS Bonhomme Richard

Although Cpt Jones went on to sail another day, the Bonhomme Richard was not so lucky and her flaming body sank beneath the waves.

The battle is seen by many historians as a pivotal moment in US naval history and of the War of Independence and saw Cpt Jones established for many as 'the Father of the American Navy'.

But despite being relatively close to the coast, and even US Navy attempts to recover the wreck, no definitive location has been recorded for her final resting place.

Now Mr Akers, along with British specialist satellite firm Merlin Burrows, believe they found the ship - which is arguably the most important wreck in US naval history and could be worth millions in tourism.

HM Coastguard Receiver of Wreck – which receives reports of new wrecks – has now written to Merlin Burrows to confirm receipt of the find.

Mr Akers, along with business partner Mr Blackburn, believe they have discovered the precise location of the wreck. Dives have already recovered timbers which they claim show evidence of the fire the ship succumbed to.

For now, the site is registered, Merlin Burrows said the location is near Filey, and if correct, it could have implications for tourism and interest in the local area.

Mr Akers said the Bonhomme Richard was the equivalent to the HMS Victory in importance to US history.

Tim Akers (left) and business partner Bruce Blackburn (right) used satellite techniques to find the precise location of the vessel. The find could have huge implications for tourism and interest in the local area

Divers have already recovered timber believed to be from the sunken vessel. To date divers have recovered identifiable wooden timbers (pictured), mast sections and planks with extensive burning evidence

Experts had previously thought the wreck was the remains of another ship, called the HMS Nautilus. But Mr Akers is convinced it belongs to the Bonhomme Richard due to the charred nature of the remains (pictured)

Mr Akers believes this wreck is littered with objects which can be identified in relation to the battle and burning it suffered as a result. Underwater filming shows burst guns, multiple artefacts and cannon balls

Mr Akers said: 'I had long thought this wreck was the remains of the Bonhomme Richard (BHR) but many marked down the site as belonging to the HMS Nautilus, a ship which sank in 1799.

'After researching the Nautilus and her loss, I found it could not be her because the description of her loss differed from this location.

'On our very first dive we knew we had found the BHR. From the finds and identifiable evidence, combined with the descriptions of the battle and both ships logs, we are convinced this is indeed the famous ship.'

Previous diving expeditions on the Filey coast hunting for the BHR had discovered a wrecked wooden warship, but it has never been confirmed as the Bonhomme.

Mr Akers said: 'There are only two wooden warship wrecks in the bay, one is the HMS Nautilus, the other is the BHR.

'The Nautilus broke up in a storm with no loss of life and the Royal Navy stripped the wreck of everything.

'Our wreck is littered with objects which can be identified in relation to the battle and burning. Our underwater filming clearly shows the burst guns, multiple artefacts and cannon balls.

'Ship stern decoration, ships bells, a figure head of a rampant lion and rigging are also all visible.

'It's difficult to give the wreck a monetary value, how do you put a price on the HMS Victory for example, if something like a canon or the lion head were recovered you are probably talking over a million each.'

A satellite image believed to show the precise location of the sunken vessel. The Bonhomme Richard is in green. The elongated green lengths are beams, wood timbers or other objects detected amongst the debris

Mr Akers said the firm had only recovered what they could by hand in accordance with regulations.

He said: 'We have to date recovered identifiable wooden timbers, mast sections and planks with extensive burning evidence.

'Unfortunately, I believe researchers of the area were getting confused over the 36-hour duration after the battle leading them to believe the wreck was further out from the shore.

'I also believe efforts to find the BHR might have been hampered because the currents off Flamborough Head move north counter to the outer sea currents, which move south, so the wreck was actually taken north not south.

'The ships in the battle had no wind beneath the cliffs and were becalmed, locked together in their death struggle.'

Mr Akers said the ship would still be owned by the US Navy and that its discovery after all these years could have a significant benefit to the local area.

He said: 'The local community could benefit profoundly from this discovery bringing in tourism and investment to an area already known for its beauty but with little employment prospects.

'Every American child is taught the history of John Paul Jones so it could become a site of significant historical pilgrimage.'

Mr Akers said Merlin Burrows was working with the local community and had been in contact with American authorities. At present a protection order is being sought for the site to prevent looting.

BIBLIOGRAFIE

Bradford, James C. "The Battle of Flamborough Head." In Great American Naval Battles. Edited by Jack Sweetman. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1998.

Commager, Henry Steele, and R. B. Morris. Spirit of '76: The Story of the American Revolution, as Told by Participants. Indianapolis, Ind.: Bobbs Merrill, 1958.

Gawalt, Gary, ed. John Paul Jones' Memoir of the American Revolution. Washington, D.C.: American Revolution Bicentennial Office, Library of Congress, 1979.

Schaeper, Thomas J. John Paul Jones and the Battle off Flamborough Head: A Reconsideration. New York: P. Lang, 1989.

Walsh, John Evangelish. Night on Fire: The First Complete Account of John Paul Jones's Greatest Battle. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1978.

Bonhomme Richard vs. Serapis: US Navy Art Collection

During the American Revolution , the U.S. ship Bonhomme Richard , commanded by John Paul Jones , wins a hard-fought engagement against the British ships of war Serapis en Countess of Scarborough , off the eastern coast of England.

Scottish-born John Paul Jones first sailed to America as a cabin boy and lived for a time in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where his brother had a business. He later served on slave and merchant ships and proved an able seaman. After he killed a fellow sailor while suppressing a mutiny, he returned to the American colonies to escape possible British prosecution. With the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775, he traveled to Philadelphia and was commissioned a senior lieutenant in the new Continental Navy. He soon distinguished himself in actions against British ships in the Bahamas, the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel.

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In August 1779, Jones took command of the Bonhomme Richard and sailed around the British Isles. On September 23, the Bonhomme Richard engaged the Serapis and the smaller Countess of Scarborough, which were escorting the Baltic merchant fleet. After inflicting considerable damage to the Bonhomme Richard, Richard Pearson, the captain of the Serapis, asked Jones if he had struck his colors, the naval signal indicating surrender. From his disabled ship, Jones replied, “I have not yet begun to fight,” and after three more hours of furious fighting it was the Serapis en Countess of Scarborough that surrendered. After the victory, the Americans transferred to the Serapis van die Bonhomme Richard, which sank the following day.

Jones was hailed as a great hero in France, but recognition in the United States was somewhat belated. He continued to serve the United States until 1787 and then served briefly in the Russian navy before moving to France, where he died in 1792 amidst the chaos of the French Revolution. He was buried in an unmarked grave. In 1905, his remains were located under the direction of the U.S. ambassador to France and then escorted back to the United States by U.S. warships. His body was later enshrined in a crypt at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

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