Bonhomme Richard 1765

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john sefton
Posts: 1816
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 1:59 pm

Bonhomme Richard 1765

Post by john sefton » Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:31 pm

Tons burthen: 998 tons (1014 tonnes)
Length: 152 ft (46 m)
Beam: 40 ft (12 m)
Draft: 19 ft (5.8 m)
Propulsion: Sail
Complement: 375 officers and enlisted
Armament: 28 x 12-pound smoothbore, 6 x 18-pound smoothbore, 8 x 9-pound smoothbore

The first USS Bonhomme Richard, formerly Duc de Duras, was a frigate in the Continental Navy. She was originally an East Indiaman, a merchant ship built in France for the French East India Company in 1765, for service between France and the Orient. She was placed at the disposal of John Paul Jones on 4 February 1779, by King Louis XVI of France as a result of a loan to the United States by French shipping magnate, Jacques-Donatien Le Ray.

Jones renamed her Bon Homme Richard - usually rendered in more correct French as Bonhomme Richard, to honor Benjamin Franklin, the American Commissioner at Paris whose almanac, Poor Richard's Almanac had been published in France under the title Les Maximes du Bonhomme Richard.

On 19 June 1779, Bonhomme Richard sailed from Lorient accompanied by Alliance, Pallas, Vengeance, and Cerf with troop transports and merchant vessels under convoy to Bordeaux and to cruise against the British in the Bay 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 into the North Sea 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) and Countess of Scarborough (22) near Flamborough Head. After 18:00 Bonhomme Richard engaged Serapis and a bitter engagement, the Battle of Flamborough Head, 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 sailed the captured Serapis to the United Provinces 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 authority. The defeat of Serapis, in home waters no less, stung the British 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 in approximately 180 feet of water off Flamborough Head in Yorkshire, a headland near where her final battle took place. The number of other wrecks in the area and a century of fishing trawling operations have complicated all searches.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Bonhom ... ard_(1765)

Barbuda SG225, Grenada SG699, Malagasy SG308, 374. Marshall Is SG1094, Nicaragua SG2068, Rwanda SG735ms.
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Arturo
Posts: 723
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2012 8:11 pm

Re: Bonhomme Richard 1765

Post by Arturo » Sat Nov 29, 2014 5:28 pm

Bonhomme Richard

Ecuador 1976, S.G.?, Scott: C590.

Samoa 1976, S.G.?, Scott: 430.
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aukepalmhof
Posts: 7771
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

Re: Bonhomme Richard 1765

Post by aukepalmhof » Thu Jun 15, 2017 4:23 am

Rwanda 1976 100f sgMS735, scott?
Nicaragua 1976 $2.75 sg 2068, scott?

Battle between the BON HOME RICHARD and HMS SERAPIS.
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1976 bonhomme richard (2).jpg
Last edited by aukepalmhof on Tue Dec 03, 2019 10:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Anatol
Posts: 1038
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:13 pm

Re: Bonhomme Richard 1765

Post by Anatol » Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:45 pm

Mali 2017;1000f.
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