LOOKING FOR MR. JONES

THE OCEAN TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATION BEGINS A SEARCH FOR ’ SUNKEN SHIP WHILE ADMIRAL CALLO TAKES A LOOK AT THE MAN.

By Richard H. Wagner (Originally published in The Log, Navy League of the United States, New York Council, Summer 2006)

The views expressed herein are number or quality, to challenge the solely those of the Editor and are not world's largest seapower to a fleet those of the Navy League, the Council, action. Indeed, in an action in or any other entity. Penobscott Bay between 22 American ships and a 10-ship British squadron that ohn Paul Jones was America's first included a ship-of-the-line, the and, perhaps still is, its most famous Americans were all but wiped out. Still, Jnaval hero. However, like many of rather than let Britain have unchallenged the founding fathers, Jones' actual command of the seas, the Continental achievement has become clouded by Navy did what many inferior naval legend. Indeed, historians even dispute powers have done throughout the course whether he actually spoke the of history and concentrated on inspirational quotation: "I have not yet commerce raiding. begun to fight." So, what is Jones claim One particularly clever twist to to fame? the American strategy was the decision Jones’ fame rests upon his not to limit the activities of the victory at the Battle of Flamborough Continental Navy to American waters Head. Although Jones was a successful but rather to attack commerce off of the captain and peppered the Continental British Isles. By so doing, the Congress with ideas that were later Americans would force the British to embarced by the United States Navy, keep more of their warships at home. Jones would not have stood out from a This in turn would mean that there number of successful early commanders would be fewer British warships off except for this one crucial victory. America to prevent American ships and When the long simmering those of sympathetic neutrals from animosity between Britain and her landing much needed supplies. In American colonies broke into open addition, attacks on offshore shipping warfare, the rebels had no standing navy. and attacks on sea coast towns would Some merchant ships could be converted cause panic at home and would put into warships and a few purpose-built political pressure on the British warships could be constructed in government to end what was not a American shipyards but the colonists popular war to begin with. would never have the ships, either in

Copyright: 2006 Richard H. Wagner All rights reserved This article may only be used by permission John Paul Jones was an advocate supplied by the French, Jones converted of this strategy. Born in Scotland in the Indiaman into a , which he 1747, Jones had gone to sea at age 13 named BONHOMME RICHARD after and by the age of 21 was a captain of a Benjamin Franklin's nom de plume. merchant ship. However, in 1773, while While on paper BONHOMME in command of a ship in the West Indies, RICHARD was a formidable fighting he killed the ringleader of a mutiny with vessel, there were problems. First, the his sword. Rather than stand trial in ship was feeling the effects of age, Tobago, Jones emigrated to Virginia and which, among other things, rendered her changed his name from "John Paul" to slower than purpose-built warships. "John Paul Jones." He became a keen Second, the French were not about to supporter of the patriot cause and, in part with first-class supplies and what 1775, was commissioned as a first they gave, particularly the cannons, were lieutenant in the Continental Navy. items that the French Navy did not want. After a successful tour on ALFRED, Third, Jones had to assemble a polyglot Jones became the captain of the sloop crew consisting of Americans, PROVIDENCE and his reputation grew. Frenchmen, and various other In 1777, Jones was given nationalities including some Britons. command of the three-masted, 18-gun Only about a third of the crew spoke sloop-of-war RANGER. Operating out English. of French ports, RANGER began In August 1779, BONHOMME attacking British merchant ships in the RICHARD was made the flagship of a waters off Britain and Ireland. He also squadron of ships consisting of new successfully raided the port of American 36-gun frigate ALLIANCE, Whitehaven. Then, within sight of commanded by Captain Pierre Landis, Belfast, Ireland, he engaged and the French frigate PALLAS, the captured HMS DRAKE, a 20-gun sloop. FRENCH brig VENGENCE, the French Throughout the British Isles, there was cutter LE CERF, and two French panic over the exploits of "Paul Jones, privateers, MONSIEUR and the pirate." The embarrassed Royal GRANVILLE. The squadron was to Navy dispatched a squadron to seek him engage in commerce raiding around the out. In short, exactly what the British Isles and then rendezvous with a Americans had hoped for. convoy that the British had blockaded in The exploits of RANGER aided a Dutch port. American envoy Benjamin Franklin in This was a powerful force. his efforts to have the French supply the However, there was a big problem. Americans with ships that would be used Although Jones was the commodore of against 's traditional enemy. In the squadron, his political enemies in the early 1779, King Louis XVI purchased a French Ministry of Marine had drawn up 13-year old Indiaman called the DUC orders that allowed the other ships in the DE DURAS and placed it at the disposal squadron to use their own judgment. of Jones. Indiamen were large merchant Thus, they could ignore Jones's orders if ships built to withstand the rigors of they wished. voyages between Europe and the Far Four days after leaving harbor, East. Using cannons and materiel MONSIEUR took a prize and then 2 Copyright: 2006 Richard H. Wagner All rights reserved This article may only be used by permission abandoned the squadron. The other Scottish ports were thwarted either by French privateer dropped out of the the weather or by his captains’ refusal to squadron for the same reason not long participate. afterwards. At about 3 p.m. on 23 A few days later, the squadron September, off of , became becalmed off the coast of Ireland Yorkshire, England, a lookout on and Jones, concerned that BONHOMME BONHOMME RICHARD spotted a RICHARD might drift aground, sent out large group of sail to the north. It was a a boat to tow the ship seaward. 40-ship British convoy bringing naval Unfortunately, the coxswain had supplies from the Baltic. It appeared to recently been disciplined and the be escorted by a frigate and a sloop-of- remainder of the crew were homesick war. Irishmen. During the night, they cut the Jones decided he would attack tow line and rowed ashore where they the frigate while PALLAS attacked the informed the British authorities that sloop. This left ALLIANCE and Jones was in the vicinity. A second boat VENGENCE to deal with the convoy. sent out to look for the first became lost BONHOMME RICHARD bore in a fog and was eventually captured by down on the larger of the two British the British. LE CERF was sent to look warships. Although HMS SERAPIS for the boats but also became lost and was rated as a frigate, she could have returned to France. been classified as a small ship-of-the- The next day, Jones argued with line with between 41 and 50 guns Landis and although he was in the arrayed on two gun decks. As Jones Continental Navy, Landis announced approached her in the early evening that he too was going to use his own light, however, only the gun ports on one judgment in all matters. Accordingly, deck were open. When the two ships Landis would take ALLIANCE off on were about a thousand yards apart, her own when the mood suited him. Captain Richard Pearson, RN, called for PALLAS then broke her tiller the ports on the second deck to be and fell behind. opened unmasking a row of 18 Even though the squadron was pounders. Onboard the BONHOMME left with only two ships, BONHOMME RICHARD there was an audible gasp as RICHARD and VENGENCE, it was a they realized that they were attacking a successful cruise as they took a number much superior ship. However, it was too of merchant prizes while they sailed late to go back. north around the top of Scotland. In Two additional factors favored addition, a British squadron scrambled to SERAPIS. First, she had the new search for Jones was wasting its time in innovation of copper plating on her hull, the waters off of Ireland. Eventually, which prevented sea growth. As a PALLAS returned to the squadron with result, she was much faster and more ALLIANCE appearing from time-to- nimble than Jones' ship. Second, her time. gun crews practiced an hour each day at The squadron headed south down their guns and could load, aim, and fire the North Sea taking several more in a minute and a half - - twice as fast as prizes. Jones' plans to raid various Jones' crews. Consequently, she was 3 Copyright: 2006 Richard H. Wagner All rights reserved This article may only be used by permission capable of a much greater rate of fire three nine pounders on the quarterdeck, than her opponent. one of which Jones was directing After an unsuccessful attempt at himself. Fires broke out and water persuading SERAPIS that began to fill the American ship. BONHOMME RICHARD was also SERAPIS was burning as well. British, the two ships began firing. Her mainmast and mizzen top had been Jones followed the French tactic of shot away. In addition, the fire from aiming for his opponent's rigging while BONHOMME RICHARD's rigging had Pearson, in typical British style, aimed at rendered SERAPIS' open deck a killing his opponent's hull. BONHOMME field on which nothing could survive for RICHARD was immediately long. handicapped when some of her her most During the course of the battle, powerful guns - - ancient 18-pounders - - some of Jones' men panicked and burst. attempted to surrender the ship. Jones It quickly became clear to Jones threw his empty pistols at them, cracking that if Pearson stood off from BON one man's skull. Confused by these HOMME RICHARD, he would win as events, Pearson asked whether Jones was Jones could not match the weight of fire surrendering. According to some or out maneuver SERAPIS. Therefore, accounts, Jones replied "I have not yet he attempted to move in closer in hopes begun to fight." Other accounts say the of boarding. To this end, he stationed reply was: "No. I'll sink, but I'm damned sailors and French marines in the rigging if I'll strike." to fire down on SERAPIS should the Despite Jones' bravado, the ships come close enough to grapple. British were winning. There was more A gust of wind allowed than five feet of water in BONHOMME BONHOMME RICHARD to pull ahead RICHARD's hold, her guns were all but of SERAPIS and Jones decided to silenced, and she was burning. To make attempt to cross his opponent's bow and matters worse, ALLIANCE had come rake her. However, the two ships along and fired several broadsides at the collided with SERAPIS' bowsprit two ships which mostly hit coming over BONHOMME BONHOMME RICHARD. RICHARD's deck. Jones quickly Meanwhile, high above attempted to secure the enemy's bowsprit BONHOMME RICHARD's open deck, to one of his masts. Pearson tired to pull a Scottish seaman named William away but his anchor became caught on Hamilton had a basket full of grenades. BONHOMME RICHARD's hull. The He worked his way out along the main current then caused the two ships to yard until he was over SERAPIS and he come together side-by-side, bow next to began dropping the grenades. One fell stern. Jones used grappling hooks to through an open hatch into the lower gun further secure SERAPIS. deck and landed amongst the Then began a two and a half hour gunpowder. An explosion ensued pounding match. SERAPIS' guns kept rendering SERAPIS unable to fight any up their rapid fire into BONHOMME longer. Pearson struck the colors. RICHARD's hull. Soon, all of the Although SERAPIS was badly American guns had been silenced except damaged, she still could be made sea 4 Copyright: 2006 Richard H. Wagner All rights reserved This article may only be used by permission worthy. Jones and the remainder of his showed that the Americans could win at crew labored to save BONHOMME sea. This gave the rebel cause more RICHARD but 36 hours later as the credibility both at home and abroad. wind increased, she went down. Second, the battle had taken place within While the flagship had been sight of land and, in fact, had been engaged, PALLAS had captured the witnessed by thousands of Englishmen. other British warship, HMS As a result, there was increased public COUNTESS OF SCARBOROUGH, doubt about the war and pressure on the despite also having received an government to end the conflict. Third, unhelpful blast from ALLIANCE’s Britain's heavy-handed attempts to guns. VENGENCE had stayed off from pressure the Dutch into turning over the battle. As a result, all of the Jones and his "pirates" to them was one merchant ships had made it safely into of the factors that led to war between the port. Jones' squadron limped across the Netherlands and Britain. Dutch bankers North Sea to Texel Roads, Holland. An then helped the French buy supplies for outraged Royal Navy sent a squadron to the Americans. Finally, the battle is, and blockade the port. should be, remembered for the spirit In the immediate aftermath of the shown by Jones and his men in refusing battle, Jones may well have shivered to concede defeat even when there was when he wondered how posterity would little prospect of victory. It is a spirit treat him. He had lost his ship, in effect that helped shape the United States swapping it for one that was no longer in Navy. a condition to fight. Half of his crew was dead or wounded. The convoy that n his latest work, Admiral Joseph he had been attacking had slipped safely Callo, USNR (ret.), presents the into port without loss while the battle Iresults of his search for the man who was raging. His squadron was no longer won the Battle of Flamborough Head. an effective fighting force. Not only While much has been written about could it not continue to engage in Jones over the last two centuries, his commerce raiding but it was unable to story is not as well known as his complete its mission of escorting the contemporary counterpart, Admiral convoy of badly needed supplies to Horatio Lord Nelson, hero of the Royal France. Finally, the remains of his force Navy. Thus, approaching this book, one were bottled up in a neutral port by a asks who was this man? British squadron causing political This book is not romanticized problems for the neutral government and hero-worshipping of a founding father. for America's French allies. For example, we see that although Jones Why then is the Battle of did such things as advance his own Flamborough Head considered a great money to pay his crews’ wages and prize victory? First, the battle demonstrated money, he was faced with several that the Americans were capable of mutinies during his career and desertions defeating the invincible British navy. even from his most famous command Just as the defeat of a British army at BONHOMME RICHARD. Similarly, Saratoga demonstrated that the rebels Jones was not able to impose his could win on land, Flamborough Head personality on subordinate captains so 5 Copyright: 2006 Richard H. Wagner All rights reserved This article may only be used by permission that they happily followed his lead. The subordinates, and the best laid plots of squadron at Flamborough Head was no his political enemies. In short, the “Band of Brothers” such as the one that victory at Flamborough Head was no followed Nelson at Trafalgar. fluke but rather a manifestation of talent. Along the same lines, Jones was Admiral Callo’s analysis of not adept at spinning the wheels of Jones’ career is particularly valuable politics. Even though he had friends because he relates Jones’ actions to the such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas problems encountered by modern naval Jefferson, he was unable to obtain the commanders. Because of the differences ships and promotions he desired. This in technology and lifestyle, it is easy to was also true when he was at the court of regard the people and events of the Age Catherine the Great, having accepted an of Sail as belonging to a distant world. admiral’s commission in the Russian However, by demonstrating that the Navy after it became apparent that he problems facing Jones were the same as would advance no further in America. those confronting commanders today, Once again, Jones had made political the reader is better able to understand enemies who were able to use his Jones. stubbornness and womanizing against One is tempted to say that if a him to deny him the fruits of his book is by Admiral Callo, one can be victories over the Turks. assured of its high quality. However, the Make no mistake - - this is not book stands on its own. This is a one of those attacks on the founding concise history. It packs a great deal of fathers, fashionable in some academic information into less than two hundred circles, which confuse negativity with pages. There are no wasted words. It is intellectual criticism. Rather, it presents also a sailor’s book. Admiral Callo a picture of a real person who was able presents just enough of the history and to call upon some remarkable talents to politics of the time to place Jones’ naval do great things. We see that Jones, career in context. The focus is on the coming from a working class family, man as naval commander. It makes one was able to rise to be master of a think and in so doing answers the merchant ship in his early 20s. He was question posed earlier. also one of the few persons placed upon the Continental Navy’s captains list who n 18 May, the Ocean was not a political appointee. Thus, his Technology Foundation (OTF) abilities as a seaman were recognized Oheld a briefing at the New York even before Flamborough Head. Yacht Club to discuss a search of a Although Jones’ background different nature. In partnership with the before the Revolution was entirely in the Naval Historical Center, OTF will search merchant service, he showed himself to the waters off Flamborough Head this be adept at military command; not just at summer for the wreck of the Flamborough Head but in commerce BONHOMME RICHARD. raiding, in RANGER’s victory over With the television airwaves DRAKE, and later as a fleet commander crowded with programs about in Russia. These victories came about underwater expeditions seeking despite reluctant crews, uncooperative everything from the TITANIC to Al 6 Copyright: 2006 Richard H. Wagner All rights reserved This article may only be used by permission Capone’s lost rubber duck, one would historical information with data on wind, have thought that a ship of the stature of tides, currents and weather in order to BONHOMME RICHARD would have develop a search area. This summer been located and explored long before they will explore this area using the now. Indeed, unlike the wrecks of latest in underwater detection BISMARK, HMS HOOD, USS equipment. YORKTOWN (CV 5) and TITANIC - - Speaking at the briefing, Admiral all of which have been explored, Jones’ Callo made some observations on the ship did not go down in the deep ocean importance of the search for BON but rather in less then 200 feet of water HOMME RICHARD. “Anybody who within sight of land. Still, the location of has gone to sea, anybody who has owned the wreck remains a mystery. a boat knows that ships have a life. This situation is not the result of They are not inanimate objects. They a lack of trying. In 1976, the American are not just planks, and bolts, rigging, Bicentennial Administration, the and blocks. They really do have a life. . Smithsonian Institute, and the Navy . They take something from the people conducted an extensive search. Novelist who take them to sea. If you agree with and underwater explorer Clive Cussler, that, then you have to really, really feel who discovered the submarine CSA something about BONHOMME HUNLEY, has been involved with RICHARD when you think about what several subsequent expeditions. The happened and what was done in that National Park Service conducted ship. So, it is a life worth revisiting and searches in 2002 and in 2004. All were focusing on.” to no avail. “We too easily lose sight of what The problem is that is involved with our military these days BONHOMME RICHARD sank in the and what has been involved with our North Sea - - an area that has been for military since the Revolutionary War. centuries one of the busiest, stormiest, There are people who go and do and fought-over stretches of water in the amazing things and are never recognized world. There are numerous wrecks. and even when they do heroic things are Furthermore, after two centuries there is not recognized. There were 300 some probably not much left of a wooden odd men who were involved with sailing ship that had suffered extensive BONHOMME RICHARD. There is no fires and battle damage before she sank. monument to them [but this project will One advantage that this be] a monument to them. If anything expedition has over previous expeditions makes it very important and worth our is Peter Reaveley. Mr. Reaveley has focus, I think it is that last observation.” made a 30-year study of the Battle of Flamborough Head. Not only has he studied articles and personal accounts of the battle but he has studied the ship’s construction and operation. Using Mr. Reaveley’s expertise, the resources of the Naval Historical Center, and OTF’s computers, the explorers have combined 7 Copyright: 2006 Richard H. Wagner All rights reserved This article may only be used by permission