USS Bonhomme Richard (1765)

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USS Bonhomme Richard (1765)

The first USS Bonhomme Richard, formerly Duc de Duras, was a frigate
Frigate

A frigate is a warship. The term has been used for warships of many sizes and roles over the past few centuries.In the 18th century, the term referred to ships which were as long as a ship-of-the-line and were square rig on all three masts , but were faster and with lighter armament, used for patrolling and escort....
in the Continental Navy
Continental Navy

The Continental Navy was formed during the American Revolution in 1775. Through the efforts of the Continental Navy's apparent patron, John Adams and vigorous Congressional support in the face of stiff opposition, the fleet cumulatively became relatively substantial when considering the limitations imposed upon the Patriot supply pool....
. She was originally an East Indiaman, a merchant ship built in France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
for the French East India Company
French East India Company

The French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British East India Company and Dutch East India Company East India companies....
in 1765, for service between France and the Orient. She was placed at the disposal of John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones

John Paul Jones was United States first well-known US Navy fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made enemies among the American ruling class, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to this day....
on 4 February 1779, by King Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI of France

Louis XVI or Louis-Auguste de France ruled as List of French monarchs of France and of List of Navarrese monarchs from 1774 until 1791, and then as Popular monarchy from 1791 to 1792....
as a result of a loan to the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
by French shipping magnate, Jacques-Donatien Le Ray
Jacques-Donatien Le Ray

Jacques-Donatien Le Ray was a French people "Father of the American Revolutionary War", but later an opponent of the French Revolution. His son of the same name, known also in America as James Le Ray, eventually became a United States citizen and settled in Le Ray, New York USA....
.

Jones renamed her Bon Homme Richard- usually rendered in more correct French as Bonhomme Richard, to honor Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author and Printer , Satire, list of political philosophers, politician, scientist, inventor, activism, statesman, and diplomacy....
, the American Commissioner at Paris whose almanac, Poor Richard's Almanac

Poor Richard's Almanac

Poor Richard's Almanack was a yearly almanack published by Benjamin Franklin, who adopted the pseudonym of "Poor Richard" or "Richard Saunders" for this purpose....
had been published in France under the title Les Maximes du Bonhomme Richard.

On 19 June 1779, Bonhomme Richard sailed from Lorient
Lorient

Lorient, or L'Orient, is a Communes of France and a seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France in Brittany in northwestern France....
accompanied by Alliance, Pallas, Vengeance, and Cerf with troop transports and merchant vessels under convoy to Bordeaux
Bordeaux

is a Port city on the Garonne in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its aire urbaine at a 2008 estimate. It is the Capital of the Aquitaine regions of France, as well as the Prefectures in France of the Gironde Departments of France....
and to cruise against the British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
in the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay

The Bay of Biscay is a Headlands and bays of the North Atlantic Ocean. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest, France south to the Spain border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Punta de Estaca de Bares, and is named for the Spanish province of Biscay....
.

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The first USS Bonhomme Richard, formerly Duc de Duras, was a frigate
Frigate

A frigate is a warship. The term has been used for warships of many sizes and roles over the past few centuries.In the 18th century, the term referred to ships which were as long as a ship-of-the-line and were square rig on all three masts , but were faster and with lighter armament, used for patrolling and escort....
in the Continental Navy
Continental Navy

The Continental Navy was formed during the American Revolution in 1775. Through the efforts of the Continental Navy's apparent patron, John Adams and vigorous Congressional support in the face of stiff opposition, the fleet cumulatively became relatively substantial when considering the limitations imposed upon the Patriot supply pool....
. She was originally an East Indiaman, a merchant ship built in France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
for the French East India Company
French East India Company

The French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British East India Company and Dutch East India Company East India companies....
in 1765, for service between France and the Orient. She was placed at the disposal of John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones

John Paul Jones was United States first well-known US Navy fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made enemies among the American ruling class, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to this day....
on 4 February 1779, by King Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI of France

Louis XVI or Louis-Auguste de France ruled as List of French monarchs of France and of List of Navarrese monarchs from 1774 until 1791, and then as Popular monarchy from 1791 to 1792....
as a result of a loan to the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
by French shipping magnate, Jacques-Donatien Le Ray
Jacques-Donatien Le Ray

Jacques-Donatien Le Ray was a French people "Father of the American Revolutionary War", but later an opponent of the French Revolution. His son of the same name, known also in America as James Le Ray, eventually became a United States citizen and settled in Le Ray, New York USA....
.

Jones renamed her Bon Homme Richard- usually rendered in more correct French as Bonhomme Richard, to honor Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author and Printer , Satire, list of political philosophers, politician, scientist, inventor, activism, statesman, and diplomacy....
, the American Commissioner at Paris whose almanac, Poor Richard's Almanac
Poor Richard's Almanac

Poor Richard's Almanack was a yearly almanack published by Benjamin Franklin, who adopted the pseudonym of "Poor Richard" or "Richard Saunders" for this purpose....
had been published in France under the title Les Maximes du Bonhomme Richard.

On 19 June 1779, Bonhomme Richard sailed from Lorient
Lorient

Lorient, or L'Orient, is a Communes of France and a seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France in Brittany in northwestern France....
accompanied by Alliance, Pallas, Vengeance, and Cerf with troop transports and merchant vessels under convoy to Bordeaux
Bordeaux

is a Port city on the Garonne in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its aire urbaine at a 2008 estimate. It is the Capital of the Aquitaine regions of France, as well as the Prefectures in France of the Gironde Departments of France....
and to cruise against the British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
in the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay

The Bay of Biscay is a Headlands and bays of the North Atlantic Ocean. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest, France south to the Spain border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Punta de Estaca de Bares, and is named for the Spanish province of Biscay....
. Forced to return to port for repair, the squadron sailed again 14 August 1779. Going northwest around the west coast of the British Isles
British Isles

The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include Great Britain and Ireland, and numerous smaller islands....
into the North Sea
North Sea

The North Sea is a marginal sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf. The Dover Strait and the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north connect it to the Atlantic Ocean....
and then down the east coast the squadron took 16 merchant vessels as prizes.

On 23 September 1779, they encountered the Baltic Fleet of 41 sail under convoy of HMS Serapis (44)HMS Serapis (1779)

HMS Serapis was a British frigate launched by the Royal Navy in 1779. The vessel was named after the god Serapis in Greek and Ancient Egypt mythology....
and Countess of Scarborough (22) near Flamborough Head
Flamborough Head

Flamborough Head is an eight mile long promontory on the Yorkshire coast of England, between the Filey and Bridlington bays of the North Sea....
. After 18:00 Bonhomme Richard engaged Serapis and a bitter engagement, the Battle of Flamborough Head
Battle of Flamborough Head

}|-||}The Battle of Flamborough Head was a small naval battle that took place on 23 September 1779, in the North Sea off the coast of Yorkshire between an American Continental Navy squadron led by John Paul Jones and the two British escort vessels protecting a large merchant convoy....
, ensued during the next four hours that cost the lives of nearly half the American and British crews. At first, a British victory seemed inevitable as the more heavily armed Serapis used its superior firepower to rake Bonhomme Richard with devastating effect, killing Americans by the score. However, Jones eventually succeeded in lashing the two ships together, nullifying his opponent's greater maneuverability. An attempt by the Americans to board Serapis was repulsed, as was an attempt by the British to board Bonhomme Richard. Finally, after another of Jones's squadron joined in the fight (uncaringly causing serious collateral damage aboard the Richard) the British captain surrendered at about 10.30pm. Bonhomme Richard, shattered, on fire, and leaking badly defied all efforts to save her and sank at 11:00 on 25 September 1779. John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones

John Paul Jones was United States first well-known US Navy fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made enemies among the American ruling class, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to this day....
sailed the captured Serapis to the United Provinces
Dutch Republic

The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was a European republic between 1581 and 1795, in about the same location as the modern Kingdom of the Netherlands, which is the successor state....
for repairs.

Though Bonhomme Richard sank subsequent to the battle, the outcome of the battle convinced the French crown of the wisdom of backing the colonies in their fight to separate from British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
authority. The defeat of Serapis, no less in home waters, stung the British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
admiralty.

Bonhomme Richard's final resting location is the subject of much speculation. A number of efforts have been conducted to locate the wreck. As of 2005, these efforts have been unsuccessful. The location of the wreck is presumed to be Flamborough Head
Flamborough Head

Flamborough Head is an eight mile long promontory on the Yorkshire coast of England, between the Filey and Bridlington bays of the North Sea....
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a Historic counties of England of northern England and the largest in Great Britain. Because of its great size, over time functions were increasingly undertaken by its subdivisions, which have been subject to History of local government in Yorkshire....
, a headland near where her final battle took place in approximately 180 feet of water. The number of other wrecks in the area and a century of fishing trawling operations have complicated all searches.

External links

Clive Cussler recounts his elusive search for the Bonhomme Richard.