8/14/2023 0 Comments Surrender naval actioNeither the consideration of the relative force of the ships, the fact of the blowing up of the gundeck above them by the bursting of two of the eighteen pounders, nor the alarm that the ship was sinking, could depress the ardor or change the determination of the brave Captain Jones, his officers and men. The crew of that ship was picked seamen, and the ship itself had been only a few months off the stocks whereas the crew of the Bonhomme Richard consisted of part American, English, and French, and a part of Maltese, Portuguese, and Malays, these latter contributing, by their want of naval skill and knowledge of the English language, to depress rather than elevate the first hope of success in a combat under such circumstances. A novelty in naval combats was now presented to many witnesses, but to few admirers.įrom the commencement to the termination of the action, there was not a man on board the Bonhomme Richard ignorant of the superiority of the Serapis, both in weight of metal, and in the qualities of the crews. In this situation the ships were made fast together with a hawser, the bowsprit of the Serapis to the mizenmast of the Bonhomme Richard, and the action recommenced from the starboard sides of the two ships. The Serapis bore short round upon her heel, and her jib boom ran into the mizen rigging of the Bonhomme Richard. To which Captain Jones answered: "I have not yet begun to fight."Īs we were unable to bring a single gun to bear upon the Serapis, our topsails were backed, while those of the Serapis being filled, the ships separated. We had remained in this situation but a few minutes when we were again hailed by the Serapis: and the Bonhomme Richard, having headway, ran her bows into the stern of the Serapis. The Serapis soon passed ahead of the Bonhomme Richard, and when he thought he had gained a distance sufficient to go down athwart the fore foot to rake us, found he had not enough distance. Our position being to windward of the Serapis, we passed ahead of her, and the Serapis coming up on our larboard quarter, the action commenced abreast of each other. He was answered: "I can't hear what you say." Immediately after the Serapis hailed again:Īt this moment I received orders from Commodore Jones to commmence the action with a broadside, which indeed appeared to be simultaneous on board both ships. At about eight, being within hail, the Serapis demanded: When these ships had separated from the convoy about two miles, they again tacked and stood in shore after the merchantmen. At the same time, the Serapis and Countess if Scarborough tacked ship, and stood off shore, with the intention of drawing off our attention from the convoy. it was evident the Baltic fleet perceived we were in chase, from the signal of the Serapis to the merchantmen to stand in shore. Īt this time our fleet headed to the northward, with a light breeze, Flamborough Head being about two leagues distant. 'The Baltic fleet, under convoy of the Serapis of forty-four guns, and the Countess of Scarborough of twenty guns.'Ī general chase then commenced of the Bonhomme Richard, the Venseance, the Pallas, and the Alliance. I asked the coasting pilot what fleet it was. This induced me to go upon deck, when I found the men were swaying up the royal yards, preparatory to making sail for a large fleet under our lee. "On the 23d of September, 1779, being below, I was roused by an unusual noise upon deck. The stage was set for John Paul Jones’s most famous naval battle.Īn observer aboard Captain John Paul Jones's ship describes his most famous battle: Leading a squadron of five ships, Jones attacked the coast of Ireland and then sailed north around the tip of Scotland to a point off the coast of Northern England where on Septemhe encountered a large merchant convoy escorted by two British naval vessels. In 1779 Jones took command of the 42-gun Bonhomme Richard a reconstituted merchant ship given as a gift to the Americans by the French. In 1777 he was dispatched to the European waters with orders to create whatever havoc he could accomplish including attacking British ships and sea ports. By 1775, he had emigrated to America where he volunteered for service in the fledgling American Navy and was given his own command. "I have not yet begun to fight!" This was the immortal retort of Captain John Paul Jones to a request to surrender as he and his crew engaged in a desperate battle with a British frigate off the northern coast of England during the American Revolution.īorn in Scotland in 1747, Jones went to sea at age thirteen and became Captain of his own ship by the time he was twenty-one.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |