#battle of flamborough head

[ltwilliammowett]

John Paul Jones at the battle of Flamborough Head, 1779. Where he supposedly said, “I have not yet begun to fight!”, by Patrick O’Brien 2022

[whencyclopedia]

Battle of Flamborough Head

The Battle of Flamborough Head (23 September 1779) was one of the most famous naval engagements of the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). Fought off the coast of Yorkshire, England, it pitted the USS Bonhomme Richard, commanded by John Paul Jones, against a Royal Navy frigate, HMS Serapis. The engagement was an important victory for the burgeoning Continental Navy.

The Expedition Sets Sail

On 14 August 1779, a small fleet of seven vessels set sail from the port of Groix, France, with the intention of wreaking as much havoc as possible in the British Isles. The Kingdom of France had officially entered the American Revolutionary War the year before as an ally of the fledgling United States and had since provided the Americans with military and financial aid. The French had outfitted the ships for the expedition including the flagship, a 42-gun converted merchant vessel called the Duc de Duras, which was gifted to the United States. The makeshift fleet was under the overall command of Captain John Paul Jones, a Scottish-born officer of the Continental Navy, who had recently won international fame for his daring raid on the English port town of Whitehaven in April 1778.

Prior to sailing, Jones renamed the Duc de Duras to the USS Bonhomme Richard; this was in honor of his friend, Benjamin Franklin, whose celebrated Poor Richard's Almanac was translated into French as Les Maximes du Bonhomme Richard. The other ships under his command included the 36-gun frigate USS Alliance, the 32-gun frigate USS Pallas, the 12-gun corvette USS Vengeance, and the cutter Le Cerf, as well as two privateering vessels, the Monsieur and the Granville. Since the ships were setting sail from France, they were mainly crewed by French sailors (except for the Bonhomme Richard itself) and were captained by French naval officers. After raising anchor on 14 August, the fleet sailed toward the southern coast of Ireland.

Trouble beset the expedition almost immediately. On 18 August, they recaptured a Dutch vessel that had previously been taken by a British privateer. The captain of the Monsieur raided the cargo hold of the captured vessel, taking what he pleased before selecting a prize crew to sail it back to Belgium for sale. Jones overrode these orders, however, putting his own prize crew in place and sending it back to France to be sold in his own name. This enraged the captain of the Monsieur, who felt entitled to the prize. That night, the Monsieur abandoned the fleet with the other privateer, Granville, leaving not long after. Jones was hardly surprised by the disloyalty of the privateers but would soon be faced with more discontent from within his ranks. The aristocratic French naval officers under his command despised taking orders from a provincial, Scottish-born American and were not afraid to show their displeasure; Pierre Landais, captain of USS Alliance, was the most outspoken of this group, flatly telling Jones that he intended to sail Alliance as he saw fit.

After the departure of the privateers, Jones' remaining five ships sailed up around the southwest of Ireland before heading north. In late August, Jones sent Le Cerf to reconnoiter the Irish coast, but the cutter soon became lost; after failing to find its way back to the fleet, Le Cerf turned around and sailed back to France. Jones, meanwhile, continued northward with his remaining ships, sailing along the coast of Scotland. Despite the expedition's rocky start, it finally began to prove profitable, as the Franco-Americans took several British merchant vessels as prizes along the Scottish coast. On 3 September, Jones' fleet rounded the Orkney Islands and turned south. He put a landing party ashore at Leith, the seaport of Edinburgh, with instructions to threaten to burn the port unless the residents paid a large ransom. But before the threat could even be made, a strong gale blew Jones' ships away from the bay, forcing him to call off the raid. Nevertheless, the sight of Jones' fleet off the coast of Scotland was enough to cause panic and alarm throughout Great Britain.

Continue reading...

[scotianostra]

September 23rd 1779 saw the Battle of Flamborough Head.

The Battle of Flamborough Head is one of the most famous events to have taken place in the waters of the North Sea. In 1779 the American War of Independence spread to this unlikely location of on the Yorkshire coast of England

There was a joint Franco-American squadron, attempting to draw the British Home Fleet northwards so a joint Franco-Spanish invasion could take place in the south of England, when happened upon a large British convoy off Flamborough Head. Two Royal Navy ships, vastly outgunned by their French and American foes, saved the convoy, but were captured or sank in the act.

However, the real significance of the battle wasn’t about ships sunk, it became emblematic of the pluck and courage of the fledgling American nation. The American commander John Paul Jones, who was in fact a Scotsman sailing in a French ship, became known as ‘the father of the American Navy’. His ship, the Bonhomme Richard, despite being sunk during the battle, is now a legendary name in American naval history and to this day there is a USS Bonhomme Richard and a USS John Paul Jones serving in the US Navy.

Jone’s ship, USS Bonhomme Richard sank but before it went down he boarded and captured HMS Serapis. During the battle, Jones was famously reputed to have exclaimed “I have not yet begun to fight!” in response to the Royal Navy’s Captain Richard Pearson’s demand that he surrender his ship.

In recent years the wreck of the Bonhomme Richard has been found. It lies beneath the waves of Filey Bay and its discovery could lead to a tourism boom for the Yorkshire coast. The story of this battle is taught to every American schoolchild. It is big history a bit like were taught about........hm, The Battle of Hastings, which had nothing to do with Scotland! Aye well times are changing now and Scottish history is taught a lot more in school than was back in my days.

Scotland has an added interest in the area as on March 22nd 1406 the 8 year old Scottish King, James I, on his way to the safety of France, was captured by pirates off Flamborough Head, and delivered, or “sold” to the then King of England, Henry IV, he did not return home till 1424.

The pics are depictions of the battle, of which there are no shortage online, and a plaque at Filey, near where the Bonhomme Richard sank.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 9.23

38 – Drusilla, Caligula's sister who died in June, with whom the emperor is said to have an incestuous relationship, is deified. 1122 – Pope Callixtus II and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V agree to the Concordat of Worms to put an end to the Investiture Controversy. 1338 – The Battle of Arnemuiden, in which a French force defeats the English, is the first naval battle of the Hundred Years' War and the first naval battle in which gunpowder artillery is used. 1409 – The Battle of Kherlen is the second significant victory over Ming dynasty China by the Mongols since 1368. 1459 – The Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English Wars of the Roses, is won by the Yorkists. 1561 – King Philip II of Spain issues cedula, ordering a halt to colonizing efforts in Florida. 1779 – American Revolution: John Paul Jones, naval commander of the United States, on board the USS Bonhomme Richard, wins the Battle of Flamborough Head. 1803 – Second Anglo-Maratha War: The Battle of Assaye is fought between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. 1821 – Tripolitsa, Greece, is captured by Greek rebels during the Greek War of Independence. 1846 – Astronomers Urbain Le Verrier, John Couch Adams and Johann Gottfried Galle collaborate on the discovery of Neptune. 1868 – The Grito de Lares occurs in Puerto Rico against Spanish rule. 1879 – The Macedo-Romanian Cultural Society is founded. 1884 – On the night of 23-24 September, the steamship Arctique runs aground near Cape Virgenes leading to the discovery of nearby placer gold, beginning the Tierra del Fuego gold rush. 1899 – The American Asiatic Squadron destroys a Filipino battery at the Battle of Olongapo. 1901–present 1905 – Norway and Sweden sign the Karlstad Treaty, peacefully dissolving the Union between the two countries. 1913 – The United Mine Workers of America launch a strike which eventually escalated into the Colorado Coalfield War. 1918 – World War I: The Battle of Haifa takes place in present-day Israel, part of the Ottoman Empire at that time. 1942 – World War II: The Matanikau action on Guadalcanal begins: U.S. Marines attack Japanese units along the Matanikau River. 1947 – A magnitude 6.9 earthquake strikes South Khorasan in Iran, killing over 500 people. 1950 – Korean War: The Battle of Hill 282 is the first US friendly-fire incident on British military personnel since World War II. 1973 – Argentine general election: Juan Perón returns to power in Argentina. 1983 – Gulf Air Flight 771 is destroyed by a bomb, killing all 117 people on board. 2004 – Over 3,000 people die in Haiti after Hurricane Jeanne produces massive flooding and mudslides. 2008 – Matti Saari kills ten people at a school in Finland before committing suicide.

[thorntonkrell-blog-blog]

And in conclusion......

Perhaps the most influential and famous of all Rochesterians, George Eastman, the founder of Eastman Kodak Company and a pioneer in the field of photography, died by suicide on March 14, 1932. According to various accounts, his last words were a brief note that he left before taking his own life. The note read:

"To my friends, my work is done. Why wait?"

These words express Eastman's belief that he had completed his life's work and saw no reason to continue living. It is a poignant and tragic statement that reflects his state of mind at the time of his death.

We have a pretty good idea of the last words of many famous people.

Et tu, Brute?" - Julius Caesar: According to Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar," these were the words Caesar uttered upon seeing his friend Brutus among the conspirators who stabbed him.

"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." - Nathan Hale: An American spy during the Revolutionary War, Hale allegedly said these words before being executed by the British.

"Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven't said enough!" - Karl Marx: These words are attributed to Marx, the influential philosopher and economist.

"I have a terrific headache." - Franklin D. Roosevelt: The 32nd President of the United States spoke these words before he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and passed away.

"Rosebud." Charles Foster Kane.

And of course the famous last words of Albert Einstein. Einstein was famous for his ability to extrapolate and conclude. He knew he was dying so he had plenty of time to pass on a message for the benefit of all mankind that would comfort us in our time of passing. He gathered his strength and with his last gasp delivered his summary of life on earth.

Albert Einstein's last words were spoken in German to his nurse who didn't understand the language. As a result, his final words remain a mystery. However, it is important to note that the actual circumstances and content of his last words may never be definitively known.

We missed it.

Einsteins last wordsChatGPT

Einstein's last words are often a topic of speculation and have been reported differently by different sources. According to some accounts, Albert Einstein's last words were spoken in German to his nurse who didn't understand the language. As a result, his final words remain a mystery. However, it is important to note that the actual circumstances and content of his last words may never be definitively known.

what are some famous last wordsChatGPT

There have been many famous last words attributed to notable individuals throughout history. Here are a few examples:

"Et tu, Brute?" - Julius Caesar: According to Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar," these were the words Caesar uttered upon seeing his friend Brutus among the conspirators who stabbed him.

"I have not yet begun to fight!" - John Paul Jones: The American naval officer declared this during the Battle of Flamborough Head in 1779, showing his determination to continue the fight.

"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." - Nathan Hale: An American spy during the Revolutionary War, Hale allegedly said these words before being executed by the British.

"Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven't said enough!" - Karl Marx: These words are attributed to Marx, the influential philosopher and economist.

"I have a terrific headache." - Franklin D. Roosevelt: The 32nd President of the United States spoke these words before he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and passed away.

It's important to note that the accuracy of some last words can be difficult to confirm, as they often rely on historical accounts and may be subject to embellishment or myth-making over time.

did einstein say Gute reise as he diedChatGPT

No, there is no historical evidence to suggest that Albert Einstein said "Gute Reise" (German for "Good journey" or "Bon voyage") as he died. The notion that these were his last words seems to be a misconception or a misattribution. As mentioned earlier, Einstein's actual last words remain unknown as they were spoken in German to his nurse, who did not understand the language. Therefore, the exact content of his final words remains a mystery.

some experts believe that he said ich habe es versuchtChatGPT

While it is true that there are some claims and theories suggesting that Albert Einstein's last words were "Ich habe es versucht" (German for "I have tried"), it is important to note that these claims are not universally accepted or supported by concrete evidence. The information surrounding Einstein's last moments and his final words is not well-documented, and different accounts exist.

The claim that he said "Ich habe es versucht" originates from a 1955 article published by the journalist and author R. W. Clark. According to Clark's account, he spoke to Dr. Henry A. Seligman, who was present during Einstein's final moments. Seligman recounted that Einstein muttered some words in German before passing away, and those words were later translated as "I have tried" or "I tried."

However, without further corroborating evidence or additional firsthand accounts, it is challenging to determine the exact nature of Einstein's last words with certainty. It is worth acknowledging that the circumstances surrounding someone's final moments can be difficult to ascertain accurately.

the last words of George EastmanChatGPT

George Eastman, the founder of Eastman Kodak Company and a pioneer in the field of photography, died by suicide on March 14, 1932. According to various accounts, his last words were a brief note that he left before taking his own life. The note read:

"To my friends, my work is done. Why wait?"

These words express Eastman's belief that he had completed his life's work and saw no reason to continue living. It is a poignant and tragic statement that reflects his state of mind at the time of his death.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

House hunters in Scarborough, UK wonder why this stunning historic home, built in the 14th cent., and possibly the oldest house in Scarborough, is only  £325,000 ($400,418.85). 

Well, the house has a long history and lots of secrets. Peel back the layers and it could very well be haunted.  Over the centuries its served as a medieval bar, a sea captain’s house and a museum.

One room is dedicated to the home’s seafaring past, with a case of items salvaged from the ocean, and a display of knots.

The house has a series of incredible secrets, including smuggling holes and even a priest’s hole, built in the 1500s to hide persecuted members of the Catholic clergy.

In recent years it has undergone updating, but the owners were sympathetic to it’s features. The entrance hall stairs lead to the basement level where there is a dining room and a built in utility cupboard.

There’s also a huge open kitchen with modern cabinetry.

The property was once a medieval pub, before it was transformed into a sea captain’s house, and this room has part of the bar. This is one of 2 reception rooms on the main floor.

This is the more formal room. According to local historians, fishermen had their broken bones set in the parlor.

The main bedroom suite.

The 2nd bedroom on this level.

To the rear of the entrance hall with stairs leading to the first floor landing are doors to a shower room and two double bedrooms, with the master benefiting from an en-suite bathroom.

In the attic is a large bedroom with its own water closet. There are also rumors that American Captain John Paul Jones hid in the attic after his ships battled the British at Flamborough Head in 1779. So unsurprisingly, the property is believed to be one of Scarborough’s most haunted spots.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/116582447#/?channel=RES_BUY

[floridaboiler]

I Have Not Yet Begun To Fight!”

Today in History -- On today’s date 275 years ago, Tuesday, July 6, 1747, famous Scottish-American Continental Navy Captain John Paul Jones (1747-1792), a celebrated hero of the American Revolutionary War who has become known as “The Father of the United States Navy,” was born in Shire of Kirkcudbright, Scotland.

During the September 23, 1779 Battle of Flamborough Head in the North Sea off the coast of Yorkshire, England, when Royal Navy Captain Sir Richard Pearson (1731–1806) of the HMS Serapis enquired of  Captain Jones, “Have you struck? Do you call for Quarter?” Captain John Paul Jones defiantly replied with his immortal words, “I have not yet begun to fight!”☞Note: The Battle of Flamborough Head was a naval battle that took place on September 23, 1779 in the North Sea, off the coast of Yorkshire, between a combined Franco-American squadron, led by Continental Navy officer John Paul Jones, & two British escort vessels protecting a large merchant convoy. Though it was a relatively small battle & there was considerable dispute over what had actually occurred, the Battle of Flamborough Head, which resulted in a Franco-American victory, became one of the most celebrated naval actions of the Revolutionary War.

The photograph depicts an 1890 oil-on-canvas portrait of Captain John Paul Jones by noted American artist George Bagby Matthews (1857-1943). This painting is now in the collection of the United States Senate.

[revolutionary-pirate]

Comment from @therevwriter​:

I'm intrigued. Where does Mr. Bi Disaster come from? Everything I've read paints him as constantly obsessed with women. I'd be interested to explore some other sources, because the JPJ in my head is a womanizing asshole and I'm always open to having my opinions altered through new info.

There is potentially a lot to explore here. I’ve discussed some of these things at varying lengths on my blog in the past, but it’s been like 3-4 years ago at this point so I figure it wouldn’t hurt to have a more somewhat comprehensive overview on the topic of John Paul Jones, the evidence that he may have been bisexual, and his complicated relationship with trust, women, sex, and depression and how those all tie together into the well-deserved imagining that JPJ could be perceived as a womanizing asshole. I’ll ramble a bit. The fastest point to address here would be the bisexual one. I had never face palmed harder in my life than when I read Evan Thomas’ biography on John Paul Jones and he said that there was no evidence that Jones was Bisexual immediately after including an explicitly bisexual poem Jones wrote in Latin simply because there was ‘no concrete evidence that Jones actually slept with any men.’ (Thomas, 232.) After having repeatedly speculated the entire book that any women Jones so much as looked at, he also fucked with zero evidence to back up any of those wild claims. He couldn’t fathom the idea of a man being friends with a woman who named him the godfather of her child and him actually loving his god child. He basically said that the only way this was possible is if Jones was actually somehow the real father and I rolled my eyes so far back in my head it hurt. Sure Jones was kind of a slut but jesus. I thought about it more later and laughed so hard because Thomas on the subject was just the living embodiment of ‘a guy could write down in a diary that on x date at x time he had sex with another man’ and straight white male historians would still find a way to say “Well...” I counter, do we really need more evidence than the poem (linked here if you want to read a clunky translation of said semi-erotic poem) to speculate that there was a very real chance that Jones was Bisexual without dismissing it outright immediately as impossible?

(an aside: when you have a reputation for womanizing, no one would suspect a thing about you sleeping with men as well. Unfortunately his womanizing reputation made him easy to target and for people to believe the crime for, re: his time in Russia where he was framed by his political enemies for assaulting a young girl, a crime punished by beheading, the plot for which was just barely uncovered before Jones killed himself instead and then also the time Ben Franklin told Jones that while he was at sea a maid stole Jones’ clothes and assaulted another lady during a festival while dressed like him and the lady’s sons went on a man hunt looking for him.) It’s unfortunate that historians can easily explain any mlm tendencies at sea on just that: being at sea. But I do have to acknowledge that reality. As someone who is asexual I am well acquainted with the idea that action =/= attraction. And Jones, very explicitly, wrote that he’s just as comfortable being on both the giving and receiving ends of sex with men as he is with women (and I mean that, the poem also possibly suggests he’s down with getting pegged). On top of that, the poem was written in Latin. I’ve mentioned before that the likelihood that any of the people on board Jones’ crew would be in anyway well-versed in understanding Latin is... extremely unlikely. Most men who set out to sea were generally uneducated. he wrote a bisexual poem in the language of the gays that no one around him at the time would ever be able to understand should they have come across it.

When it comes to Jones and women, things get complicated. John Paul Jones is a tragic figure. He was his own worst enemy and on top of that, his life was a string of endless betrayal after betrayal by those he thought he could trust. He was paranoid by nature and that reinforced it, to the point of serious health complications caused by lack of sleep because he was too afraid of mutiny happening in his sleep. Ironically, he was also a terrible judge of character and easily blinded by flashy displays of wealth and empty flattery from attractive men, which burned him. People often used him and then tossed him aside. He suffered greatly for it. One of the examples of this that hurts me the most is that the man Jones trusted most during the AmRev was actually a British Spy. Jones considered Edward Bancroft to be his closest and most intimate friend and confidant. Jones never suspected Bancroft was feeding the British all of his plans and had even come up with a cipher for the two of them to communicate. The Battle of Flamborough Head that won Jones his fame was only possible because, just once, Bancroft... for some reason... decided not to snitch. Maybe he’d gone soft on Jones? Who knows. The reveal of Bancroft’s ultimate betrayal after the war was definitely one of the final straws for Jones, though. He never trusted again.

The reason why this is important to note is that one of my favorite quotes from Jones is one that’s revealingly honest about why it’s easy to see him as a womanizing asshole. A female acquaintance of his later in life confronted him on the matter, calling him out on how he prefers taking lovers over making friends. Jones then admitted “sad experience generally shows that where we expect to find a friend, we have only been treacherously deluded by false appearances.” (quote pulled from Thomas 303 because I can’t access the JPJ papers these days). As a very social man, Jones was probably starved for human contact but he isolated himself from people and refused to make friends he believed would inevitably betray him, settling for attempting to satisfy what was probably a deep seated longing for genuine human connection with strings of shallow dalliances (never able to trust enough to fall in love) that never filled the endless yawning void of his spiraling depression. (catch me crying in the club for the umpteenth time about Jones saying “I would have faced death a thousand times, but today I desire it” [quote pulled from the memoirs of diplomat Comte de Ségur]).

Jones is a thoroughly complex and intriguing disaster of a human being to study and he fascinates me to no end for that reason and I love reading about him and trying to peer between the lines at the shattered man underneath all of the peacocking and unsatisfiable ambition.

[snatching-ishidates-wig]

Today In History: January 10, 1779.

"January 10, 1779, John Paul Jones takes command of the Bonhomme Richard. John Paul Jones was born in Scotland and became a sailor at the age of thirteen. He eventually moved to Virginia and volunteered his services to the Continental Congress in the fall of 1775.After a series of successful missions in American waters, Jones sailed for France on the USS Ranger to meet with America's diplomats there, Ben Franklin, John Adams and Arthur Lee. Jones shared with them his plan to harass British ships in British waters and they gave him permission to proceed. The Ranger made some attacks on the British coast and captured a British warship, having an enormous psychological impact on the British people, making the people realize they were not safe even in their homeland.

After returning to France, Jones was given command of the Duc de Duras, a French merchant ship given to the Americans by King Louis XVI. Jones renamed it the Bonhomme Richard in honor of Ben Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack character, Richard Saunders (the French version was called Les Maximes du Bonhomme Richard). Jones had the ship outfitted for war and left at the head of a 5 ship convoy in August for another raid along the east side of Britain, spreading fear up and down the British coast.

On September 23, the fleet met a convoy of 41 merchant ships off Flamborough Head, escorted by the 50 gun HMS Serapis. An engagement began in which the Bonhomme Richard was severely damaged. Jones knew he could not compete against the greater firepower of the Serapis and succeeded in maneuvering close enough to tie the two vessels together. Both crews tried to board the other ship unsuccessfully and nearly half the crews of each died in the battle. When another ship in Jones' convoy finally came to the Bonhomme Richard's aid, the captain of the Serapis knew he could not win against both ships and finally surrendered.

Jones' crew took over the Serapis and tried in vain to repair the Bonhomme Richard, which by this time had gaping holes through her body so large that you could see all the way through the ship. She was badly leaking water and sunk about 36 hours later. Jones took command of the Serapis and sailed her to the Netherlands where the British attempted to get him charged as a pirate. The attempt failed however when a flag, allegedly designed by Ben Franklin from a description he just received of the newly approved American flag, was raised over the vessel. This flag made the vessel a vessel of war and not a pirate ship and Jones escaped further trouble. The flag became known as the Serapis Flag, but is sometimes called the John Paul Jones flag as well.

After the war Jones served in the Russian Navy for a time, but retired to Paris where he died in 1792. He is considered America's first naval hero for his actions in the war. His body was moved from France to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in 1906 and the burial service was presided over by President Theodore Roosevelt."

Source. 

[hipsterflags]

Serapis Flag

The Serapis Flag is an unconventional form of the United States flag dating back to the American Revolution.

On 23 September 1779, Captain John Paul Jones of the Continental Navy attacked the British Naval vessel Serapis near Flamborough Head, Yorkshire as part of a general Franco-American campaign of naval interference. In the course of the battle, Jones captured the Serapis, while his own ship Bonhomme Richard began to sink.

Jones set sail for port in the Dutch United Provinces, which was nominally neutral but tended to support the Americans. British representatives at the port argued that Jones was a pirate, as he was not flying any known national flag.

Based on descriptions of the US flag circulating in Europe, the Dutch authorities recognized the flag above as that of the United States. A sketch dated 5 October 1779 titled “Serapis” survives to this day. 

Misperceptions about the correct flag design were common; Benjamin Franklin as Ambassador to France described the flag as such:

It is with pleasure that we acquaint your excellency that the flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen stripes, alternately red, white, and blue; a small square in the upper angle, next the flagstaff, is a blue field, with thirteen white stars, denoting a new constellation.

At that time, the more conventional construction had already been dictated by the Continental Congress. Franklin made no mention of the number of points on the stars. The Serapis flag, almost uniquely, uses eight-point stars.

[ltwilliammowett]

The action between the frigates 'Bonhomme Richard' (Capt John Paul Jones) and 'HMS Serapis', during the Battle of Flamborough Head, 1779, by Richard Paton 1780                               

[historyarch-blog]

On July 6, 1747- Scots born American Navy hero John Paul Jones who was America’s first great naval commander and considered the “father of the US Navy.”  Jones commanded the Alfred, the first US warship in 1777.  He then began raiding British shipping in Canada and off European coasts.  USS Bon Homme Richard at the Battle of Flamborough Head capturing the HMS Serapis.  The Serapis outgunned the Bon Homme Richard so Jones managed to grapple the ships together.  The battle went poorly at first and as the Bon Homme Richard began sinking, a British officer demanded surrender to which Jones famously responded, “I have not yet begun to fight.”  True to his word, the Americans rallied and Jones captured the Serapis by boarding her.  After the war, Jones served in the Russian Navy and accepted appointment with the US Consul in Paris where he died.  In 1906, Jones was re-interred at the Naval Academy Chapel, finally receiving the honor and hallowed reverence he had long deserved from the United States.

For other significant births and deaths on July 6th, please go to:

http://historyarch.com/famous-births-and-deaths/

[scotianostra]

September 23rd 1779 saw the Battle of Flamborough Head.

Sailing from France in August 1779 with a small squadron, noted Scots born American naval commander Commodore John Paul Jones sought to circle the British Isles with the goal of wreaking havoc on British merchant shipping. In late September, Jones' ships encountered a British convoy in the vicinity of Flamborough Head off the east coast of England. Attacking, the Americans succeeded in capturing two British warships, the frigate HMS Serapis and the sloop-of-war HMS Countess of Scarborough, after a protracted and bitter fight. Though the battle ultimately cost Jones his flagship, Bonhomme Richard.

During the battle using its greater maneuverability and heavier guns, Serapis raked and pounded Jones' ship. With Bonhomme Richard becoming increasingly unresponsive to its helm, Jones realized his only hope was to board Serapis. Maneuvering closer to the British ship, he found his moment when Serapis' jib-boom became entangled the rigging of Bonhomme Richard's mizzen mast. As the two ships came together, the crew of Bonhomme Richard quickly bound the vessels together with grappling hooks.

The ships continued firing into each other as both side's marines sniped at opposing crew and officers. An American attempt to board Serapis was repulsed, as was a British attempt to take Bonhomme Richard.a Royal Navy ship, Alliance tried to come to the aid of Serapis. Believing the frigate's arrival would turn the tide, Jones was shocked when it began indiscriminately firing into both ships.

Moving along the two ships' yardarms, the American crew were able to cross over to Serapis. From their new position aboard the British ship, they were able to drive Serapis' crew from their stations using hand grenades and musket fire. With his men falling back,The Serapis captain, Pearson, was forced to finally surrender his ship to Jones. Across the water, another US ship, Pallas succeeded in taking Countess of Scarborough after a prolonged fight.

During the battle, Jones was famously reputed to have exclaimed "I have not yet begun to fight!" in response to Pearson's demand that he surrender his ship.

One of the greatest prizes taken by the Continental Navy, Serapis was soon transferred to the French for political reasons. The battle proved a major embarrassment for the Royal Navy and cemented Jones' place in American naval history.

There is a much more detailed account of the battle here https://www.sailsofglory.org/showthread.php...

[brookstonalmanac]

Evenets 9.23

38 – Drusilla, Caligula's sister who died in June, with whom the emperor is said to have an incestuous relationship, is deified. 1122 – Pope Callixtus II and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V agree to the Concordat of Worms to put an end to the Investiture Controversy. 1338 – The Battle of Arnemuiden, in which a French force defeats the English, is the first naval battle of the Hundred Years' War and the first naval battle in which gunpowder artillery is used. 1409 – The Battle of Kherlen is the second significant victory over Ming dynasty China by the Mongols since 1368. 1459 – The Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English Wars of the Roses, is won by the Yorkists. 1561 – King Philip II of Spain issues cedula, ordering a halt to colonizing efforts in Florida. 1779 – American Revolution: John Paul Jones, naval commander of the United States, on board the USS Bonhomme Richard, wins the Battle of Flamborough Head. 1803 – Second Anglo-Maratha War: The Battle of Assaye is fought between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. 1821 – Tripolitsa, Greece, is captured by Greek rebels during the Greek War of Independence. 1846 – Astronomers Urbain Le Verrier, John Couch Adams and Johann Gottfried Galle collaborate on the discovery of Neptune. 1868 – The Grito de Lares occurs in Puerto Rico against Spanish rule. 1884 – On the night of 23-24 September, the steamship Arctique runs aground near Cape Virgenes leading to the discovery of nearby placer gold, beginning the Tierra del Fuego gold rush. 1899 – The American Asiatic Squadron destroys a Filipino battery at the Battle of Olongapo. 1905 – Norway and Sweden sign the Karlstad Treaty, peacefully dissolving the Union between the two countries. 1913 – The United Mine Workers of America launch a strike which eventually escalated into the Colorado Coalfield War. 1942 – World War II: The Matanikau action on Guadalcanal begins: U.S. Marines attack Japanese units along the Matanikau River. 1950 – Korean War: The Battle of Hill 282 is the first US friendly-fire incident on British military personnel since World War II. 1973 – Argentine general election: Juan Perón returns to power in Argentina. 1983 – Gulf Air Flight 771 is destroyed by a bomb, killing all 117 people on board. 2004 – Over 3,000 people die in Haiti after Hurricane Jeanne produces massive flooding and mudslides. 2008 – Matti Saari kills ten people at a school in Finland before committing suicide

[silentcigarette]

Original British 1777 Flintlock Pistol Inscribed CAPT R.PEARSON R.N. (Battle of Flamborough Head)

[parkerbombshell]

From Whispers To Screams:Session Session#72 // Progressive Rock

Thursdays 11:00am-1pm EST bombshellradio.com#classicrock #progressiverock #rock Repeats Fridays 3am EST 1 Fear Of A Blank Planet - Porcupine Tree 2 Blackfield - Blackfield 3 Conceiving You - Riverside 4 For Starters - Flamborough Head 5 A Noise Severe - The Gathering 6 Sooner Or Later - The Pineapple Thief 7 Windowpane - Opeth 8 Russia On Ice - Porcupine Tree 9 Karelia - Anekdoten 10 The Storm Before The Calm - Anathema 11 Avalon - Lana Lane 12 Caravan - Rush 13 Gift of the flame - Phideaux 14 On The Backs Of Angels - Dream Theater 15 Seventh Wave - Devin Townsend 16 Battle Of Evermore - Arjen Anthony Lucassen 17 Evermore - Transatlantic 18 Faerie Tale State Of Mind - Lana Lane 19 Travel - The Gathering Read the full article