September 1779 Death of a Ship – Creation of an American Hero

It is estimated that over 50,000 ships lie wrecked off the Yorkshire Coast; victims of storm, tide, bad seamanship and war.

In the last category they were joined in September 1779 by a wreck that lies on the sea bed of Filey Bay, in sight of table 40, the wreck of an East Indianman, built in Lorient, France and launched in 1765 as the Duc de Duras into the service of the French East India Company. But a ship that achieved lasting fame under a later ownership and name when following its purchase by King Lous XVI of France on 4th February, 1779 it was placed at the disposal of a fledgling state formed of thirteen rebelious colonies for use in their developing war for independence against Frances long time rival and mutual antagonist – England.

The name of this new usurper of English power to who France were extending support? The then Continent Untied States (of America)

The Duc de Duras was recommissioned into the small Continental Navy as a frigate with a sailing complement of 375 men and armament comprised of twenty eight 12-pounder smoothbores, six 18-pounder smoothbores, and six 9-pounder smoothbores and renamed the Bonhommer Richard in honour of a man by the name of Benjamin Franklin, the then American States Commissioner at Paris who’s almanacs had been published in France under the title Les Maximes de Bonhomme Richard, Franklin himself being an individual who was soon to claim his own place in history, by its accepting Captain; a Scot born in Kirkbean, Kirkcudbrightshire a county in southwestern Scotland as John Paul; who after colourful, some may say with cause chequered, maritime carrier had been commissioned into the Continental Navy on the commencement of war and who was destined to be the man who in command of the Bonhomme was to become one of America’s first naval heroes under his adopted name: John Paul Jones, when in the late afternoon and evening of 23rd September 1779 his squadron of ships who had over several months conducted a largley successful campaign against English coastal shipping engaged a British merchant fleet returning loaded with trade goods from the Baltic comprised of some 41 merchant ships protected by two Royal Naval ships; the fifty gun fifth rater H.M.S. ‘Serapis’ and the armed merchant ship of twenty two guns ‘Countess of Scarborough, off the 400 foot cliffs of Flamborough Head and within the adjoining waters of Filey Bay.

In numerical terms the American flagged squadron (comprised of a mix of American and French ships) out numbered and out gunned the two British naval ships but the Serapis as an individual vessel was the most heavy armed combatant and sailed to block the approaching enemy and engaged the Bonhomer Richard in a ship to ship engagement supported by the Countess of Scarborough that dispite being over matched engaged other elements of the American squadron. In an action that lasted over 3 hours into the darkness of night the two British ships frustrated the attack on the unarmed merchant fleet with the result of all 41 merchantmen making safe harbour in Scarborough Bay but both British ships suffering heavy damage and loss of life ultimately being forced to strike their colours in surrender to Jones, who having lost his own ship the Bonhommer Richard in the battle with the Serapis whist the two ships were lashed together and exchanging fire at hands reach, successful boarded and captured the British vessel with heavy loss of life to both ships crews.

Subsequent to the engagement both British Captains were court marshalled for losing their vessels with both been aquitted by the court with honour. It being found that they saved a valuable merchant fleet “having in the execution of such duty done infinite credit to themselves by a very obstinate defence against a superior force”. Both captains were in fact well rewarded for their efforts.

Pearson of the Seapis was considered a hero of the battle, was knighted, received gifts from the merchants whose goods had been saved and the freedoms of several towns.

Piercy of the Countess of Scarborough received promotion to Post-Captain a plate with a value of 55 guineas, (at current value approx £10,500) the Freedom of the Borough of Scarborough and a silver casket lined with heart of oak made by James Phipps of London.

John Paul Jones?

When peace came Jones returned to Paris to collect prize money for the officers and men of the ‘Bonhomme Richard’. He took another mistress Mrs. Townsend, the French widow of an Englishman who probably bore him a son. Nothing is known of his fate. Whilst there, Thomas Jefferson, the new American Ambassador, recommended him for service with Russia. In 1788 he was made a Rear Admiral in the Russian Navy by Empress Catherine II, a rank higher than he had received in the United States. As Kontradmiral Pavel Ivanovich Jones he served with distinction under Prince Potemkin against the Turks in the Black Sea campaign. At the Battle of Liman, he reconnoitered the Turkish Fleet in a rowboat during the night; repulsed the Turkish attacks killing about 3000 Turks, destroying 15 vessels and taking over 1600 prisoners at a cost to his squadron of one frigate and 18 killed. He wrote, “I am delighted with the courage of the Russians, which is more glorious because it is without show-off.”He was awarded the Order of St Anne a military honour for valour and distinguished service in the military.

He was falsely charged with molesting a 10-year-old butter seller, Katerina, the daughter of a German immigrant whilst living in St. Petersberg. The charge was dropped but in 1789 after a brief audience with Catherine, Jones left Russia never to return.

After a brief trip to England where he narrowly escaped being murdered on landing at Harwich, he returned to Paris in May 1790 taking an apartment at 52 Rue de Tournon. His health was failing and he spent his final years writing letters to Catherine, to his two married sisters in Scotland, who were not on speaking terms, begging them to make up, and to the French Minister of Marine to pay arrears of salaries due to the men of the ‘Bonhomme Richard’.

On the 18th July 1792, sitting in an easy chair, sick in body but of sound mind, he dictated his will to Governour Morris, the American to France. Morris then left for an important dinner engagement and when he returned at 8 p.m. Jones had already died. Alone he had walked to his chamber and had laid himself face down on the bed. Morris found him in this position. He had nephritis and jaundice but pneumonia had hastened his end.

At death He was 45 years old.

His body lay in an alcohol-filled coffin in an unmarked grave in a cemetery for foreign Protestants for over a century. The turn of this century was a time of great American naval expansion, encouraged by the President Teddy Roosevelt and an intensive search was made to find his body.In 1905 it was rediscovered. Amid great ceremony, it was brought back to the United States in USS Brooklyn accompanied by three other cruisers. Seven battleships met them off The American coast and as a single column sailed into the Chesapeake Bay. There the first four battleships peeled off firing 15 gun salutes while the Brooklyn sailed on to Annapolis.

In 1913 his body was finally laid to rest in a magnificent marble sarcophagus, modeled on the tomb of Napoleon, in the chapel crypt of Annapolis Naval Academy; a far cry from his humble beginnings in Scotland.

Text in italic is copyright John Paul Jones Museum.

The Bonhamme Richard?

It became one of the 50,000 plus sunken wrecks found off the Yorkshire Coast and lost to the sea and history for the next 200 plus years. In modern times its likely resting place has been known to local fishermen for some years (it lay away from most of the searched areas). The location was finally announced to have been found in the shelter, calm waters and shifting sands of Filey Bay by a UK based research company, Merlin Burrows, who have been liaising with Historic England and the Receiver of Wreck over the last couple of years to process the formalities involved in the registration, protection and ongoing analysis of wreck inventory recovered by them to date.

An idea for American visitors - if you visit England why not venture north from London or break your journey to Edinburgh to spend a couple of days catching up on things in North Yorkshire – I suggest a short tour starting in York (the 2,000 year old original one) adding a visit to close by Selby Abbey to see the Washington Window and a trip to Castle Howard – the amazing seat of the Howard family and the stately home used as the location for Brideshead Revisited and many other hit TV shows and films still running on multiple US stations and ending the journey with a visit to Filey to gaze over the last resisting place of the ship that 243 years ago provided the stage on which the legend of John Paul Jones was built and the story of your navy commenced.

Drop me a mail and if I’m free I’ll give you a guided tour … (No charge)