The Battle of Flamborough Head was a naval battle that took place on 23 September 1779 in the North Sea off the coast of Yorkshire, between a combined Franco-American squadron, led by Continental Navy officer John Paul Jones and two British escort vessels protecting a large merchant convoy. It became one of the most celebrated naval actions of the war in America, despite its relatively small size and a considerable dispute over what had actually occurred.
Franco-American squadron
On 14 August 1779 a squadron of seven ships departed Groix, off L’Orient in France, nominally under the command of American Continental Navy Captain John Paul Jones. The squadron voyaged from a brief stop off Ireland, round the north of Scotland, and down the east coast of Britain, creating havoc wherever possible. Although sailing under the American flag, all the vessels were loaned or donated by France, with French captains, except for the Alliance, which had been built in Amesbury, Massachusetts, specifically for the Continental Navy (although it had an originally French captain too: Pierre Landais). The crews included Americans, French volunteers, British sailors previously captured by the Americans and offered the chance to get out of captivity, and many others seeking glory or prize money. By mid-September, four of the ships remained in the squadron.
On the evening of 22 September, Jones in Bonhomme Richard (an armed former French East India Company trading vessel he had reluctantly adapted for military use), accompanied by the little brigantine Vengeance under Captain Philippe Nicolas Ricot, had been off Spurn Head, hoping to catch a few prizes emerging from the Humber estuary, but he decided to head northward during the night and rendezvous with his frigates Alliance and Pallas, which had parted company from him further up the coast. Shortly after midnight, two vessels were seen, so signal lanterns were set. The strangers did not give the response that would identify them as members of his squadron. Jones's crew was called to quarters, but when daylight approached, about 5:30 am, and a chequered flag was hoisted on the mizzen mast, the mystery vessels finally identified themselves as the Alliance and Pallas. Captain Denis Nicolas Cottineau de Kerloguen of the Pallas later reported that Captain Pierre Landais of the Alliance had advised a rapid retreat if the approaching warship proved to be British—not a reassuring suggestion, given that his frigate, which had been acclaimed as the best warship yet made in America, was by a fair margin the faster and more manoeuvrable of the two.
Early in the afternoon, the reunited squadron sighted a brig in Bridlington Bay, so at about 3:30 pm, a small schooner, captured the previous day, was sent with a 15-man boarding party. There is a discrepancy at this point between Jones's official report and Bonhomme Richard’s log, but the reason for sending the schooner may have been not because the brig was in very shallow water, but because the main squadron was on its way to investigate a sighting of a ship further north near Flamborough Head. Shortly after the schooner was dispatched, Alliance, which had been somewhat ahead of the others, hoisted a signal and set off at speed. At least two large vessels had been sighted in the distance, so the schooner was immediately recalled by firing a signal gun, and the entire squadron headed towards the potentially rich prizes.
British convoy
On 15 September, a convoy of more than 50 ships which had been trading with ports in the Baltic had set sail from a rendezvous off the Norwegian coast at the mouth of the Skagerrak channel to cross the North Sea. Some ships left the convoy before Britain came in sight, heading for northern ports such as Leith and the River Tyne. When the Yorkshire coast was sighted early on 23 September, just over 40 ships remained, mostly carrying iron or timber (often in the form of planks and masts for ships), bound for ports along the southern half of the British Isles. Although the Baltic convoy had received a warning from Scarborough that an enemy squadron was in the vicinity, some ships ignored the signals (by both flags and guns) from the 44-gun escort ship HMS Serapis to stay close for protection.
Early in the afternoon, as they approached Flamborough Head, the lookouts of the foremost ships saw the danger in Bridlington Bay for themselves. Hastily tacking, they attempted to run for the safety of Scarborough. Serapis put on all sail to get between the fleeing merchant vessels and a potential attack, while the smaller Countess of Scarborough (a hired armed ship built by private subscription and hired to the Admiralty for escort duty) shepherded the convoy. About 4 pm, with the whole convoy to his north and the squadron clearly in sight to the south, Captain Richard Pearson of the Serapis signalled Countess of Scarborough to join him. As the squadron caught up, the Royal Navy vessels made sure to position themselves so that the presumed enemy could not easily sail round them to reach the slower merchant ships.
First shots
As the situation became clear, Alliance gradually slowed, allowing the rest of Jones's squadron to catch up (except for the little schooner carrying the boarding party, which could not sail fast enough). About 6 pm, Jones ordered Pallas to ride directly in his wake to confuse the opposition about the squadron's strength, and half an hour later he hoisted signals ordering all vessels to form a single-file line of battle, to make best use of their broadsides as they passed the two British ships. Captain Landais, who unlike Jones had a great deal of formal training in naval leadership and tactics (and was aware of the latest French battle plans, used with considerable success against the Royal Navy at this time), decided to try a different plan. He used Alliance's superior handling to sail off to one side, against the wind. In order to prevent him from sailing right past and chasing the convoy, Captain Thomas Piercy of the Countess of Scarborough had to do the same, leaving Serapis alone against the remaining three American ships.
Around 7 pm, Bonhomme Richard was within pistol-shot of the battle-ready Serapis. In the gathering dark, Pearson hailed the potentially hostile ship to ask some pertinent questions: its name, its nationality etc. The answer was a few evasive remarks, followed by a shot (as he recalled it, but possibly a broadside) which Serapis answered with a broadside. A minute or two later, as soon as he was within range, Landais fired his own broadside at the Countess of Scarborough (theoretically just over 200 pounds (91 kg) of shot from 18 guns). Piercy soon replied (his maximum broadside being about 60 lb from 10 guns).
Bonhomme Richard was about the same length as Alliance and originally had almost the same armament, with a broadside of just over 200 pounds (91 kg) from 18 guns, but Jones had been able to add six second-hand 18-pound guns, mounted in such a way that they could be rotated to fire through ports low down on either side, adding 108 pounds (49 kg) of shot to a full broadside. In the event, though, these big guns only fired eight shots between them, because two of them quickly burst open under the strain, killing most of the people around them, so the remainder were abandoned. Serapis, one of the Royal Navy's newest ships, also had 18-pound guns (10 on each side, contributing 180 pounds (82 kg) to a total 22-gun broadside of around 280 pounds (130 kg) which were in good condition. Additionally, being designed as a warship, Serapis was more manoeuvrable than the Bonhomme Richard. By coincidence, due to desertions and the need to crew captured vessels, Bonhomme Richard's crew had been reduced from around 400 to about the same as Serapis, 320.
First half-hour
While Jones and Landais were fighting their unexpectedly separate battles, Captains Cottineau of the Pallas and Ricot of Vengeance were left wondering what to do. In a well-organised formation, they might have been able to make a contribution, but to intervene in a ship-to-ship duel would be very dangerous. In theory, they could have taken advantage of the confusion to sail off after the stragglers of the convoy, but night had now fallen, and until the moon rose, they would not be able to see their prey. Also, it quickly became clear that Bonhomme Richard would need help. Therefore, they waited until they could be useful. About this time, the little schooner caught up with them, but there was no way to transfer the potentially very useful boarding team to Bonhomme Richard or Alliance.
Jones realized that if he could not use the 18-pounders, he could not win a gun fight, so he quickly adopted a policy of trying to grapple and board his opponent. Pearson’s crew spotted the change and adapted rapidly, using the superior maneuverability of Serapis to keep out of reach, while continuing to bombard the slower ship. On one occasion though, according to the later recollection of First Lieutenant Richard Dale, Bonhomme Richard's bow ran into Serapis' stern and, with neither side able to take advantage of the situation, Pearson cheekily asked the punning question, "Has your ship struck?" Dale reports Jones's reply as, "I have not yet begun to fight!"
Meanwhile, after two or three broadsides exchanged with Alliance, less than 20 minutes after the first shot, Piercy was astonished to see his opponent (with just one of the little 6 pounds (2.7 kg) shots from the Countess of Scarborough stuck in its tough timberwork) move away to rejoin Pallas, which was still waiting for an opportunity to be useful. Landais later claimed that his opponent had sailed away under cover of smoke. Piercy, his ship relatively unharmed and out of range of any of the four Americans, headed straight for the main battle to see if he could help Serapis, but Jones's close-quarters policy meant that to intervene now would be madness. Quite possibly shots fired by the Countess of Scarborough at the Bonhomme Richard would hit Serapis, or worse still, massive 18 pounds (8.2 kg) shots from Serapis could accidentally hit the Countess of Scarborough. Instead, Piercy simply gave the impression that he was going to intervene, trying to attract the attention of Alliance and Pallas. Cottineau saw the potential danger (or responded to a request by Landais) and quickly steered towards the Countess of Scarborough, so Piercy slowly retreated, sailing with the wind.
Two gunnery duels
Shortly afterwards, Jones got the opportunity he had been striving for—not a moment too soon, as his ship had been holed below the waterline and was becoming increasingly unresponsive. Serapis' jib-boom caught in the rigging of Bonhomme Richard's mizzen mast, and Jones immediately led his crew in attaching the two ships together as strongly as they could. Seeing the danger, Pearson dropped anchor. Because both ships were under sail, when Serapis came to an abrupt halt, Bonhomme Richard would keep going and with luck, tear free. Jones’ men had been very efficient, so what actually happened was that Bonhomme Richard's motion was turned into a rotation, and the two ships, still firmly attached, ended up side by side, facing in opposite directions, their great guns touching each other’s hull planks. Better still for Jones, Serapis' spare anchor caught in the woodwork of Bonhomme Richard's stern, locking the two ships in that extraordinary position. Pearson fired broadsides straight into Bonhomme Richard's hull, tearing huge holes in its side and damaging the gun decks. For Jones's boarding plan to succeed, he needed to drive all the Royal Navy sailors from Serapis' deck before his ship was destroyed beneath him. He had prepared well for such an eventuality, and his men at stations up the masts were equipped both with small guns and with incendiary grenades. Three 9-pound guns on the quarterdeck (the rear part of the upper deck) were still usable, although one was on the wrong side and had to be dragged around. Two of these guns were loaded with anti-personnel grapeshot to help drive Pearson's men from the deck, but the third was used with solid bar-shot aimed at Serapis' mainmast.