Combat· American Revolutionary War
Battle off Flamborough Head
On September 23, 1779, off Flamborough Head on the east coast of England, the Bonhomme Richard under John Paul Jones fought the British frigate Serapis.
The Richard, an old East Indiaman, had volunteers from the French Regiment of Walsh serving as Marines. Marine Lieutenant Edward Stack commanded the main top with 15 Marines and four sailors, and 20 more Marines stood on the poop. After three of his 18-pounders burst in the first broadsides, Jones made the two ships fast together. Marines and sailors in the tops cleared the enemy's tops, then fired down on the deck of the Serapis. Seaman William Hamilton dropped a grenade through an open hatch, igniting powder cartridges and killing at least 20 men, and Captain Pearson lowered his flag. The fight had lasted nearly four hours. Jones estimated his losses at 150 killed and wounded. Marine Lieutenant James O'Kelly was mortally wounded by a broadside from the Alliance, one of Jones's own ships. The Bonhomme Richard sank on September 25.
Record no. 60