University of Virginia Library

86. Capture of the Serapis
BY ROBERT DALE (1779)[213]

ON the 23d of September, 1779, I was roused by an unusual noise upon deck. This induced me to go upon deck, when I found the men were swaying up the royal yards, preparatory to making sail for a large fleet under our lee. I asked the coasting pilot what fleet it was? He answered, "The Baltic Fleet, under convoy of the Serapis of 44 guns, and the Countess of Scarborough of 20 guns."

A general chase then commenced by the Bon Homme Richard, the Vengeance, the Pallas, and the

Alliance; the latter ship was then in sight, after a separation from the squadron of nearly three weeks; but that ship, as usual, disregarded the signals of the commodore.

At seven P.M. it was evident that the Baltic fleet perceived we were in chase, from the signal of the Serapis to the merchantmen to stand in shore. At the same time, the Serapis and Countess of Scarborough tacked ship and stood off shore, with the intention of drawing off our attention from the convoy.

At about eight, being within hail, the Serapis de. mended, "What ship is that?" He was answered, "I can't hear what you say." Immediately after the Serapis hailed again, "What ship is that? Answer immediately, or I shall be under the necessity of firing into you." At this moment I received orders from Commodore Jones to commence the action with a broadside, which, indeed, appeared to be simultaneous on board both ships. Our position being to windward of the Serapis, we passed ahead of her, and the Serapis coming up on our larboard quarter, the action commenced with the ships abreast of each other.

The Serapis soon passed ahead of the Bon Homme Richard, and when he thought he had gained a distance sufficient to go down athwart the forefoot to rake us, found he had not enough distance, and that the Bon Homme Richard would be aboard him, put his helm alee, which brought the two ships on a line. The Bon Homme Richard having headway, ran her bows into the stern of the Serapis.

We had remained in this situation but a few min. uses, when we were again hailed by the Serapis; "Has your ship struck?" To which Captain Jones

answered, "I have not yet begun to fight." As we were unable to bring a single gun to bear upon the Serapis, our topsails were backed, while those of the Serapis filled, and the ships separated.

The Serapis wore short round upon her heels, and her jib-boom ran into the mizzen-rigging of the Bon Homme Richard; in this situation the ships were made fast together with a hawser, the bowsprit of the Serapis to the mizzen-mast of the Bon Homme Richard, and the action recommenced from the starboard sides of the two ships.

With the view of separating the ships, the Serapis let go her anchor, which manoeuvre brought her head and the stern of the Bon Homme Richard to the wind, while the ships lay closely pressed against each other. A novelty in naval combats was now presented to many witnesses, but to few admirers. The rammers were run into the respective ships to enable the men to load, after the lower part of the Serapis had been blown away, to make room for running out their guns, and in this situation the ships remained until between 10 and 11 o'clock P.M. when the engagement terminated by the surrender of the Serapis.

From the commencement to the termination of the action there was not a man on board of the Bon Homme Richard ignorant of the superiority of the Serapis, both in weight of metal and in the qualities of the crews. Neither the consideration of the relative force of the ships, the fact of the blowing up of the gun-deck above them, by the bursting of two of the eighteen-pounders, nor the alarm that the ship was sinking, could depress the ardour or change the de termination of the brave Captain Jones, his officers and men. Neither the repeated broadsides of the

Alliance,[214] given with the view of sinking or disabling the Bon Homme Richard, the frequent necessity of suspending the combat to extinguish the flames, which several times were within a few inches of the powder magazine, nor the liberation, by the master-at-arms, of nearly five hundred prisoners, could change or weaken the purpose of the American commander

At the moment of the liberation of the prisoners; one of them, a commander of a twenty gun ship taken a few days before, passed through the ports on board the Serapis, and informed Captain Pearson, that if he would hold out only a little while longer, the ship alongside would either strike or sink, and that all the prisoners had been released to save their lives. The combat was accordingly continued with renewed ardour by the Serapis. The fire from the tops of the Bon Homme Richard was conducted with so much skill and effect as to destroy ultimately every man who appeared upon the quarter-deck of the Serapis, and induced her commander to order the survivors to go below.

Upon finding that the flag of the Serapis had been struck, I went to Captain Jones, and asked whether I might board the Serapis? to which he consented; and, jumping upon the gunwale, I seized the mainbrace pennant, and swung myself upon her quarterdeck. Midshipman Mayant followed with a party of men, and was immediately run through the thigh with a boarding-pike by some of the enemy stationed in the waist, who were not informed of the surrender of the ship. I found Captain Pearson standing on the leeward side of the quarter-deck, and addressing myself to him, said, "Sir, I have orders to send you on board the ship alongside."

The first lieutenant of the Serapis coming up at this moment, inquired of Captain Pearson whether the ship alongside had struck to him? To which I replied, "No sir, the contrary; he has struck to us." The lieutenant renewing his inquiry, "Have you struck, sir?" was answered, "Yes, I have."

The lieutenant replied, "I have nothing more to say," and was about to return below, when I informed him, he must accompany Captain Pearson on board the ship alongside. He said, "If you will permit me to go below, I will silence the firing of the lower-deck guns." This request was refused, and, with Captain Pearson, he was passed over to the deck of the Bon Homme Richard. Orders being sent below to cease firing, the engagement terminated, after a most obstinate contest of three hours and a half.